For its two most recent studio CDs, String Cheese Incident sought out producers who would have a lot of ideas about song arrangements, instrumental parts and the sonic qualities of the records.
To listen to those two CDs, 2003’s “Untying the Knot” and the newly released “One Step Closer,” however, it would seem that creativity and a willingness to be proactive in the studio are about the only traits shared by the two producers – Youth and Malcolm Burn.
Youth, the one-time bassist for the edgy punk-dance group Killing Joke, became known as a producer for his work with the acclaimed British rock band the Verve. More recently he has been heavily involved with British dance and techno scenes.
Burn, by contrast, first became known for working alongside Daniel Lanois and has generally worked with artists rooted in more traditional styles of music. His credits include producing CDs by such respected artists as Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan and the Neville Brothers.
In working with Youth, String Cheese Incident – bass guitarist Keith Moseley, keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth, guitarist-multi-instrumentalist Michael Kang, guitarist Billy Nershi and drummer Michael Travis – ventured boldly into musical territory that would have seemed unexpected for a band whose previous CDs were strongly rooted in bluegrass, Grateful Dead-ish rock, folk, reggae and blues.
Several songs on “Untying the Not” integrated ambient and spacey textures, dance beats and decidedly techno-influenced instrumentation into the group’s normally rootsy sound, while the band also stretched on tunes like “Who Am I,” a poppy song with Beatle-esque feel and “Time Alive,” which had a taste of progressive rock grandeur.
“One Step Closer,” the sixth studio release from the Boulder, Colo.-based group, sounds more like a CD fans would expect. Returning to a more organic sound, it features songs like “Drive,” a rambly rocker that recalls the Grateful Dead; “Until the Music’s Over,” a bluegrass-laced tune that manages to be both spunky and relaxed; and “Farther,” a sweet acoustic pop song.
Still, Moseley feels “One Step Closer” is in its own way just as adventurous as “Untying the Not.”
“I think we pushed the boundaries again with this record, maybe in a little different direction,” he said. “This one’s probably more accessible, a little rootsier maybe in feel, but no less satisfying for us as far as we really kind of got to go in the studio and try some new things out and express ourselves. That’s exciting. …
“You know, we’ve done so many live shows and have really a relatively limited studio experience. I think we are at the point in our careers where the studio experience is really important and really fun for us.”
That enthusiasm will undoubtedly be part of the experience this summer as String Cheese Incident hits the concert trail. Moseley said the band has been working a number of songs from “One Step Closer” into the live set.
“I think there’s some great material on the record and we really enjoyed making it,” he said, noting that some songs had to be reworked a bit for the live setting. “We’re looking forward to playing it.”
String Cheese Incident performs Tuesday and Wednesday at Marymoor Amphitheatre in Redmond.
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