Friday, Oct. 25, 2002 | 4:30 a.m.
They've been called the heirs to the jam-band throne, and for the past two years members of String Cheese Incident have sat at the head of that table.
But with the impending return of the genre's king, Phish, set for next year, some wonder whether String Cheese's recent surge in popularity will continue, or whether many of the band's fans will again hit the road to go Phishing.
Either way, String Cheese's live act -- similar in approach to road warriors the Grateful Dead -- is likely to remain a popular one, an anything-can-happen exploration into improvisational music that keeps audiences guessing.
The band, composed of Kyle Hollingsworth (piano), Michael Kang (mandolin/violin), Keith Moseley (bass), Bill Nershi (guitar) and Michael Travis (drums), will make its second Las Vegas appearance with shows Friday and Saturday night at The Rio Pavilion.
Before a recent show in Calgary, Alberta, Nershi took time for a phone interview.
Las Vegas Sun: Have you noticed a significant swell in your band's popularity over the past few years?
Bill Nershi: It might seem to people like we're taking off all of a sudden. But for myself and the rest of the band that have been doing this for nine years it's been a long, gradual climb. We've played a lot of shows, traveled to a lot of places and we're designing it to last. We're not like the one-hit wonders. We're building our business, and taking our instruments seriously.
Sun: Do you think Phish returning to the road will have a noticeable effect on your fan base?
BN: I would think it would have to, especially at the beginning of them coming off their hiatus. There are going to be a lot of people that are excited to see them. But we'll see. I feel like our music is quite a bit different than Phish. There are going to be people that really like Phish and there are still going to be a lot of people that really like our band.
Sun: Two bands that you guys are often compared to -- the Grateful Dead and Phish -- both took hiatuses during their careers after getting burned out on touring. Do you anticipate SCI needing a break like that at some point?
BN: Right now, it's manageable and I could see doing this for a long time. I would like to expand more in the recording area, and learn to be a good recording band. We've done a lot of CDs and we're getting better, but if I could feel really confident about my ability in the studio I would be really happy. It's every band's dream to really make a masterpiece in the studio.
Sun: You guys now release all of your live performances as part of the "On the Road" concert series. How has that been working out?
BN: It's great. We've been recording every night anyway on multi-track, so we figured we ought to put it to use. Not everybody that comes to the shows is a taper or knows tapers, so this is something that anybody that enjoyed the show or had something special about that day for whatever reason can buy a CD of the entire show.
Sun: So how soon after the Vegas shows could someone go out and purchase them?
BN: (Yells the question to someone else before answering.) Five-to-eight weeks. It's a double-edged sword, because if I go out there and throw a big clam in a song, then I have to feel all right about it listening to it. But that's the way it is, playing live jam music. There's a lot of notes and they're not always going to be perfect.
Sun: You guys play a lot of covers. Are those planned out or are they just off-the-cuff kinds of things?
BN: We've played (Rush's) "Tom Sawyer," (Yes') "Roundabout" and the entire B-side of (The Beatles') "Abbey Road," and things like that take a lot of work. We usually get together for at least two weeks before a tour to rehearse and we do new songs and covers, as much as we can.
Sun: You also sell tickets directly to fans and even help them arrange travel to shows, right?
BN: We want it to be easy for people to get to shows, especially if we're leaving the country or doing a special show, New Year's or something like that. We want to facilitate our fans' travel so that it's less of a struggle. It's hard enough getting out and making the trip.
Sun: Did you enjoy playing the Aladdin shows in Las Vegas last year?
BN: Yeah, it's fun coming to Vegas. We're going to stay a couple of extra days. I'm not much of a gambler. But I like the cheesy club acts, and the lights and all the craziness. We're going to go crazy in Vegas. The entire crew is going to dance onstage all night naked wearing Elvis masks.
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