Psychedelic jam and string band String Cheese Incident is Reno-bound, opening its March Madness 2016 Tour on Thursday, March 10, in the Summit Pavilion in the Grand Sierra Resort.
Hailing from Crested Butte and Telluride, Colorado, String Cheese Incident is Michael Kang (mandolin, guitar), Michael Travis (drums, percussion), Bill Nershi (guitar), Kyle Hollingsworth (keys, accordion) and Keith Moseley (bass).
A long-running and prominent fixture on the music festival scene, String Cheese Incident first came together in 1993. Initially setting out with independent record label SCI Fidelity, the band released its debut “Born On the Wrong Planet” in 1996 and “Round the Wheel” in 1998.
In 2001, SCI hooked up with famed producer and Los Lobos’ multi-instrumentalist Steve Berlin to release “Outside Inside,” a departure from the band’s bluegrass roots into more mainstream, rock-based territory.
String Cheese Incident is a festival favorite, having headlined events such as the High Sierra Music Festival, Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, 10,000 Lakes Festival and many more.
While the group went on hiatus in 2006, it was back in action by 2007, playing at least a handful of shows each year at festivals across the country. 2014’s “A Song in My Head” marked its sixth studio album.
String Cheese Incident has played with a wide variety of musicians over the years, everyone from Bob Weir to Keller Williams, from the Motet to electronica artist Skrillex. The members all pursue various side projects, such as the Emmitt-Nershi Band (co-featuring Leftover Salmon’s Drew Emmitt).
The group is known for wildly psychedelic stage shows, and extended jams covering a far-reaching panoply of musical genres. String Cheese Incident’s swirling blend of bluegrass, rock, reggae, funk and an assortment of world music types, makes for a lively and upbeat show.
The band opens its “March Madness” tour in Reno, then hitting a range of venues Nevada and California, including Oakland’s Fox Theater on March 11-12.
String Cheese Incident recently announced a three-night run at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, in mid-July, a favorite venue of the band.
The String Cheese Incident
When: 8 p.m, Thursday, March 10
Where: Grand Sierra Resort, Reno
Tickets: $45
Purchase: LINK
Related story: Review of the String Cheese Incident’s January 2015 shows in the Grand Theatre: LINK
