By Reader Staff
The Festival at Sandpoint announced its next headliner April 18, further fleshing out the lineup for its 2023 summer concert series. The String Cheese Incident will take the main stage on Sunday, July 30.
The past three decades have written a story packed full of surreal experiences, epic moments, groundbreaking involvement and huge accomplishments for this independent jam band from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The String Cheese Incident has been recognized for their commitment to musical creativity and integrity, for their community spirit, philanthropic endeavors and for innovative approach to the business of music since their formation in 1993.
When the band’s growth first started gaining momentum in the 1990s — and as the internet was just beginning to take hold and the major-label business model was failing — SCI decided to make music on their own terms.
The String Cheese Incident. Photo by Dylan Langille.
Playing a unique blend of rock, electronica, calypso, country, funk, jazz, Latin, progressive rock, reggae and psychedelia, SCI has always boasted a singular sound. Through 11 albums, seven DVDs and countless live recordings from their blistering tour schedule, SCI continues to forge new fans every show they play.
SCI is renowned for carving out a completely unique approach to the business of music. They are truly pioneers of a new way of “making a band.” With the internet as their tool, SCI was among the first artists to disseminate information online, such as tour dates, release information and other news to their growing fan base.
Early on, the band’s record label, SCI Fidelity Records embraced downloadable music and file sharing, delivering SCI’s “On The Road” series, in which every show the band plays is made available for download. Whether they realized it at the time or not, SCI was inventing grassroots band development. Today, literally hundreds of bands are using some version of this same approach to build their brand.
The String Cheese Incident’s commitment goes well beyond their immediate community and even beyond the music community as a whole. Early on, the band took a serious interest in giving back to the communities that they visited, and were among the first performers to encourage “green” shows and tours. SCI’s support has helped give rise to such not-for-profit organizations as Conscious Alliance and HeadCount. All the while, SCI has stayed committed to music as a creative endeavor — not just in their recordings, but also in their live performances.
The list of SCI’s special guests and collaborators is long and diverse. Their annual events, such as Electric Forest and Hulaween, and holiday shows, such as New Year’s Eve, have helped redefine the concert experience and have garnered the band a reputation as live music vibe innovators.
An Evening with The String Cheese Incident on Sunday, July 30, is a standard show, meaning the area in front of the stage is standing room only. Gates will open at 6 p.m. and music will start at 7 p.m. General admission tickets are on sale now for $59.95 at festivalatsandpoint.com.
