Music fans are in for a treat this weekend if they are heading out to see the Kyle Hollingsworth Band.
“As of right now, I’m excited about this little run in the Northeast,” said Kyle Hollingsworth. “I’m excited about hitting the road a little bit and playing some of these tunes I’ve been working on the last year or so — testing out live performance of the songs. And raging the best we can.”
The keyboardist for String Cheese Incident brings his solo project to New York for a show on Friday in Rochester and another in Syracuse on Saturday, both at Funk ‘N Waffles.
“We have a new lineup of musicians and it’s more jam-oriented than I’ve ever made it,” he said.
Hollingsworth’s tour coincides with the release of his new solo album 50 — coming out March 2.
NEW SONGS
Fans attending the shows on this tour will be the first ones to hear the new songs played live from the album.
“There will be some debuts,” he said.
While he has played about half of the album live already, he said it’s fun playing songs for the first time because people don’t know them and he does more experimentation and jamming.
“If we screw up the song, people won’t know because they haven’t heard it before,” he said.
NEW ALBUM, BIRTHDAY
The album 50 comes out a day before Hollingsworth’s birthday, when he turns 50. Reflecting on that milestone, Hollingsworth is not slowing down at all.
“I still feel super creative and very active,” he said. “I feel very young still.”
Regarding the title he laughed and said: “What the hell was I thinking? Why’d I call it 50. I’m gonna call it 25 Again.”
Hollingsworth describes the album as exploratory and epic. “The album starts out as if you walked into the club and the band is already raging,” he said.
He said it starts that way in the beginning with the song “Onset” and keeps the theme throughout while the last song is titled “Offset.”
BREWING BEER
If it doesn’t seem like Hollingsworth has enough on his plate, he also has a new brew to wash things down. Ground Score IPA came from a collaboration between Hollingsworth, Relix magazine and Sweetwater Brewing Company. The launch party for the 7.1 percent ABV brew coincides with the first date of the tour on and will be served at the first venue they play at, Brooklyn Bowl in New York City.
“I’ve made about 30 beers with people all around the country,” he said. “And this is one of my more favorite ones,” he said. “It is more unique in their (Sweetwater) style of beer.”
Hollingsworth picked up homebrewing as a hobby from his brother.
“I always did anything my brother did,” he said. “He started watching the Grateful Dead, so I started. He started smoking pot, I started smoking pot, and he started brewing beer, so I started.”
Hollingsworth compares brewing to making music because it gives him the same creative outlet.
“Once you get it on your fingers, whether it is playing piano or brewing beer, it is fun to improvise and drift from the process, and some of that is where the magic happens,” he said.
He appreciates the experimentation aspect of both hobbies.
“It could be a great beer, or it could be a terrible solo,” he said. “Sometimes you win sometimes you lose. Sometimes you have a great beer; sometimes you have a terrible solo.”
VISIT TO NEW YORK
Hollingsworth said the beer he made with Relix and Sweetwater was inspired by some of the great Northeastern breweries. He can’t wait to try more local New York brews.
“I’m excited. I don’t know much about the area,” he said.
He also invites people to share their creations or favorite local beers with him.
“People are always welcome to bring me tasty beers,” he said. “Either their home brews or local microbrews — I’ll try them.”
He also plans to ski in some of his free time on tour. He said he has never heard of a garbage plate, but he would definitely try one.
STRING CHEESE INCIDENT
Hollingsworth said String Cheese Incident is in the studio working on a new album.
“When I’m not running around making beer or touring, I’m in the studio full time with String Cheese,” he said.
He cannot wait to let loose and get creative in their studio known as SCI Lab.
Since he keeps himself busy with many projects, he doesn’t get much time to see many shows, but he said at festivals he enjoys drifting to the smaller stages and finding inspiration in what he hears. He mentioned he enjoyed seeing a DJ by the name of Elohim and My Morning Jacket, and he is always finding something new.
“When I see music, for me, it is just wandering Electric Forest or Hulaween to smaller stages,” he said. “I try to find what inspires me. When I hear something magical, it draws me to the stage.”
FRIDAY, FEB. 9
WHAT: Kyle Hollingsworth Band; Sophistafunk opener
WHERE: Funk ‘N Waffles 204 N. Water St., Rochester, NY
WHEN: Doors 8 p.m.; Show 9 p.m.
TICKETS: www.funknwaffles.com
SATURDAY, FEB. 10
WHAT: Kyle Hollingsworth Band; Sophistafunk opener
WHERE: Funk ‘N Waffles 307 Clinton St., Syracuse, NY
WHEN: Doors 8 p.m.; Show 9 p.m.
TICKETS: www.funknwaffles.com
Kyle Hollingsworth Band’s new album “50”
- Onset
- Wyatt Earp’s Tale
- Let me in
- All Falls Apart
- Finding Our Way
- Prime
- Stuff
- Tumbling
- Come On
- So Fine
- Take the Ride
- Offset
March 20. This four-man punk rock band released their debut album just three years back and followed it up with their sophomore album in 2016. The group is back with their newest project and is ready to share it with the world. The latest addition to their group is guitarist Tim Hall who joins original members Zack Fitzgerald on lead vocals/guitar, Kyle Malfa on drums and Joshua Rivet on bass to take their high-energy sound even further.
