Moonpie and the Butterfly weren’t sure where they were going for Memorial Day but it was always a busy weekend for hippies. Usually, they would be meeting up with the Kamp Happiness Delta Force at Chillicothe and sitting in the dirt at Summer Camp Music Festival, but this year they were on hiatus. Other options usually included Rooster Walk with the Shawsvegas Mafia and Dark star Jubilee at Buckeye Lake. They were following the ancient tradition of attending the festival that most wanted them there, and they’d been invited to join the media team in Grundy County, Tenneessee for what would be their first trip to the Caverns. Louis had covered CaveFest and they had tickets to see the Floozies but Covid came along and queered that up. Now the stars were aligned and they were serving as the tip of the spear, heading in together, with only ignorance as their guide. You only get to do it the first time, one time.

After the late-late check out from Resonate Suwannee a few days earlier, Moonpie was still twitchy, reasonably convinced to stay home and convalesce before Mountain Music Festival. The Butterfly would have not of it and the Ten Year Anniversary Tour was still hungry for new meat. Attend fun parties and sooner, rather than later, you are going to run smack into the String Cheese Incident.

KH slid in Thursday night and boxed themselves between Hulaween beasts from Asheville and a more reasonable version of adult hippies across the street from Columbus. Buckeye Lake people to be sure. Although they didn’t yet know it, they were going to be “involved” with Paris Josephine, a twenty-one year old sage from the shadows of Mount Shasta, crossing the country solo, with a cooler and a stove which was more than they rest of them could usually boast.

Sometimes you wrangle and other times you get wrangled. After the breeze way setup from the week before, this party would be a bit more “intimate”. It was just the two of them and they weren’t expecting to run into anyone they knew, but it could be difficult to travel around this part of the world and not run into a few untethered scalawags. They were coming in “small dog” like they did at Gem & Jam, approaching the space with few preconceptions and less information.

Same as it ever was. In a new setting the first item is to meet the neighbors. Share what you got. Strike up a conversation. Sit a spell, stay a while. Fortunately, our Asheville neighbors had a few pickers in their ranks so Luna de Luna was ready to break out. They started the morning off with some Tony Rice and Jack Johnson so it was easy to see which way the leaf was curling.

Beyond the music, guests can take cave tours—including both guided walking tours for everyone and adventure tours with helmets and knee pads—or bring their own instruments to participate in an open cave jam. There will also be activities for kids, making CaveJam a destination festival for the whole family.

With stunning views of the Cumberland Plateau, The Caverns Amphitheater hosts crowds of up to 6,000 guests per show. The amphitheater has reserved chair seating available close to the stage for almost all shows. Guests in this front section have exclusive access to restrooms and their own bar inside the world famous subterranean cave.

The Caverns’ large, connected underground cave system covers over 8,000 linear feet of known surreal cave passages. Underground shows are hosted in a section of The Caverns historically known to locals and cavers as the Big Mouth Cave because of its impressive, large archway entrance. Experts believe humans have been using the cave to escape the heat, take refuge from rain, and enjoy each other’s company for up to 25,000 years.

Friday Cheese was joined by the Infamous Stringdusters a blistering outdoor set. Butterfly joined the Asheville parade and headed to the late night cavern set with Bertha and Grateful Drag. Jade from A Bazaar Universe and her wrist warmers were there, also fresh from Resonate. God, don’t these people ever sleep? Saturdays  cavern set was mas Queso. Inside the cave, Moonpie ran smack into Z. James. Kamp Happiness alumni, he’d come forth from the cracks of Lynchburg to the crags of Pelham. Thank ye gods. Sometimes good things happen to weird people. He was ranting on about the Cheese drum set with Kris Myers from “Umphreys” and his face melting.

In they end, they had successfully slid in for their first visit at the Caverns and were reminded that sometimes it’s about getting wrangled. Use the force of gravity and attraction and let yourself be sucked into the ether. We are reminded of the people we met at a music festival. By this time in life, it’s more than not. How many marriages, connections and great friends for life, so serious and real they often come to replace members of genetic family that had decided to move on to greener pastures. Life is just the patient act of building up a voluntary family, one screwball at a time.

