Splendor in the Grass Roots

Since banding together in 1993, the Colorado-based group the String Cheese Incident has released three albums on its own label, Sci Fidelity Records.

The first two “Born on the Wrong Planet” (1996) and “A String Cheese Incident” (1997) sold a combined 40,000 copies; the band’s latest, “ ‘Round the Wheel,” is reportedly moving about 800 units per week.

Those dismal sales figures would get a group dropped in a heartbeat by a major label, but vocalist-violinist-mandolinist Michael Kang is upbeat, not discouraged.

By sticking steadfastly to its grass-roots approach, he said, the group is free to define success on its own terms.

“We’re not in any rush to be a platinum-selling band or get on MTV,” he said recently from the band’s office in Boulder.

“We’ve had offers from several majors, but we didn’t want to be at the bottom of some big corporation’s [priority] list. As we progress, we don’t want to lose creative control. We hope people will join our extended family because the quality of the music warrants it--not because some ad campaign tells them they should.”

The band, which plays Thursday at the Galaxy Concert Theatre, is “tour based,” Kang said.

“What’s important is connecting with our audience . . . creating a community of people that enjoys coming to our shows. We usually play two sets, sometimes up to three hours each gig. So, over the course of an evening I think we play enough of a variety of music to satisfy just about anyone’s taste.”

The group draws from a range of influences in concocting its spicy musical stew. Kang is a classically trained violinist, bassist Keith Moseley and guitarist-vocalist Bill Nershi share backgrounds in bluegrass, keyboardist-vocalist Kyle Hollingsworth brings his considerable jazz chops to the mix, and percussionist Michael Travis kicks out some dance-inducing Afro-Cuban rhythms.

Released last September, “ ‘Round the Wheel” opens with a short, Brazilian-flavored appetizer (“Samba DeGreeley”) and concludes with a very Band-like dessert (“Good Times Around the Bend.”) The eclectic main course, includes a catchy bluegrass number (“Restless Wind”), a spacey argument for the existence of extra-terrestrials (“Galactic”) and a Caribbean-meets jazz-fusion work-out (“MLT”).

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Like the Grateful Dead, it’s the energy of each live performance or--”incident”--that defines what String Cheese is all about. Extended solos and improvisational flights of fancy bring an unpredictable edge to its concerts; songs rarely--if ever--are played the same way twice.

The stage, says Kang, becomes a sonic laboratory and experimentation reigns.

“It’s a funny thing . . . you can segue into something special, or fall flat on your face--it does happen both ways. But it’s fun, and the adventure is worth taking the occasional risk.

“We’re learning to communicate better on stage, whether it’s a simple nod of the head, or an obvious musical statement that says someone is taking the song further in a completely new direction.”

But is there enough room to satisfy each player’s craving for that one extra solo?

“We have to surrender our egos musically and realize that we all have different strengths to bring to the band,” Kang said. “I think our creative process works because there isn’t necessarily a band leader. Everybody has a say in whatever piece we’re working on.”

The Stringers began as ski buddies playing for free lift tickets at Colorado resorts and didn’t pursue a musical career until they were invited to open the famed Telluride Bluegrass Festival in ’93.

They didn’t even have a name.

“We had no real intention of being ‘professionals,’ so we used the most ridiculous thing we could think of and, unfortunately, it stuck,” Kang said with a laugh.

“ ‘String Cheese Incident’ is pretty forgettable, and there’s certainly no deep meaning or significance behind it. I mean, we love to kid around. . . . It was just meant really as a joke on some of our friends. But I guess it’s turned into a joke we played on ourselves.”

* The String Cheese Incident performs Thursday at the Galaxy Concert Theatre, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana. 8 p.m. $15-$17 (714) 957-0600.