Holiday Tunage

Bear with me while I dork out for a second. I love Christmas music. I do, I can’t help it. I think it started with my cherished New Kids on the Block, Merry Merry Christmas cassette (featuring Donnie Wahlberg’s seminal tune Funky, Funky Xmas), and these days come December 1st I’ve got A John Waters Christmas on repeat. So you can bet I was down to see The Brian Setzer Orchestra’s Christmas Rocks! Extravaganza at the Hammerstein Ballroom on Monday night. Replete with crazy stage decorations, bandmembers wearing dapper suits, and back-up ladies shimmying away in sexy Santa dresses (of course), it totally lived up to its enthusiastic name. The orchestra even played the Nutcracker Suite, big-band style. Halfway through the set folks were swing dancing in the aisles and that pretty much ruled. So if you’ve got a soft spot for the Stray Cats (and c’mon, who doesn’t? They of course played “Stray Cat Strut” and “Rock This Town”) and are looking for a festive outing, break out your creepers and hair grease and see if this swingin’ soiree is coming to your town.