Considering String Cheese Incident’s permanent place in the live music scene today, it’s almost impossible to imagine a time where the group was “starting out,” so to speak. By the time 2001 rolled around, the String Cheese crew were well on their way to amassing a major following, and it’s no surprise that the group chose these two shows at the Aladdin Theatre in Las Vegas, NV to showcase for their archival Rhythm of the Road Vol. 2.
The shows came after SCI’s breakthrough album, Outside Inside, and shows a band poised for greatness. Having developed a style that ranged from jam to bluegrass to funk, and everything in between, it’s intoxicating to hear String Cheese performing with such a youthful energy on these recordings. That isn’t to say that the band isn’t energetic today, but the fourteen years between 2001 and 2015 have matured the band’s sound considerably. In 2001, the band was playing with a loose, free-for-all spirit, especially for two late-night sets in Las Vegas.
Their first-ever shows in Vegas are certainly something to behold. The album features a sit-in from Karl Denson (who opened each show with his band, Tiny Universe) on “Black And White” and the disco cover “Get Down Tonight” by KC & The Sunshine Band. For the uninitiated, this is an excellent starting place in SCI’s catalog, as the familiar cover is brought to life by the energetic horn-playing and jammed out style of the Cheese.
Of course, it’s the band’s original compositions that delve deeper into their musical sensibilities. Take the classic tune, “Come As You Are”. Diving in with an almost-straightforward progression and instrumentation, the song gets its initial push from yearning emotional vocals. It’s about halfway through that the whole song opens up into the jam-space, paving the way for literally anything. The open-ended jam never loses steam, as each of the musicians take part soloing and filling the space with melodic love. The energy between the band members is electric, only intensified by the setting.
The Rhythm of the Road Vol 2 set is literally hours upon hours of great String Cheese Incident music. There’s no shortage of superlatives to describe this three-disc box set, which not only highlights these two classic performances but also the exceptionally diverse catalog of this band. Another highlight of this release is certainly the sit-in from percussionist Mike Dillon, who adds a fun element to this booming live act.
Don’t miss this exciting archival release, which is available beginning today, October 9th, via the SCI Fidelity label website. You can also listen to a sampler of tracks below:
Don’t miss String Cheese on the road this fall, including a big two-night run at NYC’s Theater at Madison Square Garden (tickets here) and a major after-party with Oktopus, a new project featuring SCI percussionist Jason Hann and RAQ keyboardist Todd Stoops. More information about the second-ever Oktopus performance can be found here.
The band will follow that with a three-night stand at the beloved Hulaween Festival over Halloween weekend. Check out the newly-announced full Hulaween schedule here.