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.