Umphrey's McGee Brings Their Portable Party Complete with Poker Chips to the East Coast

by Bonni Fierstein (bonni@jambands.com)

Photo by Jen Stanson

I have a confession to make. Sometimes, when I am channel surfing, I will be drawn to the show 'Fanatic' on MTV. You know the show I am talking about. 2 obsessed teeny-boppers will be flown along with their best friend/girlfriend/boyfriend somewhere to meet their favorite star and ask them 3 or 4 questions. The show chronicles the journeys of theses "fanatics" from the initial second they are told that they get to meet this big time celebrity up until the sweaty-palmed interview. I admit, it's the cheesiest thing I have ever seen, but my story doesn't differ all that much.

Last weekend, I sat on my porch and learned to play a mean game of poker with some card sharks, collectively known as South Bend, Indiana's own Umphrey's McGee. I wasn't flown to some exotic location for an interview with the band that would be broadcast all over MTV. Nor did I have to limit my questions to some celebrity who probably would have rather been anywhere but there. What happened to me was far cooler than anything that could ever happen on MTV. Yup, I invited Umphrey's McGee to come to my house for a sleepover. And this nutty bunch drove 742 miles for my sleepover party. Fine, they had driven out to play The Wetlands Preserve in NYC the night before, but I was able to convince them to stick around another day and come play a show in the NYC suburb of Stamford, CT where I live.

Just a few short months ago, I was sitting at my desk at work listening to an internet radio station, when all of a sudden, my ears perked up. I was drawn to the catchy melody and superb playing of this band I had never even heard of and needed more. Luckily, I got to see them one night in October at The Wetlands. Before I even saw them I called their manager, Vince Iwinski, and told him that I wanted to book a gig for UM in CT, and when I saw them I was dually impressed. The band gave me a copy of their latest release, 'Songs for Older Women', and it instantly became my staple CD in my computer at work. This CD quickly became one of my favorite albums of all time (and also secured a spot on Jambands Top 50 albums of 1999), and no matter what I did or what other discs I brought to work with me, I couldn't stop listening to it. I knew this dream of mine had to become a reality. Umphrey's McGee had to come out and play a gig in CT. Luckily, with persistence and many phone calls and emails to Vince, the band decided to take me up on my offer. I in return had to supply a good dinner, a place to sleep, and a bar full of people that would become UM fans in a nanosecond. With the help of friends, this was able to be pulled off without a hitch. I was able to bring Umphrey's McGee to Connecticut under GoddeStar Entertainment. I have a feeling that the band will be returning, if for nothing else but the infamous 4 cheese ziti and kegs of microbrew that they were treated to at the pre-show dinner party.

In my opinion, Umphrey's McGee is the most well kept secret on the scene. They have built themselves quite a reputation in the Midwest, saturating the market from Bloomington, Indiana, to Chicago, IL. The band, which consists of Brendan Bayliss on guitar/vocals, Ryan Stasik on bass, Joel Cummins on keyboards, Michael Mirro on drums and Andy Farag on Percussion formed in 1997. Bayliss, Stasik, Cummins and Mirro were members of 2 other bands at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend. You can thank your lucky stars that these musicians found each other and formed Umphrey's McGee, a name that is a derivative of the name of a distant relative of Bayliss'. Rumor has it that Humfries McGee is very charismatic, much like this group from the Midwest. Farag, an old high school friend of Mirro's who had been sitting in as a guest percussionist, joined the band in May of 1998, shortly after the band recorded their first album, the ironically titled, 'Greatest Hits Volume III'. The quintet plans on staying in this formation, though will often have special guests play with them. Umphrey's McGee is fond of having horn players sit in with them, but that is reserved for special occasions. "We love horns", says Bayliss, "but more than half of our tunes wouldn't sound good with them."

Umphrey's McGee is the quintessential jamband, and to put your finger on their sound is nothing short of impossible. They have called themselves "Pornal music" (with a touch of sunshine to help the medicine go down," adds Farag) and Bayliss says, "(it's) evil funk, groove, I dunno, it's LIVE music". The band has been compared to everyone from Phish to The Allman Brothers to Frank Zappa. Bayliss says, "Being told we sound like these good bands means we're on the right track, but that we also cannot be content with our place right now. Evolution is necessary." Stasik adds, "We hope to really develop our own sound in the years to come, we are rather young and comparisons more frequent now". Umphrey's McGee touches on rock, jazz, funk, bluegrass and classical to name a few, and to hear the band flit through these genres with such ease and perfection is nothing short of mind-boggling. How often will you be getting down to some groove, when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a band will bust into a very danceable piece by Mozart or Greig? Not too often, I would gather. But nothing can be put past Umphrey's McGee. They are jacks of all trades, and masters of every single one of them.

