by Ed Solt
San Francisco Bay Area’s Hot Buttered Rum’s sound is like a classic car overhauled with modern mechanics. The look and feel evoke a feeling of nostalgia. But in motion, the ride benefits from over forty years of advancements in handling and power.
The five-piece band is at the forefront of “progressive bluegrass,” which is essentially traditional bluegrass flavor spiced up by outside influences drawn from across the seven decades since the music first emanated from Appalachia.
“Bluegrass comes and goes in long cycles,” said Erik Yates, who plays banjo, guitars, woodwinds, and vocals for Hot Buttered Rum. “There were some dark days before the 2000s.”
In 2000, the soundtrack to “O Brother Where Art Thou?” ignited a popularity in the genre that hadn’t been seen since the 70s. Hot Buttered Rum released its first album, “Live at the Freight and Salvage” in 2002, capturing the complexity of their take on bluegrass and the general excitement of an American classic sound being rejuvenated.
“The general upswing of acoustic music from less glorious days,” Yates said of the resurgence of roots music. “It is very inspirational stuff.”
While bluegrass and country didn’t really put Hermosa Beach on the music scene, the area’s general influence through the decades, through jazz and punk, indirectly inspires elements of Hot Buttered Rum’s eclectic sound. It’s a wide-ranging sound animated by fiddle, mandolin, bass, guitar, flute, banjo, accordion, and drums.
“The punk rock influence percolates, especially in the other players,” Yates said. “We have a lot of jazz influences. especially in our improvisation in solos.”
Hot Buttered Rum has released seven albums and tours relentlessly with 150 plus dates a year. Currently, the band is in the promotion of a three EP project that will be released May 13 after an “epic release party” at the historic Fillmore auditorium in San Francisco. Each EP contains six songs that “have a completely different focus” from each other and are inspired by the band’s extensive background.
“The first EP is very dark and earthy,” he said. “The second EP was a fun challenge. It is very old school traditional bluegrass. We will be covering standards from the legendary Ralph Stanley. The third and final EP is all late night throwdown music.”
Bluegrass has generally had less of a following in the LA area than elsewhere in Southern California, particularly San Diego, but the beach cities have of late been gaining an ear for the twang. It’s especially been embraced by the surfer community; the rustic and outdoor nature of bluegrass connects with the feeling of a morning drive anticipating and seeking surf or going on a surf trip.
“I love to surf and have a great time getting my ass kicked,” laughed Yates. “Our bass player is really good. I like to go to the high Sierras; backpack, fly fishing, and ski. El Nino has been providing and I have had 11 days of good skiing.”
This will be Hot Buttered Rum’s second time bringing their “High Altitude Acoustic Experience” to Saint Rocke.
“We love playing here,” he said. “The one thing we notice is how beautiful the audience is. There are more beautiful people per capita in Hermosa Beach.”
Hot Buttered Rum plays March 31 with Charlie Murphy and the Devil’s Box String Band and Wicklow Atwater at Saint Rocke,142 Pacific Coast Hwy., Hermosa Beach. Doors at 6 p.m., show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets $12 in advance, $15 at the door. See SaintRocke.com for tickets and info.
