String Cheese Incident with Yonder Mountain String Band, Leftover Salmon and Phil Lesh – 3 Day Pass at Red Rocks Amphitheatre

String Cheese Incident formed in 1993 in the cities of Crested Butte and Telluride, right here in Colorado. The band emerged as one of America’s most significant independent bands, and has since released 10 albums, 6 DVDs and countless live recordings from their absolutely relentless tour schedule. It is composed of electric guitarist, mandolin and violinist Michael Kang, drummer Michael Travis, acoustic guitarist, lap steel guitarist and electric slide guitarist Bill Nershi, pianist, organist and accordion player Kyle Hollingsworth, bass guitarist Keith Moseley, and, percussionist Jason Hann. Together they belt out a hypnotic, psychedelic blend of bluegrass sounds, incorporating elements of rock, electronica, calypso, country, funk, jazz, Latin, progressive rock, and reggae.

The progressive pioneers of bluegrass, Yonder Mountain String Band, from right here in Nederland, Colorado, is composed of Dave Johnston, Allie Kral, Ben Kaufmann, Adam Aijala, and Nick Piccininni. The band has released five studio albums and several live recordings to date. From the first Yonder shows in the fall of 1998 to their innovative drive-in tour of 2020, this touring force has brought their adventurous musical spirit to countless venues for nearly a quarter-century. Fueled by their desire to make a sound distinctly their own, the band have taken a traditional bluegrass sound and fused it with their diverse musical influences, ranging anywhere from punk rock to the Grateful Dead.

From just below the red rocks themselves, in Boulder, Colorado, the Jam band Leftover Salmon formed in 1989 to play a musical blend of bluegrass, rock, country, and Cajun/Zydeco. Over their thirty years as a band, Leftover Salmon have released seven studio albums and three live albums. They are singer and guitarist Vince Herman, singer, electric guitarist, mandolin and fiddle player Drew Emmitt, singer and bassist Greg Garrison, singer and banjo player Andy Thorn, and drummer and singer Alwyn Robinson.

The only outsider for this bluegrass takeover, all the way from California, Philip Chapman Lesh is a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career. After the band's disbanding in 1995, Lesh continued the tradition of Grateful Dead family music with side project Phil Lesh and Friends, which paid homage to the Dead's music by playing their originals, common covers, and the songs of the members of his band. Phil & Friends is not a traditional group in that several lineups of musicians have played under the name, including groups featuring members of Phish, the Black Crowes, and the Allman Brothers Band.