The most impressive thing about Umphrey's McGee is the fact that they have only been together for a little over two years. These guys are nothing short of professionals despite their age (they are all 25 and under) and short time working together. What they have pulled off in the past 2 years many bands don't accomplish in a lifetime. Their compositions are so complex that it is comparable to a 2 year old doing Quantum Physics. Though I have only gotten to see them twice, their hometown fans have been kind enough to send me numerous CDs of live shows, and they just keep getting better and better. What I personally own chronicles less than a year, a year that has seen this band grow leaps and bounds. Everything is a wonderful treat to listen to, but when I sit back and listen to how they have progressed from late January to late March of 2000, I can't help but predict big things for this band. And soon! Right now, the band resides in South Bend, IN, but will move to Chicago later this spring when Mirro graduates from Notre Dame. In regards to their upcoming relocation, Cummins says, "Chicago is a Mecca for original music of all sorts, it was the first city in the north with Blues and Jazz. We want to make a living as musicians and want to compose important and cutting-edge music. Chicago is a great place to attempt that." I have a feeling that when Umphrey's McGee starts touring more regularly, they will be one of the top bands on the scene. In fact, they have just been asked to open for Bela Fleck and the Flecktones and Maceo Parker in August in their home state. They love doing what they do, and they are free-spirited as well. "We'll drive to New York for a weekend and drive home, and not mind purchasing a new trailer on the way", added Cummins.

Though all band members take a hand in composition, Bayliss is responsible for the majority of the writing. Umphrey's McGee has about 30 originals, 17 of which are featured on their two albums. Both albums are live recordings, though Cummins states, "I think we're getting an itch to record. We have a lot of material that hasn't been released and I think it will happen either during the summer or early fall." Not only are their compositions great, but Bayliss is a stellar lyricist as well. Cummins says, "Brendan's lyrics are generally a cut above most rock lyricists that are out there. He has something to say and a lot of people are talking about the sunshine and beautiful sky". This is true. Lyrics from songs like 'Slacker' ("so this slacker fumbles through another day, the way you measure things all depends on whether or not you're working for another man's ends") exhibit the more real-life/serious side of Umphrey's McGee, while 'Phil's Farm', ("we all live like kings, oh we all eat like pigs, we laugh, we joke, we drink, we smoke") shows the lighter side of the band.

This dual personality comes out during live shows, so be prepared for some serious grooves with large doses of humor incorporated into their sets. At the conclusion of the first set they did at Jimmy's Seaside in Stamford, CT, I was trying to recover from over an hours worth of some serious jams when they broke into an impeccable rendition of Lionel Richie's 'All Night Long', a song that proved to be a real crowd pleaser. Umphrey's McGee has been known to play some of the classics from the 80's, including 'Safety Dance' and 'Billie Jean'. On the other hand, they have just about perfected their own renditions of songs like John Scofield's 'A Go-Go' and moe.'s 'Rebubula', and my personal favorite cover they do, 'Bob's Cloud' by Dr. Didg. The first time I heard them play this there was a horn section accompanying them to take the digiridoo parts, but when I saw them in CT, they flawlessly pulled it off without. Not many bands would even attempt to cover such a piece, let alone without a horn.

The band lists artists such as Miles Davis, The Beatles, Al DiMieloa, Bela Fleck, and Jaco Pastorious as some of their obvious influences, but the members also shared that they are influenced by The Beastie Boys, NWA, Snoop Dogg, Eazy E, 2 Pac and Arrested Development. "We try to incorporate all genres so even the fan of gangsta rap can enjoy the show", said Bayliss. I think anyone can enjoy an Umphrey's McGee show. As I looked over the sea of dancing bodies at the Jimmy's Seaside show, I was shown just that. Even the local patrons of the bar were getting down to this infectiously "pornal" groove. Bayliss adds, "Everyone comes to have a great time. It's a portable party night after night." And that it is. So much of a portable party that I can foresee myself racking up many frequent flyer miles transporting myself around the country to take part in them. Besides, the boys have challenged me to a rematch at poker. How can I not accept the challenge?

For all things Umphrey's, please visit their website, www.umphreys.com to check out tour dates, download mp3s, and buy merchandise.

Umphrey's McGee would like to spread this vibe that I personally cannot get enough of to the readers of Jambands. They are offering a kind B & P offer to the first 75 folks who send an email to contact@umphreys.com. I do have to warn you though. If you do start listening to them, you just may be looking into Midwest summer vacations quite like the ones I am planning to catch these guys!