Photo by Charlie Englarwe posted an interview with the band’s guitarist Bill Nershi and mandolin player Michael KangRelixPart 1: Keith MoseleyWhen did the band first discuss the possibility of reuniting?You all have a lot of different side projects, families, and other things occupying your time. Did you rehearse by yourselves and then get together a couple weeks before the shows and bang out songs together?At Horning’s opening night you all played with various new projects and side projects. Did you try to bring the different musical directions from these collaborations into String Cheese that weekend?
EOTOYou’ve probably collaborated with the most people during the break. Did any of these collaborations have a particularly lasting effect on your playing?At Horning’s there was such a theatrical sense with people wearing costumes and then Saturday night with the Cirque du Soleil ritual set. How long did you work on the theatrics for that?Have you personally been writing any new material for String Cheese or for your other projects that you think might work for the band?Do you think that could include recording in the future or is it pretty much for the live set?You mentioned how Horning’s, and I’m sure Red Rocks, was very much like a family event that brought in a lot of other members of the community that surrounded String Cheese on and off the stage. Did you notice a lot of new fans that had never seen the band in the last six years, or because of how hard it was to get tickets, maybe not this time around?Musically, for any of the six shows you guys have played, is there a highlight for you?
How much time did you guys spend rehearsing for the the Rothbury shows?In terms of covers that you played at Red Rocks, specifically a Police cover and an MGMT cover, can you talk about the decision to play those two songs?Since you guys did a tribute to Jerry Garcia on the last night of Horning’s for his birthday, how did you come to the decision to cover a Grateful Dead song that is so symbolic in so many ways of Jerry and the band?You mentioned the west coast fan base. Have you noticed that with String Cheese in particular there’s a difference between west coast and east coast, or is it pretty much a universal fan base across the country?Part II: Kyle HollingsworthYou now have six shows under your belt and have two more coming up and probably a couple more in 2011. When did you first decide to do some more shows and kind of recharge the batteries?
When did you start rehearsing for the run of shows?You revisited plenty of classics and played some new material. Was there a conscious decision to also include some new material and some new covers?Of all the songs that you’ve written since 2007 when String Cheese stopped touring, was there one song that you kind of felt fit the vibe of the band best or would other people give an opinion on what they thought would work best?In terms of your own plans this fall in addition to the String Cheese shows, do you plan to take your own band out on the road anytime soon?Was there a point where you felt like the Kyle Hollingsworth Band really gelled as its own independent project?It’s great to see that project evolve, but when did you first meet and start working with Dave Watts?In terms of String Cheese’s future, are you planning on going into the studio any time soon?My last question about the weekend is about the productions. How much is the band involved in the actual vibe creation of the event?
