They are influenced musically by progressive rock bands such as King Crimson, Yes, Dream Theater, and Genesis, as well as heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden. The band also identifies The Police, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin as primary influences. 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 Richie to Metallica to Toto to Snoop Dogg to Paul Simon.
Formed at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana 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.
In mid-1998, the band released their debut album complete with a tongue-in-cheek title, 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. 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.
The addition of Jake Cinninger in September 2000 helped bring the band's musical dynamic to a new level. Cinninger, an accomplished guitarist, brought a distinct heaviness to the Umphrey's sound, as well as a large repertoire of original music, much of which comprised the bulk of the catalog from his previous band, Ali Baba's Tahini. The band also adopted several songs written by Ali Baba's Tahini frontman Karl Engelmann (who now fronts Asheville-based rock band Mother Vinegar). Another live album, One Fat Sucka, was released shortly after, containing live performances recorded in the summer and fall of 2000.
Around 2001, the band began practicing intense improvisational exercises. 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 form of improvisation differs in approach from the methods utilized by many of their jam band peers and has been extensively outlined by "McL" in the "Jimmy Stewart writeup" on the fan message board known as "The Bort" at www.umphreaks.com.
2002 saw the release of the band's first proper recording, Local Band Does OK. That summer, Umphrey's was invited to play the first annual Bonnaroo Music Festival which took place in rural Manchester, TN, and featured over 30 bands performing in front of nearly 100,000 people. Umphrey's played to their largest audience to date and ended up selling more CDs than any other artist on the bill including Widespread Panic, Trey Anastasio, and Norah Jones.
In October 2002 drummer Mike Mirro announced he was leaving to attend medical school. After hundreds of tapes were reviewed by percussionist Andy Farag, the band settled on the first one they received, which was from Kick the Cat drummer Kris Myers, who has a masters degree in jazz drumming from DePaul University.
In 2004, the band released the critically-acclaimed album 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 music was available in stores all over the country. Anchor Drops received rave reviews from several high-profile magazines. Umphrey's was booked to play the Bonnaroo Music Festival once again in June but unlike their 2002 performance, this time they would play a coveted late-night spot. The band performed to over 20,000 people, many of whom had never heard the band before. Shortly after in July, Umphrey's was declared by Rolling Stone Magazine to "have become odds-on favorites in the next-Phish sweepstakes."
In April 2006, Umphrey's released their fourth studio effort, Safety in Numbers. They appeared on the late night TV program Jimmy Kimmel Live in May and were featured at many of the major U.S. festivals throughout the summer, playing 129 shows before a three-night stand in Chicago for New Year's Eve. The Bottom Half, an album of leftover tracks from the Safety in Numbers sessions, was released a year later in April, 2007. It was supported with tours of the U.S., Europe, and Japan.
A live double-album titled Live at the Murat was released in October, 2007. The album was recorded over 2 nights at the Egyptian Room in the Murat Centre in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 6-7, 2007. It received a 4-star review from Rolling Stone Magazine. The album also won a Jammy for best live album. Another live double album release came in June 2008, when the band put out Jimmy Stewart 2007. The album consisted entirely of live, improvised "Jimmy Stewart" sessions recorded in 2007.
Umphrey's McGee completed work on their next studio album, Mantis, in late 2008. Recorded mainly in Manny Sanchez’s I.V. Lab Studios in Chicago, the band members began by presenting each other with CDs containing hundreds of musical ideas they’d composed over the past dozen years, which were then shifted and trimmed down to the concise tracks that appear on the album. The band’s longtime sound caresser, Kevin Browning, edited and mixed the album's material.
Mantis became available for pre-order on October 27, 2008. Along with the pre-order announcement came information that unique bonus content would be available and more content would unlock depending on how many pre-orders were placed. This unusual method of distribution has been hailed as the "perfect way to implement a pre-order campaign" by Reuters.com.
Mantis was released on January 20, 2009. The album marked Umphrey’s second decade together as a band and was the first Umphrey’s album to consist entirely of material never previously performed on the road.
