Swing, Early Jazz, & Bebop! (and a bunch of other obscure influences). The Hot Mess Quartet is a four-person jazz combo that models itself after the 1940s swing ensembles of jazz guitar legend, Django Reinhardt, and largely focuses on his repertoire and the classics from his time.

"The Mess" loves playing the old repertoire but they aren't afraid to let the sounds of the current day enter the music. Their repertoire includes modern jazz, R&B, blues, pop ballads, and an occasional surf guitar tune. Additionally, you'll also hear them play tunes by the likes of Thelonious Monk, Joao Donato, and Charlie Parker, as well as their own original compositions.

The Hot Mess Quartet currently features a rotating cast of some of the finest jazz musicians in the Washington D.C./Baltimore area. The band's core members are Gabriel Wallace on clarinet/sax/flute, Connor Holdridge on acoustic and electric guitars, Jeff Reed on the upright bass, and Eric Tapper on the drum set.