{image1}Trendsetters they most definitely are not.

The Milwaukee-based Superchiefs, one of only a handful of local purveyors of western swing and hot jazz, don't have any original material -- unless "Back to 'Tosa," a play on "Back to Tulsa," counts. And a list of the band's influences, which range from Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys to Django Reinhardt to Count Basie, reads like a list of what was hot in the 1930s.

But Ben Calsbeek, fiddler and one of three vocalists in the four-piece outfit, says the Superchiefs' roots in the past give them an edge that allows them to stand out.

"I think it makes us unique in some ways," he says. "There are not many other bands doing what we do. It's not necessarily original because what we're playing is 70-years-old, but we're just into people hearing us and liking it and having a good time."

The Superchiefs -- Calsbeek, Greg Cramer on guitar and vocals, Ted Duggan on double bass and Loren Tilley on guitar and vocals -- have been together for a year and a half after meeting on the Riverwest music scene, Calsbeek says. Calsbeek and Duggan, both formerly of the Boot Heels, and Cramer and Tilley, both formerly of the High Lonesomes, got together after their respective acts broke up at around the same time. Since then, the Superchiefs have become regulars at Onopa Brewing Co., 735 E. Center St., playing happy-hour gigs every first and third Friday of the month at the popular venue.

Calsbeek says the band is content where it's at right now, playing to people in small rooms while they enjoy dinner or a few drinks.

"We're happy with that," he says. "We want to play as much as we can. We're definitely open to playing Friday and Saturday nights more, and we'd like to try to play some shows in Chicago and maybe Madison. We love having the regular happy hour thing; it's great to have that as a home base. But we don't want to over-saturate Milwaukee. It's tough to play Friday night and then play Saturday night at some place a minute away."

The band plans to take time off from playing shows and spend the next month working on a four- or five-song EP to help it branch out into other venues and markets. The Superchiefs currently don't have any recordings available, but hope to have the EP completed by late January, Calsbeek says.

"We're not the most go-getters when it comes to having a press kit, so we're going to make a concerted effort this January to at least get a few songs out there on CD."

They'll also be spending time working on new songs, but they'll be doing so in pure Superchiefs' fashion.

"They're new meaning we haven't played them," Calsbeek says, "but they will all be 60 to 70-years-old, I'm sure."