Hot Rize
Stoughton Opera House 381 E. Main St., Stoughton, Wisconsin 53589
press release: Back in 1978 the Bluegrass world didn’t know what was coming around the bend. Tim O’Brian (mandolin, fiddle, lead vocals), Pete Wernick (banjo), Nick Forster (electric bass), and Charles Sawtelle (guitar) donned their second-hand suits and vintage ties in a era marked by long hair and t-shirts. It was a nod to the old school, their musical roots, and offered a little laugh on their part.
There was no question what Hot Rize was up to in the early days. Giving a nod to Martha White Flour with “Hot Rise”, the flour mill sponsor of Flatt & Scruggs, the band wanted nothing more than to play traditional bluegrass music by putting their own stamp on it. They also wanted to have a good time. As Tim O’Brian said, “We wanted to explore other areas and one of those was doing a little bit of comedy with [Red Knuckles and the] Trailblazers (the band’s honky tonk alter ego) and another was writing songs. We mostly walked inside the line of the bluegrass borders but we went outside it a little bit here and there.”
Hot Rize first came together with the idea of playing a few summer concerts, but before long they were a full time touring band, playing throughout the 80’s and dispersing to individual projects at the turn of the decade, still setting up shows as schedules allowed. It was in 1999 that cancer took Sawtelle, leaving a perceptible cleft behind to be filled by Bryan Sutton’s acclaimed guitar in 2002.
When I’m Free, the “21st Century Hot Rize” album released in 2014, was recorded in five days, with the band gathered around the mic rather than in sound booths. “To be true to ourselves, we try to focus on being a living, evolving band, which means developing new material and going out and playing it,” said Wernick.
After celebrating their 40th anniversary in January of this year, Hot Rize has taken that ideal and hit the road once again. They will be playing at the STOUGHTON OPERA HOUSE on Saturday, May 5 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased online at www.stoughtonoperahouse.com or by calling the box office at (608) 877-4400, Tuesday-Friday, 9:00 am- 4:30 pm.