Hot Buttered Rum

April 2nd, 2009

To See Rating 7/10
Just Curious Rating 6/10

Band Members
Bryan Horne – Vocals, Bass
Nat Keefe – Vocals, Guitar
Aaron render – Vocals Fiddle, mandolin
Erik Yates – Vocals, Banjo, Flute, Guitar, Dobro, Accordion, Clarinet

In the realm of Live Show, you’re never quite sure what you are going to get. In my opinion what sets the divide between a good band and a great band is the undeniable  appeal a band can bring live no matter what type of music the audience is into. There are some great bands that you wouldn’t typically listen to at home that would give anyone the show of their lives; there are also bands that are heavy favorites at home, but  when you see them live they fall flat. Hot Buttered Rum fell somewhere in-between. The foundation for how much you will enjoy a Hot Buttered Rum show will greatly depend on if you go to the show as a fan or if you go to the show looking to become one.

This particular show was that it was the official re-opening of The [beloved] Crocodile and there were people in the crowd that were there purely for that purpose. The commingling of Hot Buttered Rum die-hard fans and Crocodile enthusiast left a bit of an odd mix of blue-grass jam band lovers and sneering musical elitists. From the perspective of the HBR lovers, this show could have been a 9/10. However the show didn’t land as well with the people who paid the high price to be a part of The Crocodile re-opening.

If you came for a hootenanny, that’s what you got! When you watch the video you will observe that most people are dancing, hootin’, and hollering. One of the elements that I enjoyed about this show was the diversity within their sound. There were lots of tempo,  lyrical mood, and musical mood changes that gave their sound dimension. They held true to their style of music and found plenty of places to go within that style that kept me interested.

Another thing that I appreciated was the level of interaction between the band and the audience; it was an unspoken synergy. There was no verbal request for interaction, but as the band got more excited, so did the audience; when the audience got more excited, so did the band. The generated energy was high and warmly received.

Hot Buttered Rum has a lot to offer in terms of talented musicians in a niche community. If their flavor of music is what tickles your fancy, they’ve pretty much got it all.

Please enjoy clips from the March 21, 2009 show at The Crocodile!

Band Website, Hot Buttered Rum on Myspace

Upcoming Shows

Apr 3 2009 7:00P Papa Charlie’s Saloon & Grill Lutsen, Minnesota
Apr 4 2009 8:30P The Stones Throw Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Apr 7 2009 9:00P Three20South Breckenridge, Colorado
Apr 8 2009 8:00P Belly Up Aspen Aspen, Colorado
Apr 9 2009 7:30P Boulder Theater Boulder, Colorado
Apr 10 2009 8:00P The Aggie Theatre Fort Collins, Colorado
Apr 11 2009 8:00P The Ogden Theater Denver, Colorado
Apr 29 2009 8:00P Southgate House Newport, Kentucky
Apr 30 2009 8:00P The Bluebird Bloomington, Indiana
May 1 2009 8:00P Majestic Theatre Madison, Wisconsin
May 2 2009 7:30P Park West Chicago, Illinois
May 3 2009 7:00P Miramar Theatre Milwaukee, Wisconsin
May 6 2009 7:00P Sioux Hempire Ball Sioux Falls, South Dakota
May 8 2009 10:30P Hemp Hoe Down Sturgis, South Dakota
May 9 2009 6:30P Hemp Hoe Down Sturgis, South Dakota
May 15 2009 8:00P Caspar Inn Caspar, California
May 16 2009 8:00P Caspar InnCaspar, California
May 23 2009 10:00A Desert Rocks Music Festival Moab, Utah
May 30 2009 8:00P Bobolink Festival Belden, California
Jul 4 2009 11:00A Marin County Fair San Rafael, California
Aug 13 2009 10:00A Mulberry Mountain Harvest Music Festival Ozark, Arkansas
Sep 5 2009 7:30P Pig Out In The Park Spokane, Washington
Sep 6 2009 5:00P Centennial Amphitheatre Moses Lake, Washington
Oct 24 2009 7:00P Ramsey Auditorium Batavia, Illinois

Categories: Alt Folk, Blue Grass, Concert Reviews | Tags: , | No Comments