What did they learn? The Caverns gets five stars on the Wook review. The drive there from Knoxville was stunning, with rolling hills shaded by deep, layered canopies. The walk to the venue was reasonable and the weather was here, I wish you were beautiful. Security was relaxed and other than a misplaced concern regarding Moonpie’s mainline to Jesus, there were few hiccups. One surprise was the outdoor amphitheater which was built deep into the natural bowl of the surrounding ledge. Truly a fantastic place to enjoy a show and have a date night. Cheese date night a still one of the best times a couple can enjoy.

Visit the CaveJam website and follow their social media platforms on Facebook and Instagram. Welcome to the matrix. Science doesn’t care if you believe in it or not. Check our platforms for upcoming events at the Caverns and like our pulp on the Wranglers family of social media gibberish as well. Our thirteenth floor admin and golden apple investors have decided to skip monetization and work directly towards an awkward, uncomfortable superstardom.

Thanks again to the Caverns for allowing Wranglers Media to join in the hard fun. Keep up with the team as they head to Mountain Music Festival, Bonarroo and Electric Forest. Then it’s a time of pause and planning while we gear up for FloydFest, a true cornerstone of our year and the Ten Year Anniversary Tour. Look for Luna de Luna around the campfire but don’t make eye contact.

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TOUR KICKS OFF APRIL 22 AT BACKWOODS MUSIC FESTIVAL IN OZARK, AR

The iconic experimental rock band, The String Cheese Incident has announced dates for their Spring Tour 2023. The run will kick off at the Backwoods Music Festival in Ozark, Arkansas, before the band heads through the Midwest in Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago, and St. Paul, before wrapping up in the Southeast in Asheville, at Salvage Station.

Artist pre-sale tickets will be available this Thursday, February 2, at 11am MT, followed by public on-sale Friday, February 3. All news and up-to-date tour information is available at stringcheeseincident.com.

The String Cheese Incident Spring Tour 2023

April 22 @ Backwoods Music Festival | Ozark, OR

April 26 @ The Riverside Theater | Milwaukee, WI

April 27 @ The Sylvee | Madison, WI

April 28, 29 @ Rivera Theatre | Chicago, IL

April 30 @ Palace Theatre | St. Paul, MN

May 4, 5, 6 @ Salvage Station | Asheville, NC

The past three decades have written a story packed full of surreal experiences, epic moments, groundbreaking involvement and huge accomplishments. The String Cheese Incident has been recognized for their commitment to musical creativity and integrity, for their community spirit, philanthropic endeavors, and for their innovative approach to the business of music.

When The String Cheese Incident’s growth first started gaining momentum in the 1990s, as the Internet was just beginning to take hold and the major-label business model was failing, the band decided to make music on their own terms.

Since then, The String Cheese Incident has gone on to carve out a completely unique approach to the business of music; they are truly pioneers of a new way of “making a band.” With the Internet as their tool, SCI was among the first artists to disseminate information online, such as tour dates, release information, and other news, to their growing fan base. Rather than doing business on such terms as “the bottom line,” SCI put their music and their fans first, opening companies of their own, including a ticketing company, a merchandise company and a fan travel agency, to best serve their community. The band’s record label, SCI Fidelity Records, has always operated under the same ideals. Even early on, SCI Fidelity embraced downloadable music and file sharing, delivering SCI’s “On The Road” series, where every show the band plays is made available for download on the Internet. Whether they realized it at the time or not, The String Cheese Incident was inventing grassroots band development. Today, literally hundreds of bands are using some version of this same approach to build their brand.

