Bill & Jilian Nershi

The blend of Bill & Jilian Nershi’s harmonies and driving acoustic guitar immediately draw in the listener. An inspired journey through different styles and influences, a throwback to the roots of American music, the Nershis have a relaxed way of connecting with the audience through the stories in their songs. Constantly finding ways to make the music sound complete as a duo, unique arrangements and a deep catalogue of original songs highlight the couple’s dedication to their craft.

The couple met back in 1990 when Jilian was a performer during Bill’s open mic night at the Floradora Saloon in Telluride, Colorado. In the 30 years since, Bill has gone from the front bench of the Floradora Saloon, to Colorado’s premier outdoor venue, Red Rocks Amphitheater, with his band The String Cheese Incident. The Nershis have continued to write songs together, several of which have been recorded by The String Cheese Incident and become staples in the band’s live performances. Jilian was featured on SCI’s album Beautiful on the song “Down A River” that she and Bill created.

In 2004, Bill and Jilian formed the band Honkytonk Homeslice with friend and guitar virtuoso Scott Law. The group hosted festivals in Colorado and Costa Rica, plus ski events in Utah and Wyoming, while touring nationally and internationally swearing, “if it ain’t fun, we ain’t doing it.” The Nershis also created a recording studio, “The Sleeping Giant,” outside of Nederland, Colorado, where they recorded the self-titled Honkytonk Homeslice album as well as Just Passin’ Thru, featuring the title track co-written with John Perry Barlow, of Grateful Dead fame, who was a guest at the studio. “We had a great time hanging out with John. We really hit it off as a writing team.”

All the while, the couple has played many private and public events bringing awareness to educational and musical causes such as Take Note Colorado. The two have also become proud ambassadors for the international music program Innovative Giving Enhancement, where they enjoy creating music, the universal language, with friends old and new.

Kyle Hollingsworth Band

Decades ago, Kyle Hollingsworth set out on a career in music. With a wealth of desire and an abundance of ability, Hollingsworth has established himself as a formidable and versatile music talent deftly able to contribute, collaborate, compose, and communicate on a number of levels and within a vast spectrum of musical environments. Today, as a member of acclaimed jam masters The String Cheese Incident, Hollingsworth is revered by both peers and fans for his ability to write and perform in a mosaic of styles, from rock to classical, ragtime to bebop. Playing in SCI has allowed him unrestricted access to the world of music, and has bestowed on him the kind of fearlessness a composer needs to flirt with such disparate genres. Those who’ve seen SCI know that they can jerk from funk to bluegrass on a chord change. “In the jam world, where there are no set ways of doing things, we’re not afraid to move in and out of genres,” he says, “and because of that I’ve learned to be creative, not only onstage but in the studio. I can get on board with something pretty quickly. You have to.”

EOTO

As electronic influences continue to penetrate the live rock, jazz, and jam ethos, one band consistently rises to the top, bringing together fans from across the musical spectrum.  EOTO crisscrosses the country blowing out basement dives, packed theaters, and stages under the stars.  This 100% improvised dubstep/breakbeat/house/drum & bass/trip-hop duo is the premier late-night party in the country.

Throbbing bass and thudding beats are the signatures of this project from drummers Michael Travis and Jason Hann.  Born out of their shared love of electronic dance music, EOTO’s M.O. is to take the free-wheeling party vibe of a DJ set to the next level by using organic instruments, innovative performance technology, and uncharted musical exploration.  Live drums, guitars, and keys, and vocals are mixed, remixed, and sampled on the fly using cutting-edge programs.  This is all done without a script, and without a net.

Hann plays a hyper EQ’d drumkit, chock full of multi-touch screens and MIDI controllers, and throws a number of effects on his otherworldly vocal styles.  Travis takes on subsonic frequencies, generating the band’s crushing low end with analog, digital, and software synthesizers, occasionally picking up guitar or a bass guitar and showing off his proficiency with instruments of all shapes and sizes.

The Contribution

The idea of The Contribution came to Tim Carbone (Railroad Earth) and Jeff Miller (New Monsoon) at The String Cheese Incident’s festival at Horning’s Hideout outside of Portland, OR in 2005. The two had collaborated on stage many times, creating sparks on both coasts and many points in between. Phil Ferlino (New Monsoon) was asked to add his unique sense of melody and keyboard expertise. The three musicians embarked on a journey of songwriting and a true collaborative effort was born. Over the course of thirty days stretched out over four years the songs came to life. When it came time to record the songs it was decided to ask Keith Moseley and Jason Hann from The String Cheese Incident to be the rhythm section, a stroke of genius, because what Keith and Jason brought to the table turned out to be extraordinary! In fourteen days time these five friends became a band and the fruits of their labor is the album, Which Way World.

Our Future Now

Our Future Now is an organization that was co-founded by Michael Kang in the beginning of 2007. The organizations mission is to inspire environmental and social awareness through a combination of art, science and technology.