HOT RIZE

HOT RIZE
40th ANNIVERSARY BASH: AN ALL-STAR BLUEGRASS CELEBRATION

Ten in Hand Records
THR-9002-3

Hot Rize is a band we keep coming back to and with much success. Over 40 years ago, Tim O’Brien, Pete Wernick, Nick Forster, and Charles Sawtelle came from parts East to the beautiful Rocky Mountains in Colorado, found each other, and created a contemporary bluegrass group that has stood the test of time.

As the 40th anniversary approached, the group decided to accept the flowers while they were still able to perform at a high level. That theme first crossed the minds of the band members many years ago when original guitarist Charles Sawtelle died unexpectedly in 1999. To honor Sawtelle, Hot Rize brought in the great guitarist Bryan Sutton, who has been the only musician to try and fill Sawtelle’s shoes.

This new album finds the band playing some of the amazing songs from their 2014 reunion album When I’m Free, as well as some great tunes from years ago that are still popular in the bluegrass lexicon. Appropriately recorded at the Boulder Theatre in Colorado over three nights, the recording features guest musicians Sam Bush on “Out On The Ocean,” Jerry Douglas on “Colleen Malone” and “Things In Life,” and Stuart Duncan on “Angeline The Baker.” They also resurrect songs they played many years ago, such as “Wichita Lineman,” “Nellie Kane,” and “High On A Mountain.” This is an excellent album to hand to someone who may not be hip to this great band that was formed in 1977 by wandering musicians that met in a faraway place, and who incidently won the first-ever IBMA Entertainer Of The Year Award back in 1990. (www.hotrize.com)DH