The String Cheese Incident has detailed the coming release of the group’s first studio album in more than six years, Lend Me A Hand, due out on September 8th, 2023. The announcement arrived alongside a music video for the LP’s title track.
Lend Me A Hand finds the Colorado stalwarts delivering some of their most emotionally potent material to date. The album delves into themes of love, loss, and resilience inspired by life-altering events like the 2021 passing of their longtime friend and management team member, Jesse Aratow. As they dreamed up a batch of songs centered around storytelling, The String Cheese Incident’s Michael Kang, Michael Travis, Keith Moseley, Jason Hann, Kyle Hollingsworth, and Bill Nershi joined forces with producer Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Hiss Golden Messenger, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Waxahatchee), who rendered the rootsy simplicity of the album’s material with his distinct sonic approach.
“Every album’s a snapshot of the band at that moment, and this record turned out to be one of our most introspective,” explained Moseley of Lend Me A Hand. “We were coming out of the pandemic and coming up on our anniversary; we’d lost someone who’s been an important part of our team for so long. All those thoughts and feelings coalesced into something that’s much more focused on the storytelling, and feels more like hanging out in the living room with us while we sing you some songs.”
“Rather than trying to be flashy with the musicianship, our goal was to make sure nothing got in the way of the lyrics,” added Nershi. “So even though we’re still a jam band at heart, all these songs can really stand on their own.”
The String Cheese Incident will put the new material to work on the road throughout 2023 as the band celebrates its 30th anniversary. Highlights of the upcoming SCI tour schedule include a run of shows with Willie Nelson’s traveling Outlaw Music Festival, various festival appearances across the country, and a number of summer headlining dates. Scroll down for a complete list of upcoming tour dates. For ticketing details, head here.
“It’ll be fun to see how some of these three- or four-minute tunes open up and stretch out a bit,” said Moseley. “One of the things that’s helped us stay connected over the years is that shared love for the beauty of the creative process—we’re all still completely engaged in the pursuit of making the best music we can make, then giving the best live performance we can. If I had to guess, I’d say that the next album we put out will be 180 degrees from this one, because that’s how things tend to go with us. We just point the ship into the wind and head off onto the next adventure, whatever that might be.”
Watch the official video for “Lend Me A Hand” by The String Cheese Incident below. Stream or download the track on the platform of your choice here.
The String Cheese Incident – “Lend Me A Hand” (Official Video)