#michael travis

Song Review: The String Cheese Incident - “Ramble On” (Live, Feb. 8, 2025)

Keeping the basic structure intact, the String Cheese Incident wisely lowered the key of “Ramble On” to make Michael Kang’s unenviable job a bit less daunting.

Tasked with not only singing Robert Plant’s role on SCI’s Feb. 8 Led Zeppelin cover in Atlanta, Kang also was charged with playing Jimmy Page’s parts. He handled both jobs deftly; not trying to copy, but to create an homage in his own style.

Drummer Michael Travis and percussionist Jason Hann took a more exacting route, anchoring Kang and the rest of the band in Zep’s original pitter-pounder feel.

This “Ramble On” probably shouldn’t have been so successful. But with a band as versatile as SCI, which released the performance on professional video, such surprises are not so surprising.

Grade card: The String Cheese Incident - “Ramble On” (Live - 2/8/25) - B+

The Supremes wearing screen-printed, chiffon capes with beaded embellishments (1968)

Song Review: String Cheese Incident - “Revival” (Live, May 19, 2024)

“Revival” got a fitting revival from the String Cheese Incident.

SCI turned in a stellar version of the Allman Brothers Band number May 19 in Maine. And it was fortunately captured on high-quality video and just released to the wider audience.

It climaxes with a joyful call-and-response between band and audience - Players: People can you feel it? Listeners: Love is everywhere! - accompanied by drums, percussion and handclaps. Iffy vocals from the stage notwithstanding, it’s a glorious moment.

The song proper finds Michael Kang and Bill Nershi doing a convincing imitation of the Allmans’ harmonizing guitars. Nershi sings it, takes a solo, hands off to keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth and locks back in with Kang before the aforementioned home stretch.

Grade card: String Cheese Incident - “Revival” (Live, May 19, 2024) - A-

Song Review: String Cheese Incident - “Lend Me a Hand” (Live, Sept. 23, 2023)

Lending a hand at Farm Aid, String Cheese Incident performed “Lend Me a Hand.”

The title track from the band’s 2023 LP is a rollicking, sing-songy call for help - and brotherhood - from the Colorado outfit. And though Sound Bites was initially hot on the studio version of the tune and SCI’s new, grown-up approach, “Lend Me a Hand” is already growing tiresome; sing-songy typically holds up for only a short while.

The Farm Aid performance is out on professional video. And for those who ain’t heard “Lend Me A Hand” yet, it’s worth a peek.

Grade card: String Cheese Incident - “Lend Me a Hand” (Live - 9/23/23) - B-