String Cheese Incident

The String Cheese Incident, commonly referred to by the acronym (SCI), is an American band from Crested Butte and Telluride, two towns in Colorado. Formed in 1993, the group fuses all kinds of music; their sound ranges from bluegrass to psychedelic rock to reggae, even drawing on hip-hop at times. The lineup consists of Michael Kang ((acoustic/electric mandolin, electric guitar, and violin), Michael Travis (drums and percussion), Bill Nershi (acoustic guitar, lap steel guitar, and electric slide guitar), Kyle Hollingsworth (piano, organ, Rhodes, and accordion), Keith Moseley (bass guitar), and Jason Hann (auxiliary percussion). Every member of the band has a say in the songwriting process, each contributes original compositions and sings in some numbers as well. Bill Nershi, however, has written the bulk of the band’s original songs.

Born on the Wrong Planet, SCI’s first album which was released by an independent record label, SCI Fidelity, that the band itself created, featured about half and half original and cover songs each. The album songs came together over a few years of playing the Colorado ski resort scene and included the tracks, “Black Clouds”, “Land’s End”, “Texas,” and “Jellyfish”. During one show at the Mishawaka Amphitheater in Bellvue, Colorado the band came up with their name when mandolin player Kang broke a string.

SCI is a jam band at heart. Their second release, A String Cheese Incident, is 72 minutes long even though it holds only ten tracks. Over their next couple of studio efforts, ‘Round the Wheel (1998) and  Outside Inside (2001), SCI started to hone in on the sound which would propel them to notoriety during the 2000s. This consisted of more rock sounds, particularly the addition of horns, which the group integrated with their trance-inducing bluegrass roots. In 2005 the band finally struck a balance with the album One Step Closer. The following year the group took a break from touring which left them doing around one concert year for a while, until the band released another studio album in 2014, A Song in My Head. This was in collaboration with the Talking Heads keyboard player, Jerry Harrison.

The String Cheese Incident Live

Expect to jam too long improvised pieces meant to transport listeners out of their minds at an SCI show. The desired effect of the band has been augmented with additional production value over the years. The band began to add themed psychedelic visuals and audience participatory activities to their shows. Some show themes have been, “Full Moon Dream Dance, Evolution”, “Dancing Around the Wheel of Time”, a “Subway Ride Through New York City,” and a “Time Traveler’s Ball”.

Buying Tickets to see The String Cheese Incident Live

Notwithstanding their rock and bluegrass leanings, SCI has embraced modern dance music and hip-hop, as evidenced by their collaboration with Skrillex at the Electric Forest Festival in 2015 and their drummer rapping verses during some of their live performances. SCI has become a favorite at many summer festivals such as Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits. They also make a habit of visiting some of the smaller Colorado venues they came up in. They have also played at Red Rocks Amphitheater with Bob Weir’s RatDog. If you are interested in seeing SCI live on stage, then now is the time to act.

More on The String Cheese Incident

As do-it-yourselfers in the music industry, SCI has always stood up for the little guy. Beginning in 2003 the band spearheaded a lawsuit against TicketMaster. It was a Sherman Anti-Trust suit, which aimed to curtail the conglomerate’s alleged monopoly on ticket sales at most major venues. The case was joined by groups like R.E.M. and Pearl Jam. It was settled on undisclosed terms.

Witness The String Cheese Incident Live

This is the best time to buy String Cheese Incident tickets. You will want to get the pit areas or some of the best seats available to really take the experience to another level.