HOP ON TOUR: Final Count Down

kylehollingsworth — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 19:31:01 +0000

So we’re heading into the last three shows in Chicago. What ? How did that happen so fast? There have been some pretty slamming moments (also some scary ones) in the last couple of weeks. But overall it’s been feeling really good.

It’s been wild being back in this world again. Though every day does start to feel the same. Wake up on the bus in a new town, go to sound check, then start rehearsals and begin “the great set list debate.” Off to catering for a quick bite and then we jump on stage for the show. And it ends with late night mayhem on the bus. Kind of fun actually. I’m going to miss it.

Meeting great fans and breweries across the country as part of the Hop On Tour experience has been a new treat as well. We’ve shared a lot of great craft brews, and some awesome meet & greets. It all comes together at my sold-out Kyle’s Brew Fest CHICAGO as the Hop On Tour finale, again supporting food banks and impoverished communities through Conscious Alliance.

We are psyched to be out again and are ready to rage these last few nights!

I have included some photos and a video from the last week on the road. Enjoy.

See ya soon. I heart Ambien.

Kyle

The setlist that wasn't.

Happy birthday to Jesse Aratow in Boston (SCI Manager / Tour Manager)!

Big organ in Boston.

The Biebs?

I bought a new tie in Boston.

Sunday shows can be a bitch...

What's wrong with this picture?

mmm.

The guys from 4 Hands Brewing in STL.

HOP ON TOUR: Homeward Bound

kylehollingsworth — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:16:49 +0000

Greetings from the road – Day 6:

What the hell. This is great!! So much fun. The band is feeling solid and we are really connecting on so many levels. This is what music is about. Also, it’s been super exciting to walk out onto stage and feel the appreciation from the fans every night. It’s good to see that the fans are as pumped as we are to be back at it. Musically it has been a blast. We have been able to play through much of our wide repertoire. That’s the advantage of doing this many shows in a row. It permits us to dust-off some of the older stuff and breathe new life into them.

So we are heading to Baltimore on a long haul drive about 13 hours. And as I stare out the bus window and see my hometown come into view, it’s hard not to reminisce. I left here 18 years ago to become a forest ranger in Colorado. And although the ranger part didn’t pan out, it still turned out to be a good choice. It is amazing how some decisions can turn your life in a whole new direction.

But it is great to see my family again (all 7 of them) and get a chance to feel that sibling connection. But it does make for one hell of a guest list when I come back home.

I have gathered some photos and videos thus far. Check them out. See ya soon.

Kyle

Fox Theatre - Atlanta

B3 organ repair needed already on the second show.

SweetWater Brewery: brewing for JamCruise

This is a cask-conditioned IPA with rum-soaked oak chips and mango extract. We were inspired by the vibe and setting of Jamruise.

Ryman Auditorium - Nashville

Best place to poop on tour.

Before the doors open at the Ryman.

Backstage rehearsal in Nashville.

Life on the road is a blur.

HOP ON TOUR: Brewing for Hop On Tour Kick-Off

kylehollingsworth — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 19:07:17 +0000

Hop On Tour is an interactive fan experience. Throughout The String Cheese Incident’s Roots Run Deep tour and Kyle’s kick-off shows in Colorado, Kyle will connect with fans via his Facebook page (www.facebook.com/kylehollingsworthmusic) and blog (www.kylehollingsworth.wordpress.com) to provide a behind the scenes look into life on the road as well as the craft beers and brewing that come into picture along the way. To top it off, fans will have the opportunity to win an invite to exclusive meet & greets and tastings with Kyle and others through various contests at select SCI shows. Stay tuned to Kyle’s Facebook page for regular Hop On Tour updates...

BREW DAYS!
After a night of raging to the motet on Halloween, I woke up at 6:30am, hungover, and drove to Odell’s, in Fort Collins, to brew some beer for the Hop On Tour kick-off in November. Some good stuff going on here!

