‘All over the map’
Hot Club of Cowtown expands beyond Western swing roots
Acaveman painting in Europe. A rodeo pickup man.
Or Billy the Kid’s last moments after he was shot by Pat Garrett. These are just two of the themes that will be heard on Hot Club of Cowtown’s next album, “Wild Kingdom.”
“We wanted to push our imaginations with the new songs,” Whit Smith says. “We still stay in touch with our vintage Western swing heritage, and we allow ourselves to be contemporary. Usually, the balance works out.”
Joining Smith in the band are Elana James and Jake Erwin. The trio, which formed in 1997, will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 11, at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden.
Smith says the band’s name comes from two sources — “hot club” from the hot jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grappelli’s Quintette du Hot Club de France.
And “cowtown” from the Western influence of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys.
Hot Club of Cowtown has released 16 records, and “Wild Kingdom” will come out in September.
Smith says the band’s music has evolved over the course of 22 years.
“There’s an element of luck in discovering a catchy melody,” he says. “The more you work on it, you increase that chance of luck. After years of playing music and writing songs, I’ve learned plenty from other musicians. We take a lot of care with the entire process.”
Leading up to tour, Smith practices guitar four to eight hours a day, although the days of longer practicing are fewer since he became a dad.
“I’ll have windows or blocks of time,” he says. “There’s a certain kind of inspiration when you feel like you’re on your game. Keeping the performance up to a high standard is the key. It’s like being a professional athlete.”