San Francisco sextet Hot Buttered Rum, true to its namesake beverage, cooks up rich, intoxicating songs that pack a lyrical punch. 2025’s Uphill Highway rocks the palate with everything from down-the middle bluegrass & Americana to dance music from around the globe. Songwriters Nat Keefe (guitar) and Erik Yates (banjo / dobro) and bassist Bryan Horne keep their kettle cranking with the help of keyboardist Jeff Coleman, drummer Lucas Carlton and a rotating cast of mandolin and fiddle virtuosi. Together, they’ve carved out a unique space in American roots music, fusing the traditional with the unexpected — Stanley Brothers harmonies with a Wood Brothers groove. Twenty-five years in, with sugar on its apron and rum on its breath, HBR still knows how to both turn a phrase and pack a dance floor. It’s something worth seeing, hearing and tasting for yourself.
