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String Cheese Incident Are
One Step Closer
By Will Jordan
They’ve sold more than
590,000 records, performed in front of half a million fans worldwide
in 2004 alone and get 150,000 plus unique web visitors each month, but
with the new release, String Cheese Incident is one step closer towards
unifyi ng
solidly as a group.
After more than a decade of touring and recording together, String Cheese
Incident band members have endured countless obstacles such as inner
conflicts and personality issues, but when recording their latest release,
One Step Closer, they set aside their differences and concentrated on
the positive chemistry.
Each member of SCI brings their own unique approach to the band’s
now five studio albums and countless live performances.
As described by the band: “Bill Nershi, who works out his passion
for bluegrass on acoustic guitar, often follows lyric paths that reveal
a fascination with psychological themes. Bassist Keith Moseley brings
a love of hooks and concise songwriting ev ident
in the way his playing serves the song. Violinist/mandolinist Michael
Kang possesses an uncanny ability to quickly master instruments that
befits his interest in intricate rock compositions. Drummer/percussionist
Michael Travis balances innate spirituality with a keen ear for all
sorts of rhythms, from ancient to electronic. Keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth,
the most intensely trained musician of the group, embraces the heavy
bottom of funk and jazz.”
As the music matures and changes so do the members.
“How many years has it been to this day / We’ve known each
other in so many ways / Sometimes it seems so hard to agree / I don’t
even know if you’re listening to me / It’s time for the
Big Compromise…Maybe too many heads are better than one,”
Nershi sings on “Big Compromise,” a song from One Step
Closer, the band’s fifth studio album, that seems to embody
the conflicts and resolutions of this five-way partnership.
The “Big Compromise” that Nershi sings about is an inherent
part of the ever-changing sound of The String Cheese Incident, reinventing
what they do at every show and on every record.
“After playing together for 12 years, things get a little scattered.
I think this album t akes
us one step closer to being centered…to being one step closer
to being a cohesive unit as a five piece,” says Hollingsworth.
On One Step Closer, they co-opted producer Malcolm Burn (Bob Dylan,
Chris Whitley, Emmylou Harris, Daniel Lanois), who became the unofficial
sixth String Cheese member during the recording of the album and coaxed
the group into a catharsis. Burn co-wrote, arranged and played on some
of the tunes; he also uprooted the band’s artistic conflicts telling
the boys, “Opinions are like assholes - everybody’s got
one.”
“Malcomb really helped us get back to our roots,” Hollingsworth
says. “The last album was a departure for us. It was more electronic,
kind of like a Dark Side of the Moon sound. This one is more
like an early Grateful Dead acoustic album. It was easier to do, but
a lot less adventurous.”
For the first time on a String Cheese studio album, each SCI member
sang and contributed at least two songs, and each sought out co-conspirators
to help them develop their voice: such as Robert Hunter, the Grateful
Dead lyricist who collaborated with Hollingsworth on “45th of
November,” and renowned Nashville songwriter Jim Lauderdale, who
co-wrote “Big Compromise” and “Farther” with
Nershi and with whom Moseley penned “Brand New Start.”
For One Step Closer, String Cheese sought inspiration from Music from
Big Pink, The Band’s landmark 1968 album  recorded
at an upstate New York house, according to information provided by the
band. So the group abandoned the idea of a traditional recording studio
in favor of a friend’s sprawling abode in the hills of Boulder,
surrounded by inspiring mountain views. Burn moved into the house, and
the band members went home at night after recording.
With the album complete and a month or so rest under their belts, String
Cheese Incident are heading to Japan, then the east coast and finally
the Vegoose Festival in Las Vegas to test out their new material on
their loyalists.
“We haven’t played for a while, and we’re getting
that itch to go back out and play in front of people,” Hollingsworth
adds. “We push the boundaries with every song we’re playing.
You never know what’s going to happen next.”
For tour information visit the band’s web site at http://www.stringcheeseincident.com
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