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.
What would rock ‘n’ roll sound like if someone poked fun at it? It would sound like BOMBADIL, four genteel rock nerds from Durham, NC. Part blues rock, part folk, part who-knows-what, Bombadil sees the value in the nuance and the humor in the awkward moment, tackling music with an enthusiasm kind of like kids with their first instruments.
Named after a free-wheeling, music-loving J.R. Tolkein character, the band embodies the same whimsical spirit with a host of influences from Weezer to The Kinks, their own musically diverse home state to the Cool Runnings soundtrack. Yes, really. And that versatility has brought them far; when Bombadil opened for The Avett Brothers in 2006, they caught the eye of Ramseur Records’ Dolph Ramseur and joined the label. They’ve toured nationally and performed at multiple festivals including Bonnaroo, FloydFest and Rhythm & Roots.
