Since their first recording in 1998, Austin-based Hot Club of Cowtown have grown to be the most globe-trotting, hardest-swinging Western swing trio on the planet. The first American band to tour Azerbaijan, they have opened stadiums for such artists as Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson and continue to bring their brand of western swing to a wide range of festival audiences all over the world. But for guitarist Whit Smith, fiddler Elana James and bassist Jake Erwin, it has always been about staying true to their roots.

Remaining willfully out of the musical mainstream, Hot Club of Cowtown have created an international cult following for their sonic personification of joy and unique sound inspired by their namesakes: “Hot Club” from the hot jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grappelli’s Hot Club of France, and “Cowtown” from the Western swing influence of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. Though Wills’ pre-WWII recordings have always been the fundamental inspiration for Hot Club of Cowtown’s repertoire and style, it has taken the band a dozen years to fully honor the King of Western Swing. A fortuitous tour in England in the spring of 2010 led them to London’s Specific Sound studio, where they spent two days recording a 14-song marathon of Bob Wills tunes. The result, What Makes Bob Holler, is a tribute to the American music icon, respecting Wills’ legendary music while putting Hot Club’s own signature on each song.

Smith (Cape Cod, MA) and James (Prairie Village, KS), originally met through an ad in the classified music section of the Village Voice in 1994, and played together in New York City before relocating to San Diego in 1997, where they spent a year playing for tips and building up their repertoire. By 1998, they had relocated to Austin, Texas and in 2000 added Jake Erwin on bass, finalizing the Hot Club’s lineup. Like any scrappy modern band, Hot Club dwells between the daily grind of touring and the euphoria of its live shows. Years of crisscrossing the US in a silver Ford van through a landscape where local traditions are becoming more and more diluted, and modern life more electronic, have galvanized this Texas trio who are more devoted than ever to keeping their music sincere, free of irony, and focused on a simpler time. What Makes Bob Holler arrives on the heels of 2009’s more eclectic Wishful Thinking, an Americana radio Top 100 album lauded by the Austin Chronicle’s Jim Caliguiri as “the Cowtowners at their peak,” and David Eldridge, in the Washington Times, as “one of the year’s most unexpected listening pleasures.”

. . .

Audrey Auld’s debut CD was released in 1999 to award winning acclaim in Australia. Looking Back to See laid a foundation for Auld’s next seven releases including The Fallen in 2000, which was nominated for Best Country Album in Australia. Losing Faith (2003) is a dark haunting release that put Audrey on the map in the US with Americana radio. She began touring the states opening shows for Todd Snider, Fred Eaglesmith and Kevin Welch among others. Texas, which came out in 2005, was also a Best Country Album nominee in Auld’s homeland. By 2004 Audrey had married very well (to directly quote her), become a United States resident and was living in Stinson Beach, just north of San Francisco. While in California, San Quentin Prison became a regular gig for Auld via her involvement with the Bread and Roses organization. Her initial performance to a captive audience led to ongoing songwriting workshops with the inmates. This rewarding experience is what she misses most about leaving Stinson Beach.

Lost Men & Angry Girls went to Number One on the Freeform Americana chart in 2007. This chart is compiled from the worldwide play lists of DJ’s who play music for love, not money. The album showcases Auld’s best writing to date and is proof of the heart and mind connection of her music and her huge capacity for compassion and humor in writing songs that everyone can relate to. Audrey lives in East Nashville with her husband, dogs and chickens, writing songs and touring.

Photo by Eric Jones

• Austin trio Hot Club Of Cowtown sounds like it’s spent the last 40 years in tiny rural clubs. The group’s old-fashioned mixture of Western swing and hot jazz leaves all the irony at home, and what’s left is a refreshingly sweet-natured, accomplished, old-school treat, mixing the perky rhythms of swing masters like Bob Wills with the European gypsy music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. The Onion
• Hot Club of Cowtown is a band that seems to imagine American pop music as if time was stopped in the mid-1950s. It’s a country band without a shred of modernity or relevance, and it’s exactly this (along with some serious talent) that makes them a refreshing antidote to commercial country. Josh Frank, Aquarian Weekly
• Stylistically, the band steps out from the shadow of its influences to become more than a faithful retro band that likes to raise its tempo every now and then. It’s writing more of its own songs and varying its delivery . . . conscious always that above all else, the music is for dancing and an old-fashioned good time. Neil Strauss, New York Times
• . . .
• I have hosted over 700 live music shows on KPIG radio and if asked to give the top 10 performers Audrey Auld would be on that list. She has a great voice and writes serious songs and humorous songs that make you think and laugh, but the best part is that she is a great enter­tainer. Sleepy John, KPIG Radio
• I just finished listening to “Losing Faith” and it levelled me — I had to crawl to the computer to let you know how much it moved me, even after only one listen — I’m hooked.” Eliza Gilkyson