"This is a band we love," say the folks at the Mauch Chunk Opera House, "not to mention that we feel Spottiswoode is a musical genius who has also managed to assemble an outstanding band. So we decided to make his performance free because we'd like to make it easy for people to come out to see this remarkable artist."

Show time is 8 p.m.It comes as no surprise that Spottiswoode, a native of England, has become such a big deal in New York City, his adopted home. For the past 15 years, Spottiswoode & His Enemies have become a New York institution, drawing comparisons to Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits and The National to Ray Davies and Nick Cave, they have been profiled on NPR's Weekend Edition, World Cafe and Soundcheck and toured worldwide."English Dream," Spottiswoode & His Enemies' sixth studio recording, is a haunting new departure for the New York septet. It's an English record, written and sung by an Englishman, but recorded in Brooklyn by a New York band.Spottiswoode, the band's leader and frontman, says, "This time we've gone 'Anglicana' and made a pastoral collection of songs about nature, love, childhood and the other side of the pond. Sometimes it's idyllic and sometimes it's a bit scary."Spottiswoode's songs have been covered by numerous artists and have been featured in a variety of television shows and films ("She's Out Of My League," "The Ledge," "Tart" and "Bridget'), as well as in his own short film, "The Gentleman," which screened at Sundance and played for several years on IFC.His gothic rock opera, "Above Hell's Kitchen," was presented to sold-out crowds at the prestigious New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2010.At 8 p.m. Saturday, the opera house is serving up Hot Buttered Rum.This band lives for a good time, and a mindful recklessness settles in whenever these five guys step on stage. From Anchorage to Miami, the group's onstage chemistry fuels the lovefest that is a live Butter show.Rooted in the trajectory of west coast bluegrass, Hot Buttered Rum plays what has been described as California's own acoustic music.The opera house is located at 14 W. Broadway in Jim Thorpe. For more information on any show, visit

www.mcohjt.com or call 570-325-0249.