Brian Setzer Orchestra

Brian Setzer has made a career of bucking trends, going against the grain, ignoring popular culture, discarding rational thought, and, all the while, blowing people away. In a pop music era dominated by twenty-something contest winners and angst-ridden suburban kids, his latest project couldn't be any further removed from the mainstream. Recording centuries-old music with his 18-piece Rockin' Big Band and enlisting the help of a long-retired octogenarian, Setzer has achieved what is surely his finest musical hour with his upcoming Surfdog Records release, Wolfgang's Big Night Out.

Indeed, a most unlikely concept has resulted in his most profound work yet. Reaching back 300 years, Brian has taken on the daunting task of reinventing and revitalizing the world's greatest melodies of all time. We're talkin' Mozart.... Beethoven.... Tchaikovsky.... Mendelssohn...... all the greats. It's one thing to do straight versions of these timeless classics, staying true to the original arrangements, but that would be too easy. The challenge proved to be in taking these melodies that everybody on the planet is intimately familiar with, coming up with completely new parts, add a smokin' hot guitar, and pray that it all makes sense!

This winter Brian and his Orchestra will take these songs on the road as they embark on their sixth annual Christmas Extravaganza tour.