Making a vanilla porter will Odell Brewing. mmmmm.

Cleaning-up spent grain at Odell's.

Getting ready to add hops!

Turning random knobs at Dry Dock, while making Solstice Spice.

The kettle at Dry Dock Brewing Company. It's a clean machine.

Doing a little home brewing. Very tricky stuff!

Hop On Tour Kick-Off
Kyle Hollingsworth Band feat. Michael Kang
with Roster McCabe
11/18 Hodi’s Halfnote | Fort Collins, CO
11/19 Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom | Denver, CO

Both shows will feature these two one-time-only craft brews – a vanilla porter from Odell Brewing & Kyle and Solstice Spice from Dry Dock Brewing & Kyle. Cervantes’ will also feature Hoopla Pale Ale from Boulder Beer & Kyle. In addition, all Kyle drafts (Odell, Dry Dock) will be FREE in Denver until 9pm.

Hop On Tour

kylehollingsworth — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:03:58 +0000

Lots of Great Music and Not Much Sleep

kylehollingsworth — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:05:37 +0000

Damn…this was a serious summer. SCI rehearsals and shows in June and July (which were sooo much fun). Then I was out with my band for a spell, traveling around the festival circuit. And, in between, I was invited to participate a few unique lineups including a super group with Bill Kreutzman, Steve Kimock and George Porter. It was a lot of great music with not much sleep, but maybe its better that way.

On the beer front, it was big year as well. Kyle’s Brew Fest sold out again and was another successful benefit for Conscious Alliance. The beer I made with Boulder Beer, Hoopla Pale Ale, has been getting a lot of great reviews from all over the country. Get it while you can! Also it was fun to add my new Brewru Experience at festivals, discussing beer and brewing with fans – trying to connect the dots between my passion for brewing and my love of music.

And now I am psyched to be home with the fam for a few weeks. While at home, I‘ve been forcing myself to dig in a bit and do some more writing. As inspiration, I have been playing through the Beatles songbook. Man, they were great songwriters. Some of those chord changes come out of nowhere and the modulations are seamless. The melody drives everything on that stuff. Listening to this music gets my mind thinking in different directions.

So this fall is mostly chill. Though I do head out for a long weekend with my band September 8-11 in the Midwest. We are going to hit some new towns as well as a couple of festivals. The Macpodz will be joining us in Cleveland and Kalamazoo. I dig their stuff and I think it will be a good musical combination. Also, we are playing one of my favorite breweries: Bell’s. Yes! Great beer, great music. Yum.

And, of course, SCI is about to rev-up again for another big run of shows in December. And this time it’s a real tour. Like “get-on-the-bus-and-roll-” style. It’s going to be awesome! Stay tuned for more on this on upcoming blogs

But for now, I’ll just enjoy the last weeks of summer. Sitting on the porch, drinking a beer and writing songs.

See you out there.

Kyle

In case you missed it, I did a “remix” of an argument we had on the road this summer. My band, KHB, had just finished a gig deep in the mountains of West Virginia. So at 4am we started driving around looking for our hotel. Tensions started running high as we came to the conclusion that we were hopelessly lost. I recorded some of our banter and then auto-tuned it and added music. Check it out (Beware it does contain some “moonshine-induced” mature language).

Brew Fest and Beyond

kylehollingsworth — Tue, 24 May 2011 11:30:35 +0000

Festival Season is here!! And now with “the rapture” out the way, it looks like it’s going to be quite the Summer. With Cheese back at Bonnaroo and then Electric Forest, it will for sure keep me busy for the majority of the summer. Then I continue forward with lots of unique musical formations and events.

From collaborating with Steve Kimock to jamming with George Porter and Bill Kreutzman, plus doing clinics on beer and home brewing, it is going to be a diverse few months. But I’m looking forward to the challenge. Also, my band KHB will be working hard this summer. We’re heading to Electric Forest as well as local and national touring. Including my 2nd annual Kyle’s Brew Fest here in Boulder, Colorado.

