String Cheese Incident
Round The Wheel
SCI Fidelity
Is this Rock ? Latin Jazz ? Bluegrass ? South African Jive ? A Jam Band? It’s really sort of all of the above. They work on so many different levels that it’s almost confusing to me. Don’t get me wrong, they do it all very well, but the very wide range of styles that they play might be the biggest detriment to this recording for some people. I generally prefer a little bit smoother ride through a recording at this point in my life. If I was still in my 20s, I’d probably appreciate this band even more.
I have to assume that the members of the String Cheese Incident approach their music with the same enthusiasm that they use in their other favorite activity, snow-skiing. I’m quite certain this could be an excellent soundtrack to an Extreme Skiing video. They can take you out into space, do a 180, and bring you back again, generally landing in different scenery each time.
These Telluride-based guys reputedly put on a killer live show, and I would tend to believe the reports. They can rock out, as evidenced by “On the Road.” The rhythm section is excellent, and the rest of the musicians can all hold their own; this would be a great party record. The songs range from historical themes, as in “100 Year Flood,” to the spiritual, as in the title track, to the extraterrestrial, as in “Galactic,” which serves double duty as a tribute to the New Orleans swamp-funksters of the same name. It’s a wild and exciting ride, if you are up for it.
