By Rafer Guzman
4/25/03

When Lee Rocker describes the Massapequa of his youth, he could be describing nearly any Long Island town today.

"There were a lot of kids playing guitars and drums and basses," he recalls."It was really a great place to grow up, and it was a fantastic scene for some reason. You know what it is? Rock and roll comes from the suburbs.

"You've got to have a garage to be a garage band."Along with fellow Massapequans Brian Setzer on guitar and Slim Jim Phantom on drums, Rocker (on upright bass) formed the Stray Cats, the anomalous rockabilly trio that twanged and whooped its way through the cool, computerized 1980s - and became, surprisingly, one of the decade's bestselling acts. Though the group's heyday lasted just a few years, the Stray Cats single-handedly revived a nearly forgotten American art form, with songs such as "Rock This Town" and "Stray Cat Strut."

Like the other Cats, Rocker has kept the faith, playing old-fashioned rock and roll with various bands. These days, he fronts his own group, singing as well as playing bass. His latest album, Bulletproof (33rd Street Records), is a satisfying platter of rockabilly pub-grub with all the trimmings: whammy-bar guitar, hard-working bass lines and plenty of slap-back echo."In some ways, I'm a real traditionalist," says Rocker, who dresses in cowboy boots and natty suits, and wears his hair greased into a high, flat-topped pompadour - even offstage. "But in other ways, I try to do it as I do it, not as a museum piece or as a tribute to anything."

Rocker's parents still live in Massapequa (mom teaches at Hofstra; dad plays clarinet with the New York Philharmonic), but Rocker now lives in Laguna Beach, a quiet suburb in Southern California. It's been about 10 years since he last played with the Stray Cats, partly because of hurt feelings over a VH1 "Behind The Music" episode."Stray Cats was always a partnership between Brian, Jim and myself," Rocker says. "We would vote on things. I felt like the 'Behind The Music' show portrayed the Stray Cats as the Brian Setzer Band, and I didn't appreciate that."Rocker and Setzer have since mended fences; in fact, all three Cats are regrouping for a Southern California music festival July 4-5. In a roundabout way, Rocker credits the reunion to the late Joe Strummer of The Clash, with whom the Cats were friendly while living in London for several years."With Joe Strummer dying [this past December]. . . that sort of instigated us taking a look at things and saying: You know what? We had a great band. Maybe we should think about doing a show again. It was one of those moments." The Stray Cats haven't yet decided whether to tour. In the meantime, Rocker plays at 8:30 and 11:30 tonight at The Bottom Line, 15 W. 4th St. in Manhattan. Also on the bill: CoCo Montoya. Tickets are $20. Call 212-228-6300