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.

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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.

READ ON for more from Kyle on Then There’s Now…

Piece of Mine:
I wrote this tune during my “Cheese years” and the lyrics are a cynical look at the over commercialization of our society. I dig the groove on this one. Dave really nailed the 7/8 feel and it has a great edge to it as well.

Phat Cat:
I wrote this tune the day before the recording so I did not have time to get any charts to the boys. I just had them play the groove for a while and then I took it home to paste all the parts together. It came out great and I love what Alex Botwin did with the drum programming.

Don’t Wake Me:
The gem in this tune is Dar Williams. When I wrote this I had always envisioned a female singing the counter point but when Dar agreed to sing it, I was blown away. The song really came into its own over the course of the recording.

All I Need:
Once again, this song is an improvised groove that I took home and flushed out. The light bouncy feel was something that I wanted for the disc. And the lyrical content is speaking of my new wonderful life at home with my child.

Wide Open:
This tune harkens back to my last disc Never Odd or Even. I think many people will recognize this track for its signature Kyle sound: a funk, instrumental tune with lots of great playing.

Too Young:
Too Young is a more traditional-style pop song. Lyrically it is speaking about how I am getting older and coming to terms with this fact. It’s also letting go of the need to control every aspect of your life.

All Inside:
This is my favorite mix on the disc. It really came out just how I envisioned it. It starts with an old funky guitar riff and ends in a full blown rock anthem. I intentionally did not put a chorus in the tune and I saved it for the outro. Kind of a “Hey Jude” sort of thing.

Lyrically, “All Inside” is an introspective tune about keeping your emotions inside and not letting anyone past your wall.

HT Staff

Hidden Track was started in October of 2006 and features a team of dedicated contributors from across the country. This article was written by one of the newest members of our team or was a collaboration by more than one contributor. Want to contribute to Hidden Track? Send us a pitch to scott at glidemagazine dot com.

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