Hot Buttered Rum‘s The Kite and The Key is a 3-EP project in which the group worked with producers Tim Carbone, Sally Van Meter and Kyle Hollingsworth. Today we premiere the third installment of the series in advance of its release tomorrow. Hollingsworth served as producer of part three, and the String Cheese Incident keyboard player reflects, “Working with Hot Buttered Rum was so great. From creation to inspiration we were all on the same page, plus digging into that true analog sound and recording process was a refreshing experience. The analog approach brought out the best in both of us. I’m psyched to have had a chance to meld minds with these guys.”  

Hot Buttered Rum’s Erik Yates shares his own enthusiastic take on the experience:  “I can’t decide whether I like Kyle Hollingsworth better for his skills as a producer, a keyboard player, or a human being. He’s damn good at all three. He pushed us on this installment to be spontaneous in ways we normally reserve for the middle of a second set, by either nudging us from the control booth or hustling down into the tracking room to show us what he was thinking with a Wurlitzer or a piano, then staying there while we finished it.”   The band’s Nat Keefe adds, “These are the songs we want to play at a late-night festival set. There are a few road-tested tunes here that we’ve had a lot of fun with over the years. I think about all the different ways we’ve played Desert Rat and Entangled! They’ve gone so many places. The challenge here was to bottle that energy in a more concise studio arrangement. Kyle had us do a bunch of free improvisation in the studio, with him at the keys calling out ideas. I think that put us in the right mode to bright a light energy to these tunes.”

Mar 24 :Majestic Theatre w/ Front Country— Corvallis, OR

Mar 25: Tractor Tavern w/ Front Country—- Seattle, WA

Mar 26:The Alberta Rose Theater w/ Front Country—Portland, OR

Mar 27: Applegate Lodge w/ Front Country—Jacksonville, OR

Mar 31: Saint Rocke w/ Chris Murphy and The…–Hermosa Beach, CA

Apr 01 Crescent Ballroom w/ The Noodles—Phoenix, AZ

Apr 02 Orpheum Theatre w/ The Senators—Flagstaff, AZ

Apr 06 The Cabooze w/ The Last Revel—Minneapolis, MN

Apr 07 High Noon Saloon w/ The Last Revel—Madison, WI

Apr 08 The Cubby Bear w/ The Last Revel—Chicago, IL

Apr 09 The Miramar Theater w/ The Last Revel,…—Milwaukee, WI

Apr 10 Ed’s (No Name) Bar w/ The Last Revel—Winona, MN

Apr 20 Miners Foundry w/ Achilles Wheel Trio—Nevada City, CA

Apr 27 Iron Horse Music Hall—Northampton, MA

Apr 28 THE WESTCOTT THEATER w/ Boots & Shorts, Ed…—Syracuse, NY

Apr 29 Rockwood Music Hall—New York, NY

Apr 30 Mauch Chunk Opera House—Jim Thorpe, PA

May 01 MilkBoy w/ Man About a Horse—Philadelphia, PA

May 04 The Acoustic—Bridgeport, CT

May 05 The Abbey Bar at Appalachian Brewing Company–Harrisburg, PA

May 06 The 8×10 w/ BIG Something—Baltimore, MD

May 07 Gypsy Sally’s—Washington, DC

May 08 Elk Creek Cafe + Ale Works—Millheim, PA

May 13 The Fillmore w/ Quiles & Cloud, Front…–San Francisco, CA

May 14 Sun Drenched Music Festival w/ Town Mountain,…–Denver, CO

May 20 Belly Up w/ Second Cousins—Solana Beach, CA

May 21 Standing Sun Wines–Buellton, CA

May 27 Crystal Bay Casinow/ Dead Winter…–Crystal Bay, NV

May 28 Crystal Bay Casinow/ Dead Winter…–Crystal Bay, NV

May 30Live On The Rocks at The Cliffs Resort–Pismo Beach, CA

Jul 02 Wild Rivers Music Festival–Brookings, OR

Aug 05 Mountain Sage Summer Music Series—Groveland, CA