Comments on the article

4/14/01 18:38
From: surferdave (dbcarden2000@yahoo.com)

That was possibly the worst review of anything I have ever read. It seems that Mr Steinberg is one of the countless lost Phish people who cross there fingers and prey every night that "PH" will play again. Appalled that reviews of shows have to be compared to other bands, tsk,tsk. Maybe I need to read some of Davids Phish reviews, where are they? Is "PH" compared to the Grateful Dead in the "PH" reviews. Well, "PH" seems to have it together sometimes but they just cannot stay together in thier jams like the dead.--is this what I will read. "Anyone who sits down and thinks about Phish's compositions," is in for a headache. Unless ofcourse they bought something in the lot to relieve them of their stress. I would much rather attend a show with a band that is playing/conveying a message than one's whose lirics make absolutely noooo sense. Trey's "ability to write pieces that naturally flow from one section to another." The problem with these compositions is that there are actually lirics associated with them that dont naturally flow. At some point you actually have to scratch your head and say, does any of this make any sense.----? "If THEY keep playing like this, THEY won't have to worry about comparisons Phish. Sorry dave-the only person worrying is you. Why go at all dave? I would have rather read a review about your trip to the imaginary Phish winter 2001 tour. It would be awesome. You could go to all the venues that Phish played on winter 2000, hang out in the lot, and play the tapes from the shows and dance all by yourself.

4/11/01 13:51
From: Scott (w4pa@yahoo.com)

Thank you, David Steinberg, for telling it like it is. I kept hearing raves about how incredible SCI was, what great shows they put on, how big they were going to be, etc. Being time and travel challenged, I never made it to an SCI show until they appeared at MerleFest in April 2000. What a disappointment. I realized, in the context of the amazing musicianship that MerleFest presents each year, that SCI simply doesn't have the musical chops to keep up with others in the bluegrass/jamgrass genre. Keep in mind: I had no axe to grind, and I had NEVER HEARD A SINGLE NOTE of SCI music prior to seeing them live. What I heard was a struggling bunch of people without the musical ability to keep up with the acoustic bluegrass players around them. A band that obviously is confused in direction and purpose and can't decide if they want to be the Dead or a bluegrass band. Some may call this "innovation" - I call it "wandering". The emperor has no clothes - these guys are out of their league and they, and apparently their audience, aren't aware of it.

4/9/01 20:37
From: Erik (snugharborprod@hotmail.com)

In defense of the article, I found much of the author's points extremely valid. The frustration he presents stems from a sense of disappointment, I believe. For those who were fortunate enough to witness early Incidents, the true inspiration came from the belief that these guys may someday rule the world.

While their musicianship, showmanship, and business savvy have reached extremely impressive levels, recent shows have been hit or miss. In conversation with countless fans, I have realized that much of what everyone is hyped about lately are cover jams. The originals they have produced are mediocre at best for the amount of talent in the band.

What the author referred to as "darker music" may in fact be more of a "tension/release" issue. What makes the huge happy jams so blissful is the tension created beforehand; the anticipation of what's beyond (Euphoric ecstasty), yet the uncertainty of when you'll actually get it. That's what makes Kang's note so heavenly. IT"S HERE! WOOHOOOO! Well, the author's right...lately it just hasn't been there. Maybe they need some time off.

However, because of the author's honest opinions, I'm re-inspired toward catching the next Incident. Look forward to seeing what's on the album as well.

4/6/01 1:46
From: Matt Riddett (iamh2@hotmail.com)

well i never thought anyone would bash SCI the way the author did in this. granted ive only been to 3 shows but they dont get to coming around the central new york area too often. i do however, have quite a collection of live shows that i can draw conclusions from.

The first thing i would like to contradict the author on is the intensity and energy during the jams. i think that the energy is there but, how well is energy conveyed with the instruments that the cheese plays. acoustic guitar (which i will use as the focal point because my feeling is that is what most people pay attention to)which you dont get clear cut high sounding notes like on an electric. In order to not drown out the acoustic you must therefore turn everthing else down a little bit which will knock off the hard and energetic feeling of the rest of the band. Even when kang takes the lead on madolin it is mixed well with the rest so you can see its still a band and not one person.

