Photo by Charlie Englar
Bill Nershi
How was Horning’s Hideout, being back and that feeling for everyone?
When we decided that we were going to play these shows, that was on the top of the list because we had a hand in setting up the whole environment of the area and we’ve had good interactions with everyone at Horning’s. It’s really just great. Everybody camps out, stays there all weekend, and that’s what I think creates a whole different vibe because you can come and go when you want to—it’s way more laid back. It’s fun for us too because you never know what you’re going to see from the stage either (laughs). Some people are really wild.
What role did the band members play in creating all the special art installations, performance art, and all the nooks and crannies where you find all these surprises?
The band plays a big part and Madison House, our management, does as well. It’s really a group process and we need to thank our management for dealing with a lot of that too so that we can focus on the music end of it. We do a lot of coordinating with people that are putting the shebang on on Saturday night, determining how the music is going to fit with the show.
Can you tell me a little about rehearsals and how these shows came to be?
When we decided we were going to do the two-weekend run of Red Rocks and then Horning’s Hideout, we knew we had a lot of work cut out for us because we don’t like repeating too many songs. We repeated some, but we tried to keep it minimal so we had to work on 80 songs including some new covers and some new original tunes. We put in a lot of practice—almost two months before the shows. The last half of the practice we moved up to the studio in my house in Nederland. It was really cool to have everybody up at the house playing music because it was much more relaxed than where we normally rehearse.
When String Cheese announced its initial break up in the summer of 2007, the announcement said that you were leaving the band. Did you personally think that the other band members would continue on without you then, or what was sort of the feeling at the time?
I think different people thought different ways about it. I encouraged the band to find somebody else and threw out a few names because I didn’t want to be responsible for the band stopping, I just felt like it was going in a direction that was not what I had imagined for the band. I also think a lot of it was just needing to have a break and that was the only way I could do it. You can’t convince people to play less shows because it’s a group. Everything is a group process and group agreement with the band, and we just had different mindsets. I continued to stay in touch with everybody in String Cheese and I kind of missed it. I missed playing in the band and the level of shows that we did and the great musicianship in the band. So now we’re taking some baby steps and getting back into it and it feels good. I think a lot of people realized things about the band during that time we had off and we had breaks from each other, which I think is necessary after 15 years of playing.
At what point did you feel that you could play with the band again? Was there a defining moment?
It wasn’t anything like an epiphany moment or anything like that. I just continued to be in touch with band members and after being away from it for a while it seemed like it would be fun to play. We needed the right kind of show because we were playing so few that we wanted something that would be special to the fans and to us.
Could you tell me a little about your experience the past few years with some of your side projects like Emmitt-Nershi Band, Honkeytonk Homeslice and new dates with Scott Law?
Right now, the main thing I’m doing is a lot of Emmitt-Nershi Band gigs, that’s the main focus. We have an album that we recorded up at my place in my studio that came out really great. We’re also doing a lot of festivals and some touring. As for Scott, we just have an incredible connection playing guitar together. It just always worked.
What else have you been doing with your time off from the band, in addition to all these side projects?
I’ve been almost as busy since I stopped playing with String Cheese, as I was when I was playing with String Cheese. I do have more downtime and more time with my family, which has been really great. I’m getting outside and riding my bike more—I’m just trying out a little more balance in my life between music, family, and recreation. A musician’s life can get kind of one-dimensional when you’re really busy with music all the time. It’s a great dimension but it’s great to have more than one dimension too.
Keith said that he had been writing some songs and that you guys are maybe hoping to do a new studio album when you have enough songs. Are you writing new songs for String Cheese as well?
I’m still writing and I definitely feel like I want to make another String Cheese album, but, right now we’re just getting back into it and making an album is a big commitment in a lot of ways. I think that if we’re going to continue to play music and do shows we need to keep it fresh, and, you know a new album is the ultimate way to have a lot of fresh material…
Do all the band members plan to focus on their various projects in the coming years even if you do String Cheese gigs as well?
I think people are going to continue with their side projects. I know I’m going to continue with the Emmitt-Nershi Band and play with other people that I think are important to play with, like Scott Law. I think we can balance our side projects with String Cheese because I think what everybody learned playing in their other bands is coming back into String Cheese and adds some really cool sounds to the band. Giving people new perspectives on String Cheese and incorporating different sounds really adds something. It’s also great because we each get our own outlet playing in different musical directions. Travis can’t get mad because we aren’t playing enough electronica, for example. We also tried to figure out how to incorporate the different sounds into a sound that’s a String Cheese sound. We can all contribute.
What does 2011 or the future hold for the band as or now, or you think it will be similar to what happened this year with several big weekend shows?
At this point, we’re taking it one year at a time. We’ve all been real happy with getting back together and playing so we’re going to at least continue at this pace. Beyond that, I don’t know. I was just so psyched that people turned out for the shows and the whole vibe at Red Rocks and Horning’s. The excitement that fans brought in was really inspiring to us and I just want to thank everybody that came out.
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