Rockabilly icon Brian Setzer [ tickets ] is gearing up for the October release of his latest solo album, and has plotted his second-annual Christmas outing with his Brian Setzer Orchestra.

Titled "Nitro Burnin' Funny Daddy," Setzer's new album hits stores on Oct. 21 on Surfdog Records. The 12-song set features guitarist-singer Setzer backed by drummer Bernie Dresel and bassist Johnny "Spaz" Hatton.

On Aug. 10, Philadelphia-area Setzer fans can get an early earful of the album at the Blue Comet Bar & Grill, which Setzer has granted permission to play the CD in its entirety two times between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., according to his website. Details on the event, as well as a complete track listing for "Nitro Burnin' Fun Daddy," are available at the website.

After dropping the new album, Setzer heads out in late November on a jaunt dubbed "The Brian Setzer Orchestra's 2nd Annual Christmas Extravaganza." The run, which includes a Dec. 3 performance at New York City's Rockefeller Center as part of the city's annual tree-lighting event, is the second round of holiday dates behind the group's 2002 release "Boogie Woogie Christmas."

Setzer's time in the Big Apple also includes a Nov. 27 performance on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien."

Setzer rose to fame in the '80s fronting the rockabilly trio The Stray Cats, a group that scored with the Top 10 hits "Rock This Town" and "Stray Cat Strut." He formed the Brian Setzer Orchestra in the mid-'90's. He has won three GRAMMY^® Awards for Brian Setzer Orchestra recordings.

Of the five albums that it has released, The Brian Setzer Orchestra's most commercially successful disc to date is 1998's "The Dirty Boogie," which has sold about 3 million copies, according to Setzer's publicist. The album features the hit "Jump, Jive an' Wail," which peaked at No. 14 on Billboard's Top 40 Adult singles chart in October of 1998.