In case you missed it last year, Kyle’s Brew Fest is a unique brew event, benefiting Conscious Alliance, that not only showcases great beer, but also the art of the brewing process. Ultimately it connects my passion for music and my love of brewing (I’m even considering making a beer on stage while I play). Last year’s Brew Fest sold out show was a blast and helped to raise awareness and money for conscious alliance. Boasting over 25 breweries and great tunes, please join us again this year. We will be drinking, talking and singing beer all for a great cause. Hope to see some of ya out there…

But for the next few weeks I’m being sequestered into the school of SCI rock. Back at it, we are digging in and spending time together making sure that every show we do is an unique “Incident.” From testing-out new stuff, to the ever-lasting search for the perfect cover, it’s always a challenge and a relief to be back with friends.

See you soon.

Kyle

In preparation for Brewfest I am making sure we have enough Hoopla Pale Ale ready, check out the video.

Split Universes

kylehollingsworth — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:08:21 +0000

Here I am sitting at home again after a few whirlwind weeks. It’s so wild to go from being a musician on stage in front of lots of people one day, to doing dishes and laundry the next. Quite the dichotomy going on in my life. Honestly though, I really enjoy the split Kyle universes. At times I am able to be home and spend time with the family, but I also get the release of playing music. And for me it’s not necessarily just the playing of my instrument, but it’s the addiction of performing on stage. I find sometimes I miss the energy I get from being in front of people. Yeah I know, kind of weird, but it’s like I was wired to be an entertainer.

Even from a young age I was a clown. From performing as a magician at the family dinners, to doing local musicals and TV shows. I always wanted to get up into the lights. And at age nine I decided that I wanted to be a “rock star.” I would practice singing in front of the mirror with the brush and even pretend to answer questions from Rolling Stone. But at some point I realized I needed to actually play an instrument to be a rock star and since I was already taking piano lessons at that time, that made the most sense. Certainly not as cool as guitar, and definitely not as rocking, but I enjoyed it. And I got attention…ahh, I guess that’s what it was all about.

So I dig this strange life. And I am able to balance “dad” with “stage guy” pretty well now. Although sometimes I still find myself singing in the mirror with a brush, but at least this time I am doing it with my daughter.

I am heading out to my favorite coast again with my band, KHB. We are hitting Bellingham, Seattle, Portland and Lake Tahoe, this Thursday through Sunday. It’ll be nice to get on the road again and play some club dates (and drink great beer!). See ya in the Northwest this week!

Also, I have included a link to a tune, “Rosie,” that was played for the first time at the SCI Winter Carnival shows. I did a bit of a remix to it and added some new elements as well. Check it out, I hope you enjoy.

Hoppy Birthday

kylehollingsworth — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:36:03 +0000

Ok, ok, so it’s my birthday, don’t rub it in. And now that I am more than twice Justin Bieber’s age, I am starting to feel the years. But at least we have matching haircuts. The bowl cut will never die!!!

Actually, things are going pretty great. I have been busy for the last few months writing tunes and playing music. I did some cool shows around town with my band, KHB. We opened for Umphrey’s at the Fillmore, in Denver, and that was a blast. They are such a great guys and it’s always a pleasure to hang with them. But, honestly, it was my wife’s birthday so I got a bit buzzed and ran around the Fillmore dancing and screaming. So I didn’t get to much time to hang. I think I remember having a had a good time though.

But then there’s now and I am deep in rehearsals with SCI. With only a week left before the big 1st Bank Center Cheese shows, we are getting pumped. We are digging into some of the older material that has not been played in a while, but also breaking out some new tracks. It’s going to be awesome, it’s always a bit challenging to just jump back in it and that’s why we spend so many weeks preparing. It’s not about learning the chords to “Howard” again, it’s more so about jamming together and getting the magic back. It’s never lost, but just needs to be dusted off a bit.

