SCI Memories: Boulder

Hey Hey, so I am closing out this run at Boulder Theater tonight, and I wanted to dig in a bit and reflect on some of my early SCI memories from this great venue.

I think it was here, where I first played music with String Cheese. I remember seeing them at the Fox earlier that year and being impressed. In fact, I was blown away by the “kid” on acoustic guitar. Not only by his playing, but also by the tone of his instrument. I had never heard an acoustic guitar sound so present and “real.” So later that year, when my band Durt was asked to open for them at the Boulder Theater, we all loved the idea.

I had been jamming with Kang and other local musicians (including Dave Watts) for a while, so we were familiar with each other’s playing. Durt was mainly a rock outfit and I was probably only carrying my Roland D-50 keyboard at that time. The sounds in this board were, to say the least, very ‘80s. So when the SCI boys asked me to sit in that night, I was super pumped, but a bit hesitant as to how my sounds would fit their vibe. I have no idea what I played. Probably “Bigger Isn’t Better “ and “Jellyfish.” Those were the first ones I learned.  And I’m not sure how it came across, but I must have passed the audition because they asked me to hop on tour for a few more shows.

The String Cheese Incident – early press photo – outside The Fox Theatre – Boulder, CO

Since then, we have played almost every venue in the area from the Fox to Fillmore, but the Boulder Theater is one of the classic venues. And haunted or not, we always had a fun time playing here. This town has a great history of supporting live music and it seems to be a vortex for musical creativity. So many bands have gone on from here to become nationally known. There must be something in the water. And as for String Cheese, it was always nice to come back to Boulder after a long tour. It’s nice to come home.

Boulder has been my home now since 1993 and I have loved every year. It seems this area has been a hot bed for great music over the decades. String cheese is just one of the many bands that has been born from the creative forces in this area.

West Coast Memories: San Diego

Heading to San Diego tonight. KHB is playing the Belly Up. SCI performed there the year that I joined (1997). Man, that was a whirlwind year. I just looked back at all the dates and there seemed to be no downtime at all. We were serious road dogs back then.

We had just come from a long run starting in Gainseville, FL, through New Orleans, Houston, Santa Fe and Flagstaff. So I have scattered memories of that gig, but I do remember walking randomly on the railroad tracks looking for a laundromat (I probably never found one). Also, that night, I met a keyboard player that I had admired from my Baltimore days. He played with a band called New Potato Caboose. They were a great group that fell into the early “jam band” genre. The keyboard player would do this killer percussion jam on his Hammond B3 with the drummers – very inspiring.

SCI has come back many times since then though. I recall a great show at the RIMAC Arena in 2002. I’ve heard that the “San Jose” from that show was pretty slamming. We also played with RatDog in 2006 at the park. That whole run with them was so much fun. I had a blast talking and jamming with all the guys. Plus I got to dance my ass off watching their set every night. I am psyched to in SoCal. again and looking forward to another great night of music.

HOP ON TOUR: Final Count Down

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

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

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

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.

Lots of Great Music and Not Much Sleep

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

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

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

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