“Tahoe Fall’s For Funk”: The Kyle Hollingsworth Band at The Crystal Bay Club

Review and Photos by Jakob Baker

In attest to the amount of great music coming through The Crystal Bay Club, just one night after Zach Deputy’s outrageously inspiring solo groove session, the Kyle Hollingsworth Band stepped on stage inside the Crown Room. Led by Kyle Hollingsworth, keyboardist for the String Cheese Incident, the band is rounded out by Dave Watts (drums), Garret Sayers (bass), and Dan Schwindt (guitar). Anticipating an all out funk assault, I arrived at the venue ready for another night of relentless dancing.

The band wasted no time starting off with a new song, “Racer X”. Coming out of an ambient opening, the song took off into full-fledged funk led by Kyle. The upbeat song captured the attention of the audience who quickly made their way toward the stage. Moving immediately into “Lets Go Outside”, Kyle began to find his groove as he effortlessly bounced across his keys. Hearing the opening notes of “Rosie” prompted me to drop my camera and join the growing dance party. Certainly not a fan favorite at Cheese shows, “Rosie” fits Kyle’s band much better in my opinion. Kyle’s powerful synthesizer took the crowd back to 1975 in a ruthless disco attack. The song also brought the first improv of the night, with the band stretching “Rosie” into a spacey excursion.

Slowing things down a bit, the band continued with “All I Need.” Written about one of Kyle’s daughters, the songs heartfelt lyrics carried through the Crown Room. Darting right back into the funk the band fired through “World” with a vengeance. “Can’t Wait Another Day”, another String Cheese jam followed suit. The lighthearted song bounced along provoking smiles across the dance floor. The informal feeling of the show began to set in during “Can’t Wait”. With a casual vibe coming from the band, it was almost as though we were a part of a garage band party. Considering the small amount of touring the band does, they are not nearly as tight as most, but make up for it with genuine fun and lack of inhibition.

Entering an unreal instrumental the band effortlessly crossed melodic pathways in a jam that culminated in something quite spectacular. Apparently it was the first time played and there was no mention of a title. “Piece of Mine”, off of Kyle’s latest album “Then There’s Now”, shook things up with some rock & roll. A blistering solo by Schwindt had the audience looking on in amazement. A crowd-pleasing cover of Paul Simon’s “Kodachrome” followed. The cover brought with it some amazing playing by Kyle as his fingers danced across the keys. The band led right into “The Way It Goes”, the first single off of “Then There’s Now.” Many members of the audience sang along with the well-known song as Kyle rapped his way through the lyrics.

 “Boo Boo’s Pik-a-Nik” had the crowd bouncing wildly throughout the Crown Room. Kyle brought out JP Petronzio (John Brown’s Band) to join him on keys for the set closer. An ambient laced, funk filled instrumental blasted across the venue. The high-powered jam left the astonished audience wanting more, but Kyle and his band humbly exited the stage. The laid back night of great music, amazing friends, and shameless dancing was a perfect end to another outstanding weekend of music at the Crystal Bay Club. The Kyle Hollingsworth Band is a refreshing treat in the absence of String Cheese tour, and their return to Lake Tahoe will be much-anticipated. As we enter the winter months The Crystal Bay Club will bring their usual onslaught of fantastic music to the area, feeding the fire of a small, albeit enthusiastic, live music scene.

Kyle Hollingsworth Band – Crystal Bay Club Casino

Crystal Bay, NV

10-20-2012

 Set:

Racer X, Lets Go Outside, Rosie, All I Need, World, Can’t Wait, “Se Q”?, Piece of Mine, Kodachrome 1, The Way It Goes, Boo Boo’s Pik-a-Nik, instrumental 2

 1 Paul Simon cover

2 w/ JP Petronzio