Remembering Old Friends In A New Era

Hot Rize is back with their first album in 25 years. The new record When I’m Free also marks their first record with guitarist Brian Sutton who joined the group in 2002 following the passing of original guitarist Charles Sawtelle in 1999. Listening to the record without this information in mind diminishes the importance of this release in the bluegrass world. Yes, the disc features tighter-than-a-snare-drum picking over lyrics about love, country living, and lessons learned. But the sheer momentousness of the return of an outfit that had its heyday prior to 9/11, the Bush years, the war in Iraq and the economic catastrophe of 2008 is enough to bring the collection of songs into a whole new light.

Though Hot Rize has played a number of festivals with Brian Sutton in the line-up over the years, the high-speed opening song “Western Skies” is the band’s way of formally showcasing Sutton’s phenomenal picking to a new audience while reintroducing the instrumental prowess of its original members. The band also uses this song to boisterously proclaim its Colorado roots with the line “When I’m free that’s where I’ll be” while also declaring the new era in the line “A heavy load went off my back / as I walk along these rusty tracks.”

The thread between the past and present is clear on other tunes on this record and the messages are hidden from those who may only take the record at face value. Take the song “You Were on My Mind This Morning.” To the uninitiated listener, it’s a song about the lost love of a romantic relationship. To those willing to look deeper, the line “We had our good times together; we sure had our special way,” could just as easily be read as a lament for their missing brother in bluegrass.

The record has a live performance sound that shines through to the point where you can picture them sitting a around a single mic and going for it. Dave Sinko, who just worked with the also-revived Nickel Creek, was the recording engineer on this album and it sounds as though his touch was light and exactly what they needed. Instrumentals like “Sky Rider” and “Glory in the Meeting Hour” benefit from his approach as does the track “I Never Met a One Like You,” a song given to Tim O’Brien by none other than Mark Knopfler.

While the record does not necessarily represent a shift into a new musical direction, the story upon which it sits provides food enough for contemplation. Why should they do anything other than what they do best? The song “I Am the Road” puts the release into perspective: “We can learn from those gone before / they walked this road ‘til their feet were sore / showed us a place where we belong.”