Nershi's been letting it grow long since SCI.One of the best things about the scheduled String Cheese Incident reunion this July at the Rothbury Festival in Michigan is that we no longer have to refer to Bill Nershi as the "former String Cheese Incident front man." Well, of course there are some ancillary benefits like, well, the fact that SCI is back together, albeit for one show, but together nonetheless.

You'll have to fly out to Michigan to see the real-deal SCI in 2009, but Nershi is bringing his fast-picking guitar and trademark folksy vocal stylings to Bend when he teams up with Portland's Piano Throwers, an all-star cross-genre Americana troupe. The Piano Throwers are comprised of guitar hero Scott Law (who plays guitar and mandolin in Nershi's other, other band Honkeytonk Homeslice), former Leftover Salmon bassist Tye North and Carlton Jackson, a revered Northwest drummer. So yeah, there's plenty of skill to be had in that camp.

It's tough to say what the marriage of Nershi and the Piano Throwers will produce, given that the latter plays everything from bluegrass to blues rock and Nershi himself is equally adaptive to anything from Who covers to traditional bluegrass. But it's hard to imagine that this lineup could possibly disappoint a seasoned SCI fan, or at least the pre-techno SCI fans. And we all know there's plenty of them here in Central Oregon....you know who you are, you hula-hooping cheeseheads.

Bill Nershi and the Piano Throwers, Big Water
8pm. Monday, May 4. Domino Room, 51 NW Greenwood Ave. $12/advance, $15/door. 21 and up.