Two of the band's recordings from 2014 are now being heard for the first time: "Mighty Mississippi", written in the 1920s about a devastating flood, and a jam on the old-time tune "Brown Eyed Rabbit".
"Mighty Mississippi" was written by Kelly Harrell about the historic 1927 flood of the Mississippi River in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, the river cresting its banks by up to 30 feet, and remaining so for months in some places. Deaths approached 500 people, with more than 600,000 displaced. The song came to Hot Rize through the New Lost City Ramblers, with Nick Forster and Tim O'Brien dueting on all the verses.
Pete Wernick brought "Brown Eyed Rabbit" to the sessions for the When I'm Free album, recorded during Bryan Sutton's years with the band. They jammed on the tune with the tape rolling and found their groove. As with most of that album's tracks, the music was played together live with no fixes.
Pete comments, “We made so much music over the years, and a lot of it was recorded to tape, and some to video. As I’ve been approaching 80 I’ve thought. why not put out some things that hardly anyone ever heard us do, put them in circulation. It’s good to hear us again on some good old songs in Hot Rize style. That music is a big and fortunate part of my life.”
[Thanks to BluegrassToday.com, for excerpts including this note: It’s worth noting that Hot Rize last year created two bundles of their CDs and videos, available for online purchase, with all proceeds going to help restore the lives of the people who suffered great loss in the Appalachian region during the damage from Hurricane Helene in 2024. They can be purchased from the band web site.]
