event The Motet

While Hot Buttered Rum finds itself followed by ever more bluegrass-inspired jam bands these days, the group's folky songs keep up a good balance of traditional picking and gentle boundary-crossing. Sure, it's just as well-suited to a summer festival as any act with this mix of sounds, but the group's songs—which put a bit of rock rhythm behind stand-up bass, fiddle, banjo, and acoustic guitar—are written with the sort of patience that buys the members more time to jam. For a good sense of the group’s robustly diverse stage show, check out 2007’s Live In The Northeast, which Hot Buttered Rum recently followed with the new studio releaseLimbs Akimbo.