The paragraph about howard and phish drives me up the wall. yes phish songs flow well from beginning to end but where you say that SCI is highlighting the changes in jams and lyrics you must say the same about phish. the first phish show i went to was 99.7.17 and i had only heard a few shows but when they came on, every change, even within the jams, was the same as i had heard. When was the last time you went to a string cheese show and, other than the major changes, could you predict any of the notes they were going to play; not very likely. the key word improvisation. No one as much into lyrics as SCI can improvise as well(i wont compare them to MMW or any lyric free music cause thats just not fair).

How can you say kyle is the third best soloist in the band? I see him as the glue that holds SCI together. No matter what everyone else is doing he is playing something sweet. Whether its a beat while others take the lead or jamming out while everyone else plays the beat. Id be interested to hear the authors choice for the top and second best soloists. My choices(although theyd be second and third and a very close call) would be kang on the violin and Mike.

As for getting a good show as if from a lotter i think that all the shows on the whole are good but not from the same perspective. it goes back to what i mentioned before, improvisation. its hard to come up with new things every night that follow the same guideline(the key and speed that the particular jam is played in) and the change in sounds is just what they are feeling.

The last show i went to was 00.10.25 and the impression i got was no one knew what was going on. At the opening of set 2 bill said that we need to get on the same waavelength. The music to the first set was unbelievable but it wasnt the guitar focus that everone expects cause most everyones just heard Carnival 99 or at that time they had.

In conlcusion i will go to any cheese show that i can afford to, even if i have to drive 200 miles and see it by myself again. Oh yeah, they're not phish, stop expecting them to be.

3/26/01 11:34
From: Miss Lizzy (nydge@yahoo.com)

Well - I never read reviews because I've either found them to be entirely too self serving, gushy-love, or I wonder if I was really at the same show as the reviewer. I was pointed here by friends and I know Zzyzx personally.

Valid points were made. I've been hearing/seeing String Cheese Incident for many years. Some of my closest friends and contacts have come from my association with this extended group. I'm very glad that I've gotten the privledge to see BillyN. play literally about 6 inches from me because I find him to be a facinating player and individual. (I've got a thing for accoustic guitar players who have their soul in their fingertips!) I think Jon O'leary is one of the most talanted engineers that I've run across and amazingly dedicated. I've heard problems in shows, and he's approachable enough to explain it to me. Strings break, amps blow up, computers freeze, cables get gremlins in them ... welcome to the world of live music.

I love the small shows, but I'm happy that the band is successful to play the bigger venues. I don't love every song - and not every jam is something that stirs me at the particular moment. I know many people who have commented on the Entirely Too Bright aspect of SCI.Ok. Personal opinion. Many people have mentioned the territorial nature of people. That's fine or whatever.

I know I float a show and I see people enjoying and ... well ... not. I know that there are folks who are going to take Zzy's opinions and freak on them. What-ever. The thing is that the review, like this comment, was rambling. There were some valid points but they were stabbed backward by nonsense. It's a personal column.

I'm a fan of a lot of music. I like bands from different points in their evolution. It all depends upon what I'm feeling inside. I've seen some pretty drecky Dead shows. I've slept through Yes and others. I recently found myself bored at Galactic and moe. shows. I love those bands usually - but it's something to do with myself.

There are highs and lows. If Zzy doesn't go to another String Cheese Incident show, well - ok. That's HIS choice. I stopped going regularly to Dead shows when friends of mine now were seeing their first ones because something didn't feel right. If you note, he's apparently willing to be open minded about this.

Anything that exists in a vaccuum is static -- SCI is trying not to be Static in my impression. Like all of us, it is an entity that can either grown and evolve or it can play the same sets repeatedly. People will get lost along the way wanting the 'Old Days', but are any of us the same as when we saw our first shows?

Whatever.

3/23/01 12:35
From: Bob Greise (Bob_greise@yahoo.com)

Although I appreciate his stats, this article was written from the point of view of a true phish phan. Your mood for a band can change. I first saw phish in '91, then saw them a lot more in the years to come. By '94-'95, I couldn't stand their sound anymore. I did not hold a grudge, I just stopped going. Then I saw a little show in Boise in '99? which rekindled my belief in this band. The old days returned (although the venue size was different. My point being is that a person should never go into a concert expecting something more than the band is willing to give and it seems like ZZYZX is always doing that. Read the article again and you will see what I mean. SCI is a copmpletely different band than they were a year ago, or even a tour ago. I like the fact that they do not settle for a certain point musically and they feel comfortable with their respective instruments to try and evolve tyheir sound. Sometimes this works, and sometimes it doesn't, but at least they try. Dave, go back on Trey tour and maybe we can all find our place. A question I will pose, Why does there have to be a dark side to music?

