String Cheese Incident's festival vibe
by Seth Rogovoy

(LANESBORO, Mass., June 19, 1998) -- String Cheese Incident is typical of the many groove-oriented bands performing in this weekend's Berkshire Mountain Music Festival at Noppet Hill Farm in Lanesboro in a number of ways.

The group -- which is scheduled to perform on Saturday at 2:15 on the Main Stage and again tonight at 10:30 in the Late Night Acoustic Tent -- plays an organic style of music equally rooted in bluegrass, funk and jazz. From Colorado, the Incident, as it is called by fans, specializes in open-ended instrumental improvisations, or jams, of the sort pioneered by the Grateful Dead, and reflecting the musicians' various influences.

Keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth calls the Incident's style "festival music," and he says it is both a reflection of the group's roots and a response to its environment.

"We come from Colorado, where skiing is a big vibe, and being outside and part of nature and experiencing that was really an important part of our lives," said Hollingsworth in a recent phone interview from Boulder.

"We try to take that with us when we play music. It's so fun to play outside, and we bring that outside vibe with us every time we go to a show. It's about being outside and having fun in the sun."

To encourage the outside, festival "vibe," the five-year-old Incident has a gimmick. The group brings hula-hoops to all its shows - - there will be plenty to share today -- and, says Hollingsworth, "It's recommended that you use them."

Not that the group has to resort to gimmicks to please its audience. The Incident has established a loyal following based on its music, and it recently played at the prestigious New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. The group is also a regular headliner at the High Sierra Festival in Northern California, which is a co-sponsor of this weekend's event in Lanesboro.

Hollingsworth says that groove-style festivals such as High Sierra and Berkshire Mountain are increasingly popular. "People are looking for a new outlet to fill the void left by the Grateful Dead," he said. "We're not looking to take the place of the Grateful Dead, but we do attract that crowd. It's definitely not a Lollapalooza-type, large, heavy, loud crowd. And it's not Woodstock. It's a very conscientious crowd, aware of the environment and the neighbors and everything going on around them."

Beside Hollingsworth, the Incident includes bassist Keith Moseley, percussionist Michael Travis, guitarist Bill Nershi, and violinist/mandolinist Michael Kang. Travis has studied Afro-Cuban music, Nershi is a dyed-in-the-wool bluegrass picker who has played the Telluride Festival, Kang is a classically-trained violinist and Hollingsworth studied jazz piano.

"We do have very different backgrounds," said Hollingsworth, "but it's amazing how much we come together at the center. Our CD collection on the tour bus ranges from Coltrane to Cuban. We take from all the different strands and make it one," into something Hollingsworth calls "mountain calypso bluegrass funk."

As for the band's odd name, Hollingsworth was evasive. "I'm not allowed to divulge that," he said, when asked to explain its origins. The band's most recent recording is titled "A String Cheese Incident," as it captures the band live, performing an "incident."

"Every show is unique," said Hollingsworth. "Every show that you come to see, you're experiencing that incident. That's all I'm allowed to tell you." As far as the string cheese is concerned, his lips are sealed.

Berkshire Mountain Music Festival runs today and tomorrow beginning each day at 10 am. In addition to the Incident, today's performers include Jiggle the Handle, Gordon Stone Trio, Tony Furtado, Erica Wheeler and, at 8 pm, Los Lobos. Acts including The Funky Meters, The Slip, Hubinger St., Lettuce, Charlie Hunter and Pound for Pound and Jennifer Kimball are scheduled to perform tomorrow. The festival is at the Steele Family Farm on Bailey Road. Tickets are available at the gate.

If you would like to purchase any of String Cheese Incident CDs on-line, please click on the SoundStone logo to the right.

[This article originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on June 20, 1998. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1998. All rights reserved.]