HBR’s new live album, Live in the Northeast is available at hotbutteredrum.net now
On May 30, 2007, the phenomenal live bluegrass-inflected outfit known as Hot Buttered Rum will be making their first trip to the Bluff City. They will be playing the Gibson Beale St. Showcase, and the show starts at 8 PM (don’t be late!). Let’s show Butter some Memphis-style love by getting the Gibson Beale St. Showcase packed for their first visit to the birthplace of rock n’ roll. Let’s show them how Tennessee gets down!
Live in the Northeast, HBR’s new live album, was taped over six shows in the Northeast while Hot Buttered Rum was on their Fall 2006 tour and is being touted as the best representation of Hot Buttered Rum on a disc. The following interview was taken and transcribed by Adam Gromfin (morebutter.net) and is reprinted here courtesy of HotButteredRum.net. For all things Hot Buttered Rum, visit their official website at HotButteredRum.net.
Adam Gromfin sits down with guitarist Nat Keefe and fiddle Aaron Redner to discuss Hot Buttered Rum's new album, Live in the Northeast.
AG: Your new album, Live in the Northeast, is a compilation of performances from your Fall 2006 Northeast tour. What led you to approach the album as a compilation, as opposed to one full concert?
NK: Listening to complete shows is important. We try to put a lot of artistry into out setlist writing, especially over two- and three-night runs. People can already listen to several of our complete shows or whole weekends from the Live Music Archive. For this album, however, we wanted to present definitive versions of a handful of songs that we think define the Hot Buttered Rum experience these days. So we picked the best from a whole week of shows.
AR: Honestly, I look forward to the day we feel comfortable releasing whole shows, confident about their consistent professional level of performance. At this point in our career, we are more comfortable picking from an array of shows. The plus side of that is that the album provides many different vibes from different audiences. The audience is a key ingredient of Hot Buttered Rum every evening.
AG: Given that Northeast is a compilation of performances, how representative is it of a typical Butter show?
AR: It's more representative than a studio CD. The fact that we added two covers to the disc makes it more accurate as well. Covers make up a good percentage of our live shows and provide some of our most high-energy moments.
NK: Yeah, we put the songs together like we would a live setlist. I wonder if we've ever played these songs in this order? “Busted in Utah” can be a great opener; “Dancin’” is a classic set-closer. So when we started making the album, we thought, if someone is going to listen to this a hundred times, what would they want to hear? If it’s going to be on Sirius, what do they want to hear? In that way, the album was a bit more like going into the studio, where you want the best version of a song . . . not necessarily the flashiest, just the most definitive. That’s a bit more conservative than a typical live show where you might take more chances.
AG: Did knowing that the shows were being recorded affect your performances? Did you feel more self-conscious or constrained?
NK: Recording this album pushed us to put the last 110% of arrangement and execution into these songs. We would listen together to the recordings from the previous night and talk about what we are trying to convey. This led to several small important changes in these songs. We rehearsed like crazy to make this album shine. The rolling tape brought the best performance out of us.
AR: Definitely. And as the project moved forward we loosened up. The crackling energy that comes from knowing you're recording your legacy is especially strong from the start. I don't think our "jamming" quotient changed at all. We wanted this to be an accurate version of what we sound like on any given night.
AG: How did you guys pick the songs and versions to be included on the album?
AR: We repeated songs more often than usual on this tour. We had certain songs we really wanted on the disc, many of which that didn't make it. Some tracks that are on the disc were not necessarily intended to make it. They just were the strongest performances and were right for the greater song selection.
AG: How much agreement (or disagreement) was there among the band when it came to finalizing the selections?
NK: It's amazing how the band has such similar tastes when it comes to these things. I imagine this kind of project would be more difficult in other groups. The selections were basically self-evident, no huge controversy.
AG: What song(s) would you have liked to have seen on the album that just didn't make the cut?
NK: We wanted to put Amanda Lynn on there but the only suitable version, from Stone Church, I think, had too much screaming on it. I think my mother is the most disappointed.
AR: Amanda Lynn for sure. We were definitely disappointed about that one. Also, “Right Between Your Eyes” and “A Great Many Things.”
AG: How was it playing the same songs over several nights?
NK: A little weird, to be honest. It’s exceptionally uncommon for us to repeat a song two nights in a row, let alone a whole series of songs over a few nights. We often have fans that will make it to several nights in a row, and we change our setlists to make sure that shows stay interesting and don’t get stale.
As strange as it was to play the repeats, I do also have to say, that it was very interesting. Playing the songs several nights in a row allowed us to develop a deeper relationship with several songs, and to really discover their purest aesthetic qualities. I can understand how some bands go out and play the same material over and over and over. You really do learn the heart of a song that way.
AG: What's your favorite cut or moment on the album?
NK: I have a few. The entrance of fiddle solo on “Cumberland [Blues],” when the band hits a shimmering moment of "arrival" that I live for; the flute solo on “Metro[sexual]”; and “[Feel Like] Dancin’.” Before we played that version of “Dancin’” (in Newmarket, New Hampshire), we said "let's play this one for Leo." I think you can hear us channeling Leo Sayers.
AR: I really enjoy some of Erik's more adventurous singing. He's great at reading a crowd and improvising vocally to help stoke the fire.
AG: How does the final album compare to your vision of it when you began whole process?
AR: I'm happy. I think it sounds like good live Hot Buttered Rum, and that was the idea.
AG: What about the album is going to most surprise your most rabid fans?
NK: Sound quality. It sounds way better than any soundboard or audience recording. It has the clarity of a studio album with the energy of a live show.
AG: Anything you’d do differently next time?
NK: Nothing. This album is a fair representation of a moment in time. We did our best work with this one.
AR: I might tell a few very loud and screaming people that their voices might show up on a track. Be aware of the tapers, my fine friends. Love the tapers!
AG: Can you tell us a little bit about the album’s artwork?
NK: John Boys did the cover. He also did the cover of Well-Oiled Machine and he's made several important posters for us. He's a great guy. We always hang out with him when we're close to his home in Maine. John is a very skilled creative artist and a hard worker. We talked about creating the feeling of a crisp autumn evening in New England. I think he nailed it.
AR: John has defined our image over the past few years. We are always looking at the work of many artists, but John consistently provides the right image for the right project.
AG: Where does this album fit into your discography and trajectory? What’s next?
AR: A studio album will definitely be next. That, and some digital download stuff we're working on.
NK: Like I said, this album is the best representation of HBR to date. We are now hoping to recording and sell music in three different ways: these high-quality, multi-tracked live albums; matrix recordings of whole shows, and studio albums. Each format has its advantages and disadvantages. We are going to continue to make all of these. I definitely look forward to getting into the studio again with a visionary producer.
AG: The album is being released on the eve of your big Fillmore show. Is the Fillmore a sort of album release party?
AR: It is a release party. Coincidence is part of that, but it sure feels like it's meant to be. The Fillmore is one of the Meccas of our country and to release music there feels damn pretty damn respectable.
NK: I mean, what better way to present a new album than a big party at the Fillmore, right?
AG: Indeed. I can’t wait for the show. Thanks for taking the time, guys!
Mike Cook wrote the introduction to this article.
(Rumor-The rumor going around is that if Memphis can make a good showing at the show on May 30th, Hot Buttered Rum will consider making Memphis an official stop on their yearly tours through the mid-south area. Bring a friend and be ready to boogie hard.)
