The guys in San Francisco’s Hot Buttered Rum have been wanting to do something to mark the release of their seventh studio album, Something Beautiful, back in April. But with quarantine and travel restrictions in place, even getting together to shoot a video has been nigh on impossible.
So they did the next best thing. Banjo player and vocalist Erik Yates and guitarist Nat Keefe shot a home made video with a stripped down version of the blues classic, Lay Me Down A Pallet On Your Floor. It nicely encapsulates the way the band reaches into almost every crevice of the string band world for influences, and the back porch vibe adds a folksy note to the production.
Yates tells us that this song was a late addition to Something Beautiful.
“This was one we decided to put on the record at the last minute, and I’m glad we did. We keep it pretty loose, with some different changes than Mississippi John played. We try and do it our own way while tipping our hat to him and everyone else who’s done the song, which is damn near everybody we love.”
Bryan Horne on bass and James Stafford on mandolin and drums complete the group.
Something Beautiful is available now wherever you stream or download music online.
Hot Buttered Rum is hopeful of resuming touring at the end of July. You can keep up with them online.