See you there.

And make sure to catch KHB in the Northwest next month:

04.07.11 Wild Buffalo | Bellingham, WA -w/Acorn Project
04.08.11 Nectar | Seattle, WA -w/Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad
04.09.11 Bossanova Ballroom | Portland, OR -w/Acorn Project and Jesta

Hoppy Holidays: #1

kylehollingsworth — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 16:46:39 +0000

So here we are at the final keyboardist. As I look at this list I see so many amazing players. And although I had to choose the ones that made an impact on my playing I have so many more that I admire. From Red Garland and Brad Mehldau to Chester Thompson and Matt Rollings, there are so many great musicians out here. And, of course, my college teacher ,Greg Hatza, had a big influence on me and helped me get started on my journey so many years ago. And I thank him for that…

#1: Herbie Hancock

So yes, every keyboard player is expected to cite Herbie as an influence. And with good reason, he is sooo the man. I first found him in college after my piano professor turned me on to Speak No Evil (a Wayne Shorter album). Of course I had heard of Herbie from the Eighties hit “Rockit,” but the earlier Miles Davis side of him was so was so soulful. Every note had so much feel and intention. And although in college I was studying all the greats, such as Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Bud Powell, etc., I kept coming back to Herbie. The live Miles Davis 1964 discs Four & More + My Funny Valentine were constantly playing in my room. It was, and remains to be, one of my favorite recordings of all time. There is great compositional improvisation on that record, so much musical intuition between the players. It wasn’t until later that I discovered the Headhunters’ records. This was another level for me as well. Not only funky playing, but also that tone coming from the Rhodes was something I had to have. Herbie’s feel is always at the center of his playing whether a piano, Rhodes or Clavinet. He was a great inspiration for me.

Hoppy Holidays
12/10 Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom | Denver, CO – KHB feat. DJ Logic & Liza Oxnard w/The Nu Classics plus signature beer by Kyle and Boulder Beer
12/11 Hodi’s Half Note | Fort Collins, CO – KHB feat. DJ Logic & Liza Oxnard w/the Nu Classics plus signature beer by Kyle and Boulder Beer
12/12 Avery Brewing Co. | Boulder, CO – KHB plus signature beer by Kyle and Avery Brewing and much, much, more! – SOLD OUT!

Hoppy Holidays Countdown: #2

kylehollingsworth — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 17:37:19 +0000

In anticipation of Hoppy Holidays, I will be counting down the top five keyboardists whom have had the most influence on my playing. I’ll post a different artist every few days between now and the first day of Hoppy Holidays: Friday, December 10th.

I am often asked to name the most influential keyboardists in my life. I usually just rattle off my favorites from then and now, but I wanted to really take a look at who influenced my playing. I didn’t want to select just keyboard players that I admire and study, but those that have made an impact on my performance and writing. So I scanned my iTunes library and dug up my old cassettes from the basement and this is what it came down to…

#2: Bill Payne

Growing up, I would hear music wafting down the staircase from my brother’s super cool attic bedroom. And although my family was primarily a Beatles/Simon & Garfunkel institution, he was playing some new music that peeked my interest. It had great feel and less-predictable song forms. So I started digging into Little Feat myself. I remember spending hours listening to Waiting For Columbus, especially “Dixie Chicken.” I loved the breakdown with the horn section and Bill’s solo moment there is awesome. The whole concept of laying-down time with the left hand, while freeing up the right for improvisation, was new to me. I guess I had never really heard much ragtime/New Orleans-style music before, so the concept of a “one man band” was inspirational. And Bill uses the whole piano as a canvas. From his high percussion-type splashes to super low bombs, Bill taught me that piano is a percussion instrument in every sense of the word. At times, I still struggle to get out of my three- or four-octave safe zone. It is always refreshing to watch or listen to Bill play. He is the catalyst for me to stretch out of my comfort zone, which is always good.