Last night Karl Engelmann joined Umphrey’s McGee early in the second set of their Asheville show for a rousing rendition of ‘Got Your Milk (Right Here)’ from the catalog of Ali Baba’s Tahini. Engelmann fronted Mother Vinegar during the evening’s opening set, which closed with a public debut of ‘Guilty,’ a song he cowrote with UM guitarist (and fellow ABT band mate) Jake Cinninger during their recent recording session in Michigan.

Later in the set, Umphrey’s invited Tommy Dennison to replace Brendan Bayliss and engage Cinninger in some dual guitar for an instrumental flowing out of ‘Hajimemashite.’ During the encore, keyboardist Joel Cummins performed a Moog solo, a nod to Dr. Robert Moog who taught at the Asheville campus of the University of North Carolina in the early 90s. This gave way to longtime UM instrumental staple, ‘Mullet (Over)’ which was augmented by the trombone of Derrick Johnson (Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band). Umphrey’s also brought forth a few rarities, including a mesmerizing first set reading of ‘The Haunt,’ which moved through an exploratory ‘Jimmy Stewart,’ before settling into the Brendan Bayliss instrumental ‘Sweetness’ (yes, he is a Bears fan). They also rode on down Led Zepplin’s ‘The Song Remains The Same’ with authority in the second set.

Umphrey’s tour continues with performances in Knoxville and Boulder (two nights at the Fox) over the weekend. UM drummer Kris Myers will join Glenn Kotche (Wilco) and Rich Stitzel will perform at the Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel at Elmhurst College on next Tuesday. Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band will perform tonight at Smith’s Olde Bar in Atlanta, and a three set show on March 22 at Atlanta’s Five Spot is among the upcoming Mother Vinegar Dates. Report by Robert Turner