Umphrey's McGee

Umphrey's McGee is a hard-edged jamband from Chicago, Illinois, whose music is often referred to as "progressive improvisation." The band's moniker is a twist on the name of a second cousin of bandleader Brendan Bayliss named Humphries McGee. In late 2004, the band was declared by Rolling Stone Magazine to be the succesors to the jamband throne previously held by Phish. Besides being much heavier than its predecessor, the band also practices a completely different method of improvisation than Phish and other jambands such as The Grateful Dead.

Related Topics:
Jamband - Chicago, Illinois - Brendan Bayliss - Rolling Stone Magazine - Phish - The Grateful Dead

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Umphrey's McGee posesses deep musical roots. Though the band's approach to their live performances has much in common with Phish and the Dead (ever-changing setlists, constant improvisation, two sets per night, open-taping policy), they are much more influenced on a musical level by progressive rock bands such as Yes, King Crimson, Dream Theater, and Genesis, as well as heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden. However, there really isn't a style of popular music that Umphrey's does not cover. Artists covered in concert by Umphrey's range from Lionel Ritchie to Metallica to Toto to Snoop Dogg.

Related Topics:
Yes - King Crimson - Dream Theater - Genesis - Iron Maiden - Lionel Ritchie - Metallica - Toto - Snoop Dogg

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Formed at the University of Notre Dame in December 1997 by guitarist/vocalist Brendan Bayliss, bassist Ryan Stasik, keyboardist Joel Cummins, and drummer Mike Mirro, Umphrey's McGee combined members of Tashi Station and Stomper Bob, two popular Notre Dame rock bands. Early concerts consisted of both originals and cover songs, including Guns N' Roses "Patience" and Vince Guaraldi's Peanuts theme "Linus and Lucy."

Related Topics:
University of Notre Dame - Brendan Bayliss - Ryan Stasik - Joel Cummins - Mike Mirro - Tashi Station - Stomper Bob - Guns N' Roses - Vince Guaraldi's - Peanuts

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In mid-1998, after only 8 months together, the band released their debut album, the ironically titled Greatest Hits Vol. III. The group decided to record an album immediately because it was easier to get live gigs with an official CD. Long out of print, the album contains many of Umphrey's future concert warhorses, such as "Divisions" and "All in Time."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Shortly after the release of the album, the band added a fifth member, percussionist Andy Farag. Farag's father became the band's agent, and a second pressing of Greatest Hits Vol. III featured Farag in the album's inner sleeve and credits. By the end of the year, Umphrey's McGee, along with peers Ali Baba's Tahini, were one of the most popular bands in the South Bend/Notre Dame area. They began performing outside of the area at colleges and house parties, allowing listeners to tape and trade their music freely.

Related Topics:
Andy Farag - Greatest Hits Vol. III - Ali Baba's Tahini

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

By 1999, the band had gained notoriety outside of Indiana, especially with the release of the live album Songs for Older Women, which featured live tracks recorded over a two-night stand in November 1998. Andy Gadiel, an early fan who founded the wildly popular JamBase.com website (as well as the most popular Phish website ever, Andy Gadiel's Phish Page) and has enormous influence within the jamband community, gave glowing reviews of the band and helped spread curiosity about the Umphrey's McGee concert experience.

Related Topics:
Songs for Older Women - Andy Gadiel - JamBase.com - Andy Gadiel's Phish Page

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2000, the band's musical dynamic reached a new level in September with the addition of guitarist/vocalist Jake Cinninger, formerly of friendly rival group Ali Baba's Tahini. Cinninger, an accomplished guitarist, brought a distinct heaviness to the Umphrey's sound, as well a large repetoire of original music, much of which comprised the bulk of the now defunct Ali Baba's Tahini catalog. Shortly after Cinninger's arrival, the band released another live album, the somewhat lackluster One Fat Sucka containing live performances recorded in the summer and fall of 2000 (a few tracks featured were recorded before Cinninger joined).

Related Topics:
Jake Cinninger - Ali Baba's Tahini - One Fat Sucka

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The new album made little impact, but Umphrey's had honed an entirely new sound, featuring both guitarists in a "twin lead" capacity. More often than not, the playing style of other jambands with dual guitars tends to resemble The Allman Brothers Band. However, because of Umphrey's heaviness and progressive rock roots, the twin-lead harmonizing of Bayliss and Cinninger has a tendency to resemble groups like Iron Maiden and Wishbone Ash.

Related Topics:
The Allman Brothers Band - Iron Maiden - Wishbone Ash

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Around 2001, the band began practicing intense improvisational excercises. One of their first productive jam sessions took place in a hotel in the "Jimmy Stewart Ballroom" during the wedding of fan/website designer Jeremy Welsh. Therefore, the band began to call their onstage improvisational excursions "Jimmy Stewart." This was a completely new approach to group improvisation, and was much more detailed and in depth than that of their predecessors or their contemporaries (see below for a detailed explanation of the band's improvisational approach). Later in the year, both Jake Cinninger and Joel Cummins released solo albums.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

2002 saw the release of the band's first proper recording, Local Band Does OK, which many fans regard as the definitive Umphrey's McGee release. That summer, the first annual Bonnaroo Festival took place in rural Manchester , TN, featuring over 30 bands performing in front of nearly 100,000 people. Umphrey's played to their largest audience to date. Surprisingly, the band sold more CDs than any other artist on the bill which included Widespread Panic, Trey Anastasio, and Norah Jones.

Related Topics:
Local Band Does OK - Bonnaroo - Widespread Panic - Trey Anastasio - Norah Jones

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The band almost ended in late 2002 when drummer Mike Mirro announced he was leaving the band to attend medical school. After hundreds of tapes were reviewed by percussionist Andy Farag, the band settled on Kick the Cat drummer Kris Myers, who had a masters degree from DePaul University and was a much more accomplished drummer than Mirro.

Related Topics:
Kick the Cat - Kris Myers

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Most of 2003 saw Umphrey's on the road, playing to ever expanding audiences and honing their unique sound. By this point, Bayliss and Cinninger had honed their twin lead roles and provided excellent counters for each other. Even more importantly, Kris Myers' drumming style had taken Umphrey's music to an entirely new level, as the band became even heavier than before. On any given night, the band would move from jazz standards to reggae to thrash metal with ease.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2004, the band released the critically acclaimed Anchor Drops, recorded in several different studios throughout the Chicago area. Shortly before the release of the album, the band scored a distribution deal for both Anchor Drops and Local Band Does OK, and for the first time, Umphrey's McGee music was available in stores all over the country. The album received rave reviews from several high-profile magazines. Once again, Umphrey's headed to Bonnaroo, but this time they were headlining a late night spot opposite Vida Blue (featuring members of Phish, The Meters, and Aquarium Rescue Unit). The band performed to over 20,000 people, many of whom had never heard the band before. Thousands of new fans were converted, and by mid-set, several other musicians had lined the stage to watch the epic performance.

Related Topics:
Anchor Drops - Local Band Does OK - Bonnaroo - Vida Blue - Phish - The Meters - Aquarium Rescue Unit

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Response from Bonnaroo was enormous. Two months later, jam kings Phish broke up. The very next month, folloiwng a Phish tribute issue, the scene's top magazine, Relix, featured Umphrey's on the cover. Additionally, Rolling Stone Magazine declared Umphrey's "the number one contender to Phish's jam-smeared crown." The comparison is lost on many (including some band members) since Umphrey's current sound does not resemble Phish, but many people feel it is legitimate because they do not sound like Phish, thus breathing new life into the genre.

Related Topics:
Bonnaroo - Phish - Relix - Rolling Stone Magazine

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~