Self-released

San Francisco’s jamgrass quintet Hot Buttered Rum looked to the Sierra Mountains for their newest live album, which contains 14 songs from their 2012 tour. Though the band – Nat Keefe,
Aaron Render, Bryan Horne, Erik Yates and Lucas Carlton – all have various side projects, it’s clear that they haven’t put their energy and focus on the back burner. “Squall” is a riotous track that falls apart, teases “Get Up, Stand Up” and pulls it all back together again. “Blue Moon Stars” takes it down a couple notches and begs for a slow dance. Unlike many live albums, Live in the
Sierra exemplifies not only the talents of these multi-instrumentalists but also their songwriting chops. Throw an unexpected cover (U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name” ) into the mix and close with a fan favorite ( “Lovelight” ) and you’ve got a solid live album.