The String Cheese Incident

The String Cheese Incident is one of the more unusual band names. Right up front, I will say that I haven't found a definitive answer on the name's origin, but there are some interesting theories.

The band started in Crested Butte, Colorado in 1993. They are hard to pin down to one musical genre. They are often called a "jam band" and their music can be progressive bluegrass, country, neo-psychedelia, or some hybrid. 

In 1993, there was a band in Crested Butte, Colorado briefly called the Blue String Cheese Band, who became the String Cheese Conspiracy for a very short time. Those are supposedly earlier forms of The String Cheese Incident.

Like some other bands, this band does not say how the name came to be. Mystery. My favorite of the origin stories is that they had a run-in with the law enforcement in a traffic stop. They had some magic mushrooms but when questioned about what was in the bag, they claimed it was "string cheese." String cheese (which is mozzarella cheese) and mushrooms don't look at all similar but the story was believed. This became "the string cheese incident."

I also saw online several people who claimed the name comes from a running gag in the comic Calvin and Hobbes. But that has been refuted though the comic had a running joke about a "noodle incident."

The band's gigs became known as "incidents." One of their albums is called Rhythm Of The Road: Volume One, Incident In Atlanta -11.17.00 .

There are no confirmations or refutations on their official website at stringcheeseincident.com

The band has a cultish following that records and shares recordings of all their shows, much like the Phish and Grateful Dead fans.

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Cleveland Guardians

A fresh look from the 216. pic.twitter.com/0W8VTtZ7b0

— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) July 23, 2021

 Another team has announced that they are changing their team branding - name, logo, mascot - so that it does not offend Native American Indians.

The Cleveland Indians are playing their final season this year under that name and once the season ends they will be known as the Cleveland Guardians.

Why "Guardians?" The "Guardians of Traffic" are 43-foot statues that have stood on the Hope Memorial Bridge for almost 100 years. In a promotional video announcement (narrated by Tom Hanks) you can see the statues and beyond them is the team's Progressive Field. How do they represent Cleveland or baseball? According to the franchise, the Guardians of Traffic symbolize the spirit of progress. "We are excited to usher in the next era of the deep history of baseball in Cleveland," owner Paul Dolan said in a press release.

And why Tom Hanks? Besides him being a beloved actor and voice we trust, he has been a fan of the Cleveland baseball franchise since the late 1970's when he was a young actor interning at the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival.

 

Oh, and that 216 reference? Check here.