Formed in 1978, the Colorado bluegrass band Hot Rize has found itself straddling tradition and innovation since its inception.
"When we were in Colorado, we were the traditional bluegrass band. And when we went east of the Mississippi, we were the progressive one," songwriter and mandolin player Tim O'Brien says. "We were kind of an interesting middle ground there."
The group temporarily disbanded in 1990, performing reunion shows sporadically throughout the decade — until, in 1999, founding member and guitarist Charles Sawtelle passed away. Though the group officially re-formed in 2002, its new album, When I'm Free, is the first from the band (now Nick Forster, O'Brien, Pete Wernick and Bryan Sutton) in almost 25 years.
Hear the full segment at the audio link, as well as individual songs from Hot Rize's set below.
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