(Jambase) Hot Rize has reunited for their first US tour in over a decade, including recent high-profile performances at Bonnaroo and Telluride. The band has recorded new music for the first time in 20 years, including “Diamond Joe” and a rearrangement of “Wichita Lineman,” both available for free through HotRize.com. Click here to download “Diamond Joe”.
“The world is ready for a revisit from Hot Rize,” says banjo player Pete Wernick, who launched the band in 1978 with Tim O’Brien (mandolin, fiddle, lead vocals) and Nick Forster (electric bass, vocals) and guitarist Charles Sawtelle. “In the rare times we’ve reunited for one-off performances, we’ve seen a level of enthusiasm that’s been hard to ignore.” Following the untimely passing of Sawtelle in 1999, the quartet reorganized in 2002 with Grammy winner and five-time IBMA Guitarist of the Year, Bryan Sutton. “I’m so happy to be playing with Hot Rize. I’ve been a fan since seeing them as a kid when they came through North Carolina,” adds Sutton. “It’s a joy to share the music.”
“A first, the four of us set out to play a summer’s worth of gigs – that was all we had committed to,” says Forster. “But we kept going, playing everywhere we could. We grew up together and created music we’re really proud of – over 100 recorded songs, mostly original or new arrangements of traditional music. Now – 32 years later – we’ve all evolved as musicians, but we still have the Hot Rize sound; something only the four of us can make, something Bryan is now a part of.”
TOUR DATES:
Oct 28 Berkeley, CA The Freight
Oct 29 Seattle, WA Benaroya Hall
Oct 30 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
Oct 31 Boulder, CO Boulder Theater
Nov 3 Lexington, MA National Heritage Museum
Nov 4 New York, NY BB King Blues Club
Nov 5 Charlotte, NC McGlohon Theatre
Nov 6 Alexandria, VA The Birchmere
Nov 7 Morgantown, WV Creative Arts Center (Mountain Stage Radio Show)
