Centennial Celebrations for Cain's Ballroom to Continue with Hot Club of Cowtown

Centennial celebrations for Tulsa's Cain's Ballroom continue Thursday, July 25 with a free, all-ages concert featuring jazz and Western swing trio, Hot Club of Cowtown, Chad Rodgers, co-owner and manager of Cain's Ballroom announced. Tulsa bassist Jake Erwin, who performed with the HCCT from 1998-2020, is back in the lineup for this centennial show. Cain's Centennial Ale, a collaboration between Cain's and local craft brewery Marshall Brewing Company, will be available for purchase (21+), along with commemorative Cain's Ballroom centennial merchandise.

Since its start in New York City 1994, Elana James on violin and Whit Smith on guitar have formed the nucleus of Hot Club of Cowtown. The band, which has toured with musical acts like Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and Roxy Music, regularly performs throughout the United States and Europe, playing an impressively diverse range of music that included classic Western swing tunes, their own compositions, jazz standards, folk tunes, and more. Now celebrating 30 years together, HCCT promises an entertaining night of outstanding musicianship in the home of Western swing, Cain's Ballroom.

Just hours shy of his 30th birthday, Texas native Matt Ruder will make his debut at Cain's Ballroom, opening for Hot Club of Cowtown with his unique brand of "cowboy jazz," influenced by artists like Django Reinhardt, Chet Atkins and Joe Pass. Since moving to Tulsa in 2023, Ruder has found his way into the local swing scene, joining Shelby and Nathan Eicher for "Eicher Wednesdays" and making appearances at Bluegrass Brunch and the Tulsa Blue's Society Monthly Meeting.

"We're happy to host another evening of free music to celebrate Cain's centennial with our local community. These free shows provide a wonderful way to express our appreciation for all of the people who have supported Cain's Ballroom and our family over the years," said Chad Rodgers, who co-owns the venue with his brother Hunter and their mother, Alice Rodgers. "We had a great turnout for our free show with John Fullbright in January and Vincent Neal Emerson in May. With the Ballroom's history so closely tied to the birth of Western swing, we're excited to have Hot Club of Cowtown perform here during their own 30th anniversary year."

Purchased by the Rodgers family in 2002, Cain's Ballroom, a family-owned and operated independent venue, is celebrating 100 years in 2024. Consistently ranked among the top venues in the world, Cain's was recently named 'Best US Local Music Venue for the Southwest Region' in the first "Hometown of Consequence" campaign, a fan-led initiative from national entertainment industry publication, Consequence, highlighting America's best local music venues. The venue's centennial year has kicked off with a record number of sold-out shows, including recent concerts with The Red Clay Strays (May 19), Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' " Can't Let Go" tour (June 2) and Chappell Roan (June 5).

Free, all-ages concert with Hot Club of Cowtown and Matt Ruder

Thursday, July 25, 2024

Doors 6:30 PM | Matt Ruder 7:30 PM | Hot Club of Cowtown 8:30 PM

Cain's Ballroom, 423 N. Main, Tulsa

No ticket or RSVP required. More at cainsballroom.com

Built in 1924, Tulsa's Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, Okla. has grown from a garage, a dime-a-dance joint and a dancing academy to become one of the top performance venues in the world. As the home of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys from 1935 to 1942, Cain's was especially significant for popularizing Western swing, but Cain's music history doesn't stop there. Past touring acts include the Sex Pistols, Metallica, The Police, The Ramones, Elvis Costello, The Strokes, Kings of Leon, Turnpike Troubadours, Post Malone, Chris Stapleton, Luke Combs, Green Day, Lainey Wilson, and many more. The Rodgers family purchased the venue in 2002, investing in its renovation and facilitating its listing on the National Register of Historic Places, helping to ensure Cain's viability through the next 100 years. Under the management of Chad and Hunter Rodgers, Cain's remains one of the few independently owned and operated venues in the nation. Learn more at CainsBallroom.com.

The award-winning Hot Club of Cowtown is celebrating 30 years together. This year marks three decades since guitarist Whit Smith and violinist Elana James met through a classified ad in the music section of New York City's legendary alternative newspaper, the Village Voice. Over the years, Hot Club of Cowtown has remained the world's most globe-trotting hot jazz and Western swing power trio), having performed with artists as diverse as Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Gatemouth Brown, The Avett Brothers, Dan Hicks, Bryan Ferry, Roxy Music, the Squirrel Nut Zippers, the Mavericks, and Dustbowl Revival.

When Matt Ruder was 13 years old, he picked up a guitar and never put it down. Since finding love at first strum, the 29-year-old has refined his unique "cowboy jazz" sound with influence from the likes of Django Reinhardt, Chet Atkins and Joe Pass. His love of sound has taken him from his teenage years of playing in local Dallas bands, to completing a degree in Contemporary Music at the Santa Fe University of Art & Design. Matt has had the opportunity to support national touring acts such as Living Colour, Ozomatli, Dweezil Zappa and more. He's toured the United States playing bass for post hardcore outfit Body Thief, supporting Dance Gavin Dance, Hail the Sun, Kurt Travis, and others. Ruder relocated to Tulsa in 2023 and has since found his way into the local swing scene, joining Shelby and Nathan Eicher for "Eicher Wednesdays" and making appearances at Bluegrass Brunch and the Tulsa Blue's Society Monthly Meeting.

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