Band mixes different styles to form music

Ayall Sagi
Staff Writer

Michael Kang of the band The String Cheese Incident likes to incorporate his philosophy of "do whatever you want" into his performances. Following this, Kang eschews shoes while on stage and does his best to create an atmosphere that has led critics to compare the band to other laid-back jam bands such as Phish and Leftover Salmon.

"My feet get really hot in socks," he said. "It’s more comfortable to play barefoot."

He says he plays for the fans, seeing them as friends. Kang tries to make his concerts as far from reality as possible.

"Our music tries to move along the emotions of love, loss, fear, joy and anger," Kang said. "Our shows are an escape from their daily lives."

Through years of experience, The String Cheese Incident has evolved as a band and as performers who take pride in never playing the same set list twice. "We’ve played close to 1,200 shows and when you play that many shows, you like to create spaces and open creativity," he said. "I think as artists, we are constantly looking for a new challenge."

Although the group is always moving and creating new music, it's no stranger to covers. "It’s fun to play other people’s stuff," said Kang. "It can also be challenging to play. I find it fun to play artists like Led Zeppelin, to find a way to put yourself in their shoes."

After a three-week break, The String Cheese Incident is back on tour and will stop at 7:30 p.m. on Monday at the Murat Theatre. But while members of the band enjoy playing smaller venues such as the Murat, they are excited about playing outdoors this summer because, with the outdoor scene comes more space and the opportunity to play with friends.

One of those friends, Phil Lesh, the former bassist for the Grateful Dead and one of the band’s favorite artists, will perform with The String Cheese Incident this summer. The band will also be play with Ben Harper and Blues Traveler.

Because the group is sometimes compared to Phish, the recent Phish hiatus might actually be a boost for the band, according to Will Ploehn, a freshman in the Schools of Engineering.

Ploehn is one of many Phish fans who will be going to see The String Cheese Incident this summer to recapture a vibe similar to that created at Phish shows.

Kang said he thinks that Phish fans have always come out to his band's shows, and that the two groups play similar types of music.

One of the most unusual aspects of The String Cheese Incident, however, is its background, said Ploehn. He classifies the group as a "bluegrass jam band."

But the group, which is often labeled as bluegrass, tries to break through that by experimenting with other styles of music.

"Something that we have always done is try to incorporate different types of world music into one creative sound," said Kang.

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