Photo Credit: Brad Worsham 

Earth-friendly five-piece San Francisco string band Hot Buttered Rum arrived to the to the State Theater in Falls Church, Va. on Wednesday in a bio-diesel fuel tour bus.  Their clean landing into the D.C. suburb was met by a line of campers, twenty five strong and hours early…not bad for five guys from the mountains out west.  Unfortunately, the line turned out to be for Hanson the following day. 

 Undeterred, HBR opened with some traveling music to kick off the night.  Guitarist Matt Keefe's "Busted in Utah" was the first of many originals to illustrate the remarkable talent and chemistry between the percussion-less group.   Animated across the board, each member plays an intricate part in keeping the acoustic journey from becoming tiresome.  Outside of the swapping mandolin/fiddle play of Zachary Matthews Aaron Redner, Erik Yates employed a variety of instruments such as the banjo, guitar, flute, accordion, and vocals.

The band's dexterity came full circle from their delicate renditions of The Beatles "Norwegian Wood" and Bob Marley's  "Satisfy My Soul" to the classic spit-bluegrass of "Ginseng Sullivan" and a rocking onstage collaboration with Bobby Lee Rodgers of the Code Talkers during "Summertime Gal." 

Hot Buttered Rum continues their coast-to-coast tear in support of their live album "Live in the North East" through September 2008.  If you don't see them at a festival this summer, you have done yourself an injustice.  They are confirmed for Desert Rocks, Wakarusa, All Good, and 4 Peaks – just to name a few. 

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