Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05
February 15, 2007 issue
Umphrey’s McGee Brings Virtuosic Progressive Jam Rock To Legends
Chicago Sextet Plays Sunday, February 25
Story by David Brewer
Progressive jam rockers Umphrey’s McGee will appear at Legends, on the campus of ASU, on Sunday, February 25. Doors will open at 9:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale now to students for $12 and will be $15 at the door.
Formed in South Bend, Indiana in 1997, Umphrey’s McGee has gone from local rock phenoms to touring the United States, Europe and Japan. The band’s sound blends equal amounts of funky jamband, metal guitar solos and progressive rock with dashes of country, electronica and classical composition, all with a plenty of room for jamming.
Traces of several bands can be heard in the band’s predominantly instrumental music, including Frank Zappa, King Crimson, Alice in Chains, Phish, Pat Matheny, Genesis, moe., Pink Floyd, Ozzy Osborne and Radiohead, not to mention flourishes of alternative rock.
“It’s rock and roll with a little more progressive edge to it,” said Umphrey’s McGee percussionist Andy Farag. “For the most part, our overall sound is progressive rock with a fair amount of improvisation.”
Fans of incendiary guitar work need not worry about getting their fill from the band’s six-string duo, Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger. From solos that would make Eddie Van Halen proud to Allman-esque guitar harmonies and grungy power chords, the pair displays virtuosity not often encountered among jambands.
Umphrey’s McGee also relies on the talents of band members Kris Myers on drums, Joel Cummins on keyboards and Ryan Stasik on bass to stoke the band’s musical fire.
“Just playing live is what really makes us better players,” said Farag. “We can take chances on stage.”
In recent years, the band has been going strong thanks in large part to the support of the jamband community. Like many bands of their ilk, Umphrey’s McGee allows fans to tape and distribute their shows. The group also goes one step further, podcasting a number of high-quality live shows from their website, www.umphreysmcgee.com.
The band performed at the inaugural Bonnaroo in June 2002. Sharing the bill with such notables as Widespread Panic and Norah Jones, Umphrey’s McGee sold more CDs than any artist that appeared at the festival.
Though the band has earned much of their popularity via their incredibly intense live sets, Umphrey’s McGee has also managed to trim the fat for effective studio efforts featuring guests such as sax man Joshua Redman and veteran rocker Huey Lewis on harmonica and vocals.
Currently, the band is in the process of recording The Bottom Half, a followup to their 2006 effort, Safety In Numbers, but shows no signs of sloughing off on their live duties.
“They’re two totally different things,” said Farag. “It’s good to be able to do both things.”
According to Farag, Umphrey’s McGee’s European crowds consist largely of fans of progressive rock, a genre that enjoys continued popularity outside the United States.
“We take that as a huge compliment; those listeners really think about the stuff they listen to,” said Farag.
Farag said that the band would like to eventually see more diversity in their crowds stateside.
“The jamband community is our livelihood,” said Farag. “But we also want to expand out to more of a rock crowd.”
For more info about Umphrey’s McGee’s upcoming show, click to www.apps.appstate.edu.
Want To Go?
Date: Sunday, February 25
Time: 9:00 p.m.
Location: Legends
Cost: $12 in advance for students/$15 at the door