This Trio Swings to a Vintage Western Beat

The recent swing revival proved to be somewhat of a burden for the Austin-based Hot Club of Cowtown. Because the acoustic yet fiery combo does play swing music, promoters and club owners likened the trio to such trendy revivalists as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies.

But the swing that the Hot Club plays is of the western, vintage kind pioneered by Bob Wills.

The group--which features violinist-singer Elana Fremerman, guitarist-singer Whit Smith, and upright bassist Jake Erwin--also brings to its repertoire the hot jazz of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, Tin Pan Alley standards and traditional fiddle tunes.

Unlike those trendy, horn-heavy swing revival bands, the threesome’s sonic core consists of crisply played guitar licks, spicy violin flourishes and thumping rhythms--with touches of accordion, steel guitar and piano rounding out the mix.

“We really had nothing to do with the swing craze,” said Fremerman by phone from a Bloomington, Ind., tour stop. “But we were put into that category [and] that’s like the kiss of death for us. In addition to swing, we’ve been called a bluegrass, rockabilly and folk act.”

Fremerman suggests a more fitting comparison.

“I think we primarily play American roots music, and our direction is more akin to the ‘Oh Brother Where Art Thou’ phenomenon than anything else,” she said. The roots of the Hot Club of Cowtown--a name inspired by acoustic jazz artists Grappelli and Reinhardt when they were members of the Hot Club de France in the 1930s--stretch back to New York City, 1995, where Smith was forming an 11-piece swing band called Western Caravan.

He enlisted Fremerman, a Kansas native who was attending college in Manhattan. But when that band fizzled, the two moved to San Diego and performed for about a year as a duo.

They shifted to Austin in December 1997 and were soon joined by Beaumont, Tex.-native and original bassist Billy Horton.

The trio released its recording debut, “Swingin’ Stampede,” in 1998, followed a year later by “Tall Tales” and their latest, “Dev’lish Mary”--all for HighTone Records.

The band members--all in their 30s--add a smidgen of their own personality while remaining true to the music’s timeless essence.

“We play it a little faster and more frenetic than most, but we’re not going to overhaul the music or try to modernize it in some way,” said Fremerman, a classically trained violinist who later fell in love with the playing of jazz violinists Joe Venuti, Stuff Smith and Grappelli.

The sole inspiration for Smith was the music of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys.

“Whether he was leading a small string band or an 18-piece big band, you knew exactly who was playing,” he said.

Looking for proven leadership, the Hot Club enlisted veteran producer Lloyd Maines for the recording of “Dev’lish Mary.” Working with Maines was a conscious move to attract a broader audience, Fremerman said. “He helped us develop a cleaner, more radio-friendly sound without sacrificing the intensity that is so integral to what we do.”

The Hot Club of Cowtown, Danny Vasquez, and Rip Carson perform Wednesday at the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. 8 p.m. $10 to $12. (949) 496-8930; also Thursday, the Culver City Summer Music Festival presents the Hot Club of Cowtown, City Hall courtyard, 9770 Culver Blvd. 7 p.m. Free. (310) 253-6643.