3/23/01 12:0
From: Allen Byrne (Byrneall@msu.edu)

That was a very lengthy, well written, but obnoxious piece. You are not a wine tester, you are a listener, so listen and enjoy, and leave all your harshly cynical views of a band, who is trying to really explore themselves the same way a flower opens up when the time is right, out in the cold. The SCI is really trying to rediscover themselves the same way all bands who are enveloped in improvisation do. There was a period when Phish was searching, searching hard, and sometimes failing at discovering that amazing understanding that they came to encapsulate. I recently saw the SCI in Eugene and was blown away at their attempts to flow the river of sound and trek the compositional journey to bliss. For the first time I was removed from my dancing because I wanted to stand, listen, and absorb what was unfolding and trying to be unfolded right in front of my eyes and ears. I am excited to be a part of a band who wants to raise themselves to a higher level of musical integrity by the oh so simplistic method of trial and error. The thing is, is that when they fail, they actually succeed, because every time an exploratory piece is played or a composition is focused new windows are being opened up. Also, please save all the scene nonsense out, music is music, and the scene will always accompany something that a mulitplicity of people enjoy. Do not criticize the scene, listen and enjoy and do not emplore your own self-righteous and old man attitudes of music on others, simply delight in the good and leave the bad out. How could anything the String Cheese Incident does be interpreted as long and dark, they permeate nothing but fractals, beams, and swirls of ear to ear smiles, twirls, and a purity of joy......peace and sunshine...Allen Byrne

ps great writing

3/23/01 9:37
From: Barney (littlehands@earthlink.net)

ZZYZX is always interesting to read and full of "food for thought". I often find myself agreeing with his conclusions even when I thoroughly disagree with the thought processes through which he reaches them. And even when I disagree with his conclusions, I always enjoy the conjectures and insights and amusing footnotes along the way.

This article was clearly more about the inner workings of the author's mind than it is about how the band played while he was working through his mental demons, but it doesn't pretend otherwise, so I can live with that. I can't help thinking that he would have been better off staying inside the venue and listening to Joyful Sound (one of the highlights of the Warfield run in my humble opinion: Keith isn't trying to tell you how to live your life, silly boy; he's trying to describe HIS life, and thanking us for making it possible!) rather than sitting in the lobby wondering why he was there (don't ask yourself why you're at the show - ask yourself why you're in the LOBBY when there's a show going on thirty feet away!) but that's his choice.

I don't want to be mistaken for one of those fans who thinks the band can do no wrong, or is somehow beyond criticism. I agree with every word ZZYZX had to say about Howard, and I thought that the distinctions he drew between directionless grooves and truly great jams are exactly on target and evidence of a much more discerning ear than I've found among many fans. I am also not always comfortable with some aspects of the Dworkian feel-good-at-all-times-while-staring-into-the-crystal philosophy, but I do feel that it serves a useful purpose: because there is very little of the "dark side" to be found in SCI songs, they tend to attract fewer of the fans who get their kicks from exhibiting their own dark sides in public. If not hearing a band play Valerie or Stagger Lee is the price I have to pay in order to limit my chances of encountering in the lobby the same kind of character described in those songs, then I can happily live with that tradeoff. ;-)

3/21/01 14:22
From: Pete Bangs (Sci1sci@Aol.com)

Hey man, I enjoyed your article on sci, but i must say that i felt pretty hurt and upset that you trashed cheese like you did. Although everybody has their own opinion, i must say that i don't totally agree with you. I guess that is basically all i have to say, worry not, sci will be back.

3/20/01 23:40
From: David (djsharrar@hotmail.com)

I guess I consider myself a sort of voyeur of the jambands scene, experiencing it, but not inspired to devote the long miles and crowds to supporting a local scene. David Steinberg is a personality who pops up frequently in the web world of jambands chat and review sites. In other words, I usually read his comments and find the objective perspective inviting. Onwards... SCI is a band I have seen since '94 in Boulder. Since 1999, no longer rabid about getting one of their fixes. Why is that? David puts it pretty well in his reviews... Thanks for waiting for something new to happen. I hope I get the same chance around here.

3/19/01 17:49
From: dsc (dcrissey@cs.com)