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Hot Buttered Rum brings ‘West Coast Americana’ to three20south Sunday

Erica Marciniec
summit daily news
Special to the DailyHot Buttered Rum takes the stage Sunday at three20south in Breckenridge. The San Francisco-based band is touring its new live album.
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Hot Buttered Rum brings its ever-evolving sound to the three20south stage Sunday during the Colorado leg of a tour to promote its new album, “Live in the Sierras.”

The live album has an Oct. 16 release date and comes as a result of having “so much new material we couldn’t wait for the studio album release,” co-leader Aaron Redner said. The studio album, produced by Grammy-winner Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, is currently being shopped to record labels, with the release anticipated in early 2013.

Redner describes the band’s sound as “West Coast Americana,” which represents an evolution from its early bluegrass days. Original members include Redner (fiddle, vocals), Nat Keefe (guitar), Bryan Horne (bass) and Erik Yates (banjo, guitar). The name Hot Buttered Rum comes from “the beverage of choice at a party the band attended shortly after a formative backpack trip,” Redner said.



Bay Area drummer Lucas Carlton joined later and a creative period ensued; the sound became heavier, more percussive and leaning toward rock. Promoters describe it as “fiddle-accented Americana rock.”

If Hot Buttered Rum were a dog, it would be “a mid-size athletic mutt that can catch the hell out of a Frisbee,” Redner said. Musically, it is akin to “the love child of the Grateful Dead, Bill Monroe and late Beethoven.”



Redner credits the band’s commitment to multi-part singing and group songwriting for setting Hot Buttered Rum apart, along with its deep connection with fans.


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