Hop On Tour is an interactive fan experience. Throughout The String Cheese Incident’s Roots Run Deep tour and Kyle’s kick-off shows in Colorado, Kyle will connect with fans via his Facebook page (www.facebook.com/kylehollingsworthmusic) and blog (www.kylehollingsworth.wordpress.com) to provide a behind the scenes look into life on the road as well as the craft beers and brewing that come into picture along the way. To top it off, fans will have the opportunity to win an invite to exclusive meet & greets and tastings with Kyle and others through various contests at select SCI shows. Stay tuned to Kyle’s Facebook page for regular Hop On Tour updates...

BREW DAYS! After a night of raging to the motet on Halloween, I woke up at 6:30am, hungover, and drove to Odell's, in Fort Collins, to brew some beer for the Hop On Tour kick-off in November. Some good stuff going on here!

Hop On Tour Kick-Off Kyle Hollingsworth Band feat. Michael Kang with Roster McCabe 11/18 Hodi's Halfnote | Fort Collins, CO 11/19 Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom | Denver, CO

Both shows will feature these two one-time-only craft brews - a vanilla porter from Odell Brewing & Kyle and Solstice Spice from Dry Dock Brewing & Kyle. Cervantes' will also feature Hoopla Pale Ale from Boulder Beer & Kyle. In addition, all Kyle drafts (Odell, Dry Dock) will be FREE in Denver until 9pm.

Ahhhh jam cruiseWhat a treat. I get to ride on a giant ship go to tropical islands, play music and have dinner with George Porter and Colonel Bruce Hampton. It’s such a unique event. A nice cross between vacation and performance.

After a brief scare of lost luggage and the possibility of wearing a bathrobe for the whole cruise, we made it on board. For a “tropical cruise,” this was not exactly what I had in mind. It was freaking cold and raining most of the time, but that didn’t dampen the spirits of any of the festive cruisers. And in fact, I was able to climb some massive waterfalls in Jamaica. Very awesome.

So this time around I was playing with my band (KHB) and The Motet. I have been doing "the music of The Talking Heads” with The Motet. Needless to say, I am huge Heads fan, so it was great fun to dig into that stuff, plus it gives me an excuse to sharpen up on my Bernie Worrell licks! I also caught some great music from the other groups on the ship. Zappa Plays Zappa, Maceo Parker and Mother Hips were some of my favorites. Jam Cruise always brings such cool, different musical styles on board each year, but the problem is that there is so much going on all the time that it is hard to get to everything. I needed a couple more days to soak it all in!

I think musicians view the boat experience differently than the fans. From the minute you board the ship, you see fellow artists and musical heroes all around you. It’s cool to reconnect with the other bands that you have not seen in a while; it’s kind of like a giant “band camp” experience. And it can be completely inspiring to discover new sounds and talents that everyone is bringing (Nigel Hall rocks!).

In most cases, it is a learning experience, but it can also be a bit intimating. When you find yourself playing with dudes that you have been admiring for years, it can make you sweat a bit. And on another level, it can be a bit of a friendly competition. I think it makes everyone step up their game.

For the most part, the fans are super cool. I did not feel overwhelmed at all and everyone was very respectful. The containment of the boat creates this sense of community between fans and musicians. Everybody is just psyched to be having this special experience together. Boat, Sun, Music.