The String Cheese Incident’s commitment goes well beyond their immediate community, and even beyond the music community as a whole. Early on, the band took a serious interest in giving back to the communities that they visited, and they were among the first performers to encourage “Green” shows and tours. SCI’s support has helped give rise to such not-for-profit organizations as Conscious Alliance and HeadCount. All the while, The String Cheese Incident has stayed committed to music as a creative endeavor, not just in their recordings but also in their live performances. The list of SCI’s special guests and collaborators is long and diverse. Their annual events such as Electric Forest and Hulaween, and holiday shows such as New Year’s Eve, have helped redefine the concert experience and have garnered the band a reputation as live music vibe innovators.

CONNECT WITH SCI

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

Look for the wranglers and Kamp Happiness at Backwoods at Mulberry Mountain for more Cheese, Floozies and assorted nonsense.

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Headliners include legendary jam band The String Cheese Incident and psychedelic bass purveyor LSDream, both of whom will be making their Gem & Jam Festival debuts. Gem & Jam veteran headliners include electro-funk duo The Floozies and genre-melding producer Emancipator. Gem & Jam Festival will also welcome back acts like the genre-blending funk band The Motet, electro-twang outfit Dirtwire, psychedelic dub producer Ott, saxophone-wielding bass producer SoDown, Canadian glitch-hop duo The Funk Hunters, Chicago-house music pioneer Mark Farina, and blues-inflected multi-instrumentalist/producer Marvel Years.First-time Gem & Jam Festival performers include house purveyor Justin Martin, spiritual vocalist Ayla Nereo, Grammy-nominated producer Haywyre, indie-jam rock group Aqueous, experimental bass-music duo EAZYBAKED, Pete Tong-heralded soulful house producer Justin Jay, soul trio The Nth Power, world music multi-instrumentalist Poranguí, and the metal/bass-music melder Ravenscoon. Speaking on last year’s Gem & Jam, Billboard stated, “Gem & Jam’s intimate footprint (three outdoor stages, an indoor space, a row of food and craft vendors and areas for live artists and workshops) made it possible to explore every nook and corner of the site, much of which was decorated with a gem theme… With 6,000 attendees … this was the biggest iteration of the festival to date. Still, the vibe was homey and homespun.

In addition to LSDREAM making his highly-anticipated festival debut, the psychedelic bass purveyor will also showcase a special Lightcode set, an immersive sonic healing experience featuring original music, guided meditations, and sound baths. Additions also feature: Talking Dead (Music of the Talking Heads & the Grateful Dead) featuring LDW & the Garcia Birthday Band + Snakes and Stars (Michael Travis & Aaron Johnston).We’ve also added Since JulEYE and the beloved “All the Homies” Opal Stage lineup featuring local artists, collectives and more!

Tickets on sale now

Located on 640 acres and just 20 miles south of downtown Tucson, the Pima County Fairgrounds is surrounded by nature and resides in a stunning desert environment, creating an expansive and magical setting perfect for Gem & Jam Festival. Similar to years past, Gem & Jam will offer on-site camping, RV passes, glamping options, late-night music, daytime workshops, delicious food & drink, a world-renowned vendor bazaar, and of course, around-the-clock music and art. Glamping options are not included with ticket admission and are available for purchase separately via the Gem & Jam website. Reserved in a shaded campsite on grass, each luxury tent sleeps two comfortably and comes inclusive with an inflatable mattress, bedding, furniture, space heater, and electricity.

Payment Plans are available for 3-day weekend festival passes. Attendees can split up the cost of their ticket over a few easy payments. All ticketing options can be found here. Following their successful 2022 partnership, Gem & Jam is once again teaming up with environmental festival organization Green Disco to improve the festival’s environmental footprint and give its audience the opportunity to have an eco-friendly experience. Gem & Jam attendees can buy a Green Disco Eco-Band – an optional ticket add-on that supports nonprofits in Tucson, offsets measurable amounts of carbon, and supports data collection efforts. Made from 100% hemp, this optional $20 wristband allows you to wear what you value and provides access to exclusive perks on-site!

Keep up with the wranglers as we continue through the winter festival season in Florida and Arizona. Visit our other preview articles for FloydFest and Backwoods and check out the wrap-up weirdness from Hulaween. Thanks for keeping us near and dear to your festival heart.          Namaste y’all.

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