The Shanghai Cowboys have retooled and are ready to ride again. So says head cowboy Gary Flint, who Shanghaiist is ready to crown the best country and western singer in China, based mainly on the fact that this is China and, dadgumit, he's just damn good.

Flint emailed Shanghaiist recently to let us know the Cowboys were gearing up for their first "major gig" -- AmCham Shanghai's Independence Day Party, which will actually be this Saturday, two days before American Independence Day. They're expecting 2,000 attendees at this year's bash, which is labeled a "Southwestern Celebration." Something tells us the dress code is more Texas than Tibet.

Flint, a native of New Mexico, spent many years in Japan, where he had a country band called the Tokyo Cowboys. He actually took the Tokyo Cowboys on tour in Texas where, as he puts it, they "played all the famous honkytonks in and around Austin -- The Little Wheel, The Lumberyard, Gruene Hall, Broken Spoke, Cypress Creek Café, The Salt Lick, La Villita." Shanghaiist wishes Shanghai had a honkytonk!

Flint likes to keep his backing band pretty local. So, the Shanghai Cowboys' lineup reads like few other country bands: Xiao Huang on lead guitar, Xiao Pan on bass, Willy Wang on drums and Takeshi Kondo, visiting from Japan, on banjo and guitar. Flint says he adds expats to the mix "depending on the situation." He also added this note: "We’re looking for a pedal steel guitarist, so if anyone out there knows of one in Shanghai do let Gary know!"

AmCham Shanghai's Independence Day Party, Saturday, July 2, 3-10pm, Cypress Hotel, 2419 Hongqiao Road (龙柏饭店虹桥路2419号), Tickets (which include "all-day food and drink"): RMB 300 for members, RMB 325 for non-members and RMB 150 for children under 12. Follow the link for more details.