DENVER — When talking about Colorado music culture, it is nearly impossible to leave out The String Cheese Incident.
The band started in 1993 in Crested Butte hopping from ski town to ski town playing small shows often in exchange for free skiing.
That ski town culture had a huge influence on the band.
"It's gone right along with the music," percussionist and band member Jason Hann said. "Playing all the clubs that are associated with that and playing mountain towns and ski towns and doing special events that cater to that."
The band eventually settled in Boulder where they formed their own music label and recording studio.
They are celebrating 25 years together as a band.
"Just to have the longevity, to have 25 years together with the same members is a huge accomplishment," bass player Keith Moseley said. "We're really proud of that."
String Cheese has played all over the world, but continue to come back to Colorado's iconic venues.
"We've played [Red Rocks] probably close to forty times now, or something crazy like that," multi-instrumentalist Michael Kang said. "And then this new venue in Dillon right on the lake is really cool and Telluride is always up there."
After 25 years, the band can look back fondly on some amazing Colorado memories.
"I was just thinking about the outdoor free show we did on 'The Hill' next to the Fox Theatre where the streets just filled up with people and there were people climbing onto the roofs of buildings and hanging off of light poles," guitarist Bill Nershi said. "I liked it in particular because it felt a little out of control."
The String Cheese Incident at Mission Ballroom
RELATED: Who's playing Red Rocks in 2020?
The band also sees Colorado as a hub for collaborators and artists that push the band in new directions.
"The new energy pushes us in a different way and it makes the music better," said keys player Kyle Hollingsworth.
"Especially in our scene of improvisation music," said Kang. "We've definitely made a lot of friends along the way."
The String Cheese Incident have a vibrant fan base in Colorado.
"It's a super strong market for us and lots of other bands," Moseley said. "[Colorado is] kind of known nationwide as being a big fan base for live music."
The band has no plans of calling it quits any time soon and have just announced a tour starting in June with stops at both the Dillon Amphitheatre and Red Rocks.
"I'll be 108 and I'll still be playing," Nershi said. "We're just entering our best-sounding years."
To learn more about The String Cheese Incident, visit StringCheeseIncident.com.
Check out all of the shows at Red Rocks in 2020 here.
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