It could not have been a better weekend in San Francisco as the String Cheese Incident made a stop on their Winter Carnival Tour at the famous Warfield Theater. Outside the sun shone brightly, temperatures were warm and the sky was clear. The Warfield has a rich history in the jam band world, and it also happens to be one of the best small venues in the country. Gaze around as you pass through the entry and you'll see pictures of rock and roll's greats. A few more steps will drop you in front of a small but deeply meaningful shrine to Jerry Garcia who, in the early '90's, played here almost monthly with the Jerry Garcia Band. Even though Bill Graham Presents has for all intents and purposes ceased to exist, in this place you can sill feel, see and experience Mr. Graham's vision: a quality musical experience in a venue that genuinely cares about its patrons' well being and happiness.
Having gone just to Saturday's show, I can only speak second hand about the first two nights. Still, I have heard the music from all three gigs and I can say it is String Cheese at their finest. Relaxed, loose, inspired and even occasionally daring, they continue to prove to the world that music is universal, and there is no single way to define this band. Bluegrass, funk, afro-beat, calypso, jump-up, jazz, pop; all are words that could describe song styles that they cover. But these five gentlemen like all good musicians these days try not to define but rather explore divergent cultural and musical territories in hopes of discovering something special. By the reaction of the crowd and band members, they are doing a fine job at it.
I am not one to dissect the minutiae of the songs and jams but will say that this is the best music I have heard String Cheese play. I was impressed at the Santa Cruz gig earlier in the week when the band played three separate improv jams in succession, each with its own beginning, middle and end. This was less evident in San Francisco, rather what seemed to happen was that each song was allowed to expand into longer single improvisations, relying heavily on the Funk that has reemerged in so many ways lately. In 1997 when I first saw these guys, my biggest gripe was that their more free jams took a while to get anywhere and their song transitions were pretty weak. This time 'round the wheel I saw a more focused, serious approach to the music. Everyone in the band listens to each other and plays off what they hear. Obviously they are all more accomplished musicians. When I saw them in '97, Kyle Hollingsworth was still new to the group. Seeing them now you would think he was a founding member.
Of course there are some specific things to mention, most notably the special guests. Thursday night brought Bay Area guitar virtuoso Steve Kimock. It has taken more than a decade for Steve to get the recognition he deserves, and only after Jerry's death has he emerged as one of the great talents in rock. His inspired soloing set the band to flight, and there was solid interplay between Kimock, Nershi, Kang and Kyle. The other major appearance came from Bob Weir and Vince Welnick on Saturday. Those who follow String Cheese know the connection between the band and Mr. Welnick, who hosted the 2nd Annual International Incident in Mexico. Bob Weir was more of a surprise, although there were rumours circulating all evening that he would show up. The crowd was overjoyed to hear a great rendition of Weir's classic Estimated Prophet, which the Cheese has learned from fellow Grateful Dead member Phil Lesh on his Summer Sessions tour in 1999.
By all indicators this band has a solid future ahead of them. A caring, dedicated scene has established itself around them. Ticketless hordes roamed outside the Warfield with index fingers held high. A full taper section was present to record the nights' music. I took a stroll Saturday down to the taping area and found quite a scene. Sound engineer Jon O'Leary graciously allowed a soundboard/audience matrix feed and many were happily patched in. There were at least 20 Tascam DA-P1 portable DAT recorders linked in succession from this feed alone, and many of Sony's smaller D8 recorders patched out of them. I guarantee these shows will be easy to acquire for anyone interested.
String Cheese Incident's Winter Carnival '01 wraps up this weekend in Whistler, British Columbia, where you are sure to catch the guys on the slopes. Spring Cheese 2001 begins April 12th in Austin and makes its way around the eastern portion of the country through May 6th.
Brian Feller
JamBase Santa Cruz/Bay Area Correspondent
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