Copper Mountain, COs annual Yarmony Grass Festival took place over the weekend, boasting performances by the likes of Railroad Earth, Peter Rowan, Hot Buttered Rum, Boris Garcia and Keller Williams. The members of String Cheese Incident were also onsite to play with a striking number of musicians and bands: Strings for Industry featuring Michael Kang, Keith Moseley & Friends, the Kyle Hollingsworth Band, the Emmitt-Nershi Band, Keller Williams with Moseley, Droll & Sipe, EOTO featuring Michael Kang and Honkytonk Homeslice Electric. Bruce Hayes, a founding member of String Cheese Incident who left before the group blossomed into a national attraction, even performed an hour-long set Saturday. But, though all the members of the String Cheese Incident were onsite at the same time, the groups oft-rumored reunion performance never occurred.
The six musicians did, however, collaborate in a number of different settings throughout the weekend. The most complete reunion occurred in the festivals Revival Tent during the late night Rebel Alliance Jam Saturday. Led by Kang, the loose jam session promised performances by String Cheese members Bill Nershi, Michael Travis, Jason Hann and Keith Moseley, but the latter musician felt under the weather and never made it onstage. The Rebel Alliance Jam did, however, include a surprise appearance by String Cheese Incident keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth, as well as Keller Williams, bassist Tye North, guitarist Scott Law and Railroad Earths Tim Carbone, among others. The jam began with a cover Will It Go Round In Circles that featured Kang, Hollingsworth, Travis, Hann, North, Law and Carbone, before the full Tim Carbone Band took the stage for Shine On. From there the performance unfolded into something of a revue, with musicians moving on and off the stage throughout the night at an almost dizzying speed. Highlights included a take on Pretty Polly that featured Nershi, Kang, Travis, Hann, Carbone and Law, as well as Williams-led covers of Bob Marleys Trenchtown Rock and the Grateful Deads Franklin’s Tower. According to reports, Nershi and Kang were seen smiling and interacting musically throughout the night.
The members of String Cheese Incident collaborated elsewhere at the festival as well. Kang, North, Law and veteran drummer Jeff Sipe all made cameos during Mosley,s performance, while Mosley played in Nershis Honkytonk Homeslice Electric group. As previously reported, Kang also played throughout EOTOs improv-heavy set. Likewise, Nershi and Law paid a surprise visit to Hot Buttered Rum during the former New Grooves set, and Railroad Earths string of special guests included Law, Cornmeals Allie Kral, vocalists Sheryl Renee, Coco Brown and Shelly Lindsey and Panjea trumpeter Dan Sears. The weekends festivities then climaxed with an all company joint set anchored by Railroad Earth and Nershi that drew in most the weekends performances.
Kang, Nershi and Mosley will take the stage together once again at Camp Zoes Schwagstock 39 this September. For more on the current state of String Cheese, please read our recent site interview with Kang.