“Just look how many people are buying gypsy styled guitars,” says Paul Mehling, HCSF’s lead guitarist. “And there is a huge proliferation of websites about Django Reinhardt and gypsy jazz in general. That is very cool. When I got into the game 20, years ago I learned French in school so I could read articles about Django in French magazines. There was nothing out there. But now there is the Internet. And also, all of Django’s records are in print. That is odd considering he has been dead for 50 years.”

HCSF’s eighth album, Postcards from Gypsysland (Lost Wax), produced by Norah Jones’ guitarist, Adam Levy, covers the many moods of Django with classic tracks, cover versions, and original HCSF tunes. But where some Django-styled groups are all about blazing guitars, Hot Club is all about the music.

“I have never wanted our music to only be about smoking guitars,” Mehling explians. “I always wanted to be a jazz musician. If I always play flashy, showy stuff with other musicians, they will tell me to play some music. Our band is not just about guitar, but about music. There is interaction like most jazz bands. People enjoy listening as well as watching the sparring match between musicians. People don’t just want to listen to solos, they want to be entertained. We do the past, the future, we are trying to pretend that this music is current, and make it current.”