Y2K Fun with the Hot Club of Cowtown!

ANOTHER ARCHIVAL HILLBILLY AT HARVARD

It’s June 3rd, in the year 2000, and the Hot Club of Cowtown are back in sumptuous Studio B. Old Sinc had invited them in after seeing them live a couple of years before. When they were playing, he asked me what I thought. “As good as it gets!” I said. I haven’t found a recording of that show. But in 2000 we saw them again at Johnny D’s the night before, and as they were staying overnight before heading out to a gig at the Iron Horse in Northampton, they agreed to come play again on Hillbilly at Harvard, and luckily I have found this tape.

Elana James, Whit Smith, and new bassist Matt Weiner (replacing Jake Erwin for a time) played for a whole hour, with Whit and Sinc trading jokes. Indeed, Sinc ran over a few minutes, and my DAT recorder at home ran out of tape, so we miss Sinc talking over the final instrumental. But it was a morning of great music and good fun.

Of course, we’re limited to two hours these days, so we’ll start near the beginning of hour 2, and continue to the end. Remember that all of the Country Calendar events we plug were back in the year 2000, so just enjoy the memories. However, the annual Rhythm and Roots Festival in Rhode Island on Labor Day weekend is still going strong, so check it out when we get a little closer in time. And the Hot Club of Cowtown are still based in Austin, still playing great music, and came to Hillbilly at Harvard again some years later. They did take a couple years hiatus, when Elana toured with Bob Dylan, but check out the records they have made since Dev’lish Mary in 2000—and check out the tour schedule on their website. /CL