Conduit
Umphrey's McGee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When allowed make us proud run the course as it shifts
Recovered through although you always knew it was there but you withdrew
Identified and pushed aside the only message they provide
Whereabouts run north and south they're only known from the word of mouth
Escape the wheels as they conceal the way this pact is sealed
Glance around tie it down tightly wound to the core
No consolation can be held but all the same it's just as well
If you've heard the you deserve given words you can never sell
We wait our days still so amazed at how these parts are finally played
The system doubt our open routes we follow faithfully devout
So the source runs its course through our minds we implore
Tightly wound souls are bound as it was once before
The lyrics to Umphrey's McGee's song "Conduit" are deeply reflective, discussing the challenges of meaningful communication in a changing world. The "gift from the source" may refer to a divine or cosmic sense of purpose, and the shifting course may represent the different paths that each person undertakes in their lives. The singer recognizes that they have "withdrawn" from this purpose, but now they are "recovered." They have pushed aside the messages that society provides, which may be superficial, and seek a deeper meaning.
The singer then discusses how communication is often unreliable, stating that the whereabouts of certain things are only known through "word of mouth." At times, it can be difficult to escape the confines of society, as if one's path is predetermined by the "sealed pact" of history. The singer reflects on how they once locked away their convictions before embracing them, tying them down like a valuable object.
Despite the challenges of finding true meaning and communicating effectively, the singer closes with a sense of hope. They are "amazed at how these parts are finally played," recognizing that everything happens for a reason. Though society may doubt their choices and motivations, they remain "faithfully devout" to their own path. The source of their purposeful-mindedness runs through them, connecting them to a greater sense of purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
Generous come the gift from the source as it it
We receive abundantly from our source.
When allowed make us proud run the course as it shifts
When given the chance, we take pride in navigating the changing course of life.
Recovered through although you always knew it was there but you withdrew
We regain what we lost, even though we knew it was within us all along but we distanced ourselves from it.
Identified and pushed aside the only message they provide
We recognize and ignore messages that are not truly authentic.
Whereabouts run north and south they're only known from the word of mouth
The location can only be known through hearsay and rumors, leading to confusion about where to go.
Escape the wheels as they conceal the way this pact is sealed
Avoid getting trapped in a cycle that obscures the true nature of the agreement being made.
As before once was town locked away in a drawer
Something that was once important has been forgotten and buried in the past.
Glance around tie it down tightly wound to the core
Be aware of your surroundings and secure your emotions deep within yourself.
No consolation can be held but all the same it's just as well
There is no comfort to be had, but that is still acceptable.
If you've heard the you deserve given words you can never sell
Words of praise and worth cannot be exchanged for material gain.
We wait our days still so amazed at how these parts are finally played
We observe in awe the way our lives unfold before our eyes.
The system doubt our open routes we follow faithfully devout
The system questions our choices, but we remain steadfast in our beliefs.
So the source runs its course through our minds we implore
We seek guidance from our source and allow it to shape our thoughts.
Tightly wound souls are bound as it was once before
Our inner selves are tightly held, as they have been in the past.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BRENDAN H BAYLISS, JACOB ALLEN CINNINGER, JOEL N CUMMINS, ANDY SANHOURI FARAG, KRISTOPHER ALLEN MYERS, RYAN FABEC STASIK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Apunxta
Hands down one of the most fire UM jams out there. \mm/
Mike Sgambelluri
you guys should release a Hall of Fame blu-ray collection with moments like these...
JethroRush
God damn Jake's fill after "tightly wound to the core" gives me goosebumps on every fucking version of this I've ever heard.
Ryan Reynhout
How could someone dislike this? This is all sorts of awesome! From the funk, to the rock, to the stage, this is music at its best.
Gilles Gentley
These guys are amazing cant wait to see them in October \mm/
Patrick Setter
awesome! amazing show all around as well
Jordan Chandler
This is simply umazing.
Casey Masters
Um has THE BEST light show. Period. Nobody else compares
Hugs cure cancer
Had* :'(
Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov
I think its neat that Keanu Reeves took time out from being a movie star to get a perm and play cowbell for a hippy metal band.