Earlier this year String Cheese Incident keyboard player and accomplished homebrewer Kyle Hollingsworth previewed his collaborative beer with the Boulder Beer Company – Hoopla Pale Ale - at the band’s Winter Carnival. The dry-hopped beer, which Hollingsworth specifically designed for drinking at summer music festivals, will get its official national release both on tap as well as in 22-ounce bottles on May 14, with a special launch party at the Boulder Beer Company’s brewpub in Boulder, CO.
Here’s the official description…
Hoopla Pale Ale is dry-hopped with generous amounts of Glacier hops for a fruity, floral hop aroma and flavor that will have your taste buds dancing! Its lively hop character is wonderfully balanced with a crisp, clean finish from the unique blend of US and German grains, making Hoopla the perfect companion to festival season.
“We wanted to make a beer that was hoppy, but still appetizing to non-hop-drinkers and drinkable on hot days at Summer festivals,” Kyle explains about the recipe.
Hollingsworth will also take Hoopla on the road to select music festivals around the country as part of The Brewu Experience, which will feature homebrew workshops, samples of hops, grains and additional brewing ingredients as well as limited edition tastings.
Finally, each year the folks behind Bonnaroo seem to find another unique way to make the festival grounds seem a bit more like an actual city. This year they’ve teamed up with Stubhub to give sports loving ‘Roo attendees a place to hang out and not miss any of the action of their favorite teams. The Bonnaroo Sports Bar will feature HD TVs, a live feed from the main stage, ping pong, darts, shuffle board and a fully stocked bar.
War Pigs is the first track on Black Sabbath’s 1970 release Paranoid, their best-selling album. On a personal note, I have two distinct early memories of this song. 1) Listening to my brother’s Faith No More CD and initially thinking it was their tune. 2) Later, at the age of 17, seeing Gov’t Mule destroy this song at BankBoston Pavilion as part of Summer Sessions (there were also sets from Galactic, SCI and moe.) Covers by both these bands will of course be included. Let’s have a listen.
The Contestants:
I know what you were thinking. You’re going to lead off with the version with all the trombones right? Yes, we are – thanks Bonerama. Audio Source:2-13-2008
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READ ON for more covers of Black Sabbath’s War Pigs…
Trey Anastasio and his Classic TAB ensemble take the stage at the Jefferson Theatre in Charlottesville, VA shortly for the first of 16 shows on this tour. Tonight’s show is a benefit for the Kristine Anastasio Manning Memorial Fund on what have been Trey’s sister’s 47th birthday.
This afternoon, Jambands.com posted a great interview by Randy Ray of Classic TAB trumpet wiz and vocalist Jennifer Hartswick. Keep your eyes on Hidden Track for setlists, recaps and photos all tour long and be sure to enter YEMblog’s Trifecta Contest for a chance to win a Big Red bobblehead.
Here’s six other links to keep you busy this afternoon…
While the String Cheese Incident may be getting back together, that doesn’t mean the Kyle Hollingsworth Band won’t continue to tour. The Kyle Band’s 2010 touring slate begins with three shows in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains – March 12 at The Eldo in Crested Butte, March 13 at Agave in Avon and March 14 at three20south Breckenridge, CO. Speaking of Kyle and String Cheese, Relix has posted a video of Kyle’s impromptu performance with SCI bandmate Keith Moseley from Jam Cruise 8.
Living in Denver or Boulder provides one with a constant stream of live music options. People trade off most of those shows, however, when living in the Rockies. When shows do come through the area, travel is usually required.
Seeing the String Cheese Incident’s Kyle Hollingsworth in a tiny, intimate venue was easily worth the travel time and surpassed the expectations of almost everyone in attendance. Touring in support of his new album, Then There’s Now, The Kyle Hollingsworth Band came to Three20South in Breckenridge on their way back home to Boulder for an incredible evening of jazzy/funky, fusion.
The evening opened up with Ft. Collins’ Euforquestra. The reggae/funk jamband seemed to hold the interest of some of those in attendance although the music leaned towards the generic side, and at times grew quite stale. The set closed off with the title track of their new album, Soup, a nonsensical song used as a jam vehicle. The problem is that this doesn’t really work out too well when your jams all pretty much sound the same and the musical chops are average at best. While the music was fun and quirky at times, it was more or less relieving when the set was finished.
The headliner, on the other hand, was simply superb. With a top-notch band featuring Dave Watts (drums) and Garret Sayers (Bass) of The Motet, Kyle Hollingsworth was set to throw down an eclectic mix of covers, originals and Cheese songs for the near-capacity crowd. The show opened with an instrumental version of The Beatles’ Taxman. The up-tempo and extremely funky rendition of this timeless song set the tone for the night and the energy level was maintained the entire time. The highlight of the set came with Galactic sandwiching Zuco 103’s Peregrino. The 30-minute jam went all over the place musically and featured sit-ins from several members of Euforquestra before closing out the set.
READ ON for more of Jason’s thoughts & photos on the Kyle Band…
Kyle Hollingsworth’s solo band has been touring the country behind the SCI keyboardist’s excellent Then There’s Now release. Hollingsworth – who stoked the String Cheese reunion flames with a recent blog entry – mixes songs from Then There’s Now with a couple of fun covers including Kodachrome by Paul Simon. This clip was filmed at The Mint in LA…
For the September edition of Track By Track, keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth tells us all about his second release since String Cheese Incident took a break from regular touring in 2007, Then There’s Now.
Due one week from today, Then There’s Now shows off Kyle’s penchant for writing catchy melodies, deep grooves and his ability to mix and match genres from song to song. Also, Hollingsworth welcomes friends Dar Williams, Speech and DJ Logic to add their talents to the new release. Let’s see what Kyle has to say about each Then There’s Now’s nine tracks…
Way That It Goes:
It’s written from the perspective of a bystander, by my wife and myself—she lived in Seattle for a long time and I was living in Boulder, both are kind of freaky towns with some unique individuals. So each verse is speaking about the quirkiness of that moment.
Musically it is intriguing with lots of little sonic treats.
She:
This tune was created around a groove and a bass line.
Lyrically it is about trying to find inspiration. Sometimes when you’re not ready you can experience the most inspirational moment of your life, and when you sit down and try to make it happen, it can take forever.
April 20th has long been considered a holiday for stoners, but the when and why as to how this specific date gained significance changes depending on who you talk to. Ryan Grim traces the origins of “420″ for a timely Huffington Post article that includes quotes from Warren Haynes.
Here’s a look at what else is happening this afternoon…
Finally, our friend and fellow blogger Rich Lieberman will be updating the official Mountain Jam Festival blog on a daily basis starting today. With only 38 days left until Mountain Jam 2009 kicks off at Hunter Mountain, Rich will keep us posted on news about the festival, behind the scenes activities and profiles on the artists set to perform on May 29 – 31.
