Hot Club of Cowtown tour, 5-8 September 2008

Jake Irwin, Elana James, Whit Smith

Moving On Music present the Hot Club of Cowtown

For an unmissable hoedown of poker hot jazz and swing, make sure to catch the legendary Hot Club of Cowtown in Letterkenny Regional Cultural Centre, Co. Donegal, on Friday 5 September, or the Black Box, Belfast, on Saturday 6 September.

Tickets for the Letterkenny Regional Cultural Centre show cost €15/12 and are available from An Grianán Theatre Box Office, +353 (0)7491 20777. Doors open at 8.00 p.m.

Tickets for the Belfast Black Box show are priced £12/8 (concession) and are available from Belfast Welcome Centre (028 9024 6609) or online from Moving On Music. Doors open at 8.00 p.m.

More than a decade after their formation, the Hot Club of Cowtown have grown to become one of the hardest swinging trios on the planet, wowing audiences with their flaming hot cowboy jazz and scorching swing sound and working alongside musical legends such as Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and the Mavericks. Now, the Texan-based trio are sure to set amaze Irish music lovers, when they roll into Letterkenny and Belfast for two rip-roaring, trailblazing hoedowns on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 September.

Featuring Elana James on violin/vocals, Whit Smith on guitar/vocals, and Jake Erwin on upright bass/vocals, the Hot Club of Cowtown wagon got rolling in the mid-nineties when Elana James placed an advertisement looking for a 'gigging band' in the music section of New York City's Village Voice. When Whit Smith answered the ad, even though he had no shows on his books, he somehow convinced Elana to come to his apartment and rock out for an evening just to see what would happen and the rest is history!

From their early days busking in San Diego's Balboa Park, the Hot Club of Cowtown have developed into a formidable global sensation. Their ever-growing presence on the international festival scene is due to the relentless touring schedule they have engaged in over the years, alongside the release of five critically acclaimed albums.

The Hot Club of Cowtown have had the honour of being the youngest musicians ever to be inducted into the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame, and in 2006 they also toured as musical ambassadors for the US State Department, being the first American band ever to tour in Azerbaijan. They have been featured on the the Grand Ole Opry, and in the UK they have appeared extensively on television and radio, including incredible live sets on ‘Later with Jools Holland’.

Despite a two-year hiatus, 2008 has seen the trio back touring and recording stronger than ever, as they continue to develop their unique and ever-changing sound, which began with the roots of the hot jazz era, Americana music, vintage pop, and folk music, and continues to unfold into the new sound of the group's original songs.

Press reviews

'Retro outfits and age-worn instruments give the band an old-timey feel. But this is no museum act - Hot Club's music is vital. These guys crave the stage and the music they create together. All three are in constant motion, bouncing around as if a colony of fire ants is eating them alive': Colorado Springs Gazette

'Hot Club is a fun, vivacious trio of sensational players': Boston Globe

'This retro trio from Austin, Texas, just keeps getting better. While its repertoire and style draw from classic western swing and hot violin/guitar jazz of the Parisian 1930s and '40s, it's one of the most original groups on the Americana circuit, deserving of attention both live and on record': Nashville Tennesseean