Through marathon live shows, relentless touring, innovative use of the internet as a promotional tool, and an ever-expanding discography of studio and concert recordings, Colorado’s String Cheese Incident (SCI) has cultivated one of the most loyal fan bases on the jamband circuit. On November 9th, the band will release Rhythm of the Road Volume 1, Incident in Atlanta – 11.17.00, the first offering in its new “Rhythm of the Road” archival series, on its own SCI Fidelity record label.
Hardcore fans will likely recall the String Cheese Incident’s now-legendary November 11, 2000, show at The Tabernacle, in Atlanta, Georgia, as a high point in a busy year full of many highlights. Boasting then-current lineup Michael Kang (acoustic/electric mandolin, electric guitar, violin, vocals), Bill Nershi (acoustic guitar, lap steel guitar, electric slide guitar, vocals), Michael Travis (drums, percussion), Kyle Hollingsworth (piano, organ, accordion, vocals), and Keith Moseley (bass guitar, vocals), the band played over three hours to an enthralled crowd. The setlist featured fan-favorite SCI originals like “Wake Up” and “Barstool,” blended seamlessly with a diverse selection of cover tunes from a wide-ranging list of artists, including Led Zeppelin (“Ramble On”), Talking Heads (“This Must Be the Place”), Peter Rowan (“Midnight Moonlight”), Peter Gabriel (“Shakin’ the Tree”), and John Coltrane (“Impressions”). On this particular evening, SCI’s performance also included a guest appearance from journeyman multi-instrumentalist Tony Furtado, who contributed banjo-playing to several numbers.
Key tracks include SCI’s run through the bluegrass standard, “Orange Blossom Special,” and a seventeen minute romp through the band’s own “Miss Brown’s Teahouse.” On a technical note, the recordings for Incident in Atlanta have been re-mastered from the original 24-bit multi-track master tapes, giving them a warmth and depth not present on previously-circulated bootlegs of the show. If this is any indication of how the whole of the “Rhythm of the Road” series will be presented, SCI fans are in for quite a treat.
