The Hot Club of Cowtown named itself after guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grappelli’s ’30s group Hot Club of France and took its sound from Reinhardt’s hot jazz and Bob Wills’ Western swing. If you believe most critics, this twangy combination, as offered on the band’s CD Swingin’ Stampede, is vibrant and danceable. However, to my ears, it’s a much more sedate affair than either critical hosannas or the disc’s title would lead you to believe. Featuring guitar, violin, and upright bass, the Austin combo re-creates a trio of Wills’ numbers, George Gershwin’s “Somebody Loves Me,” and several other Tin Pan Alley standards. The mostly instrumental music is well-played but lacks grit. Perhaps live the band can transform these period pieces into something more satisfying. The Hot Club of Cowtown performs at 8:30 p.m. at Chief Ike’s Mambo Room, 1725 Columbia Road NW. $5. (202) 332-2211. (Steve Kiviat)