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.
Nemo
Umphrey's McGee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They belong with someone else
Set in motion what your still missing
There will always be a need
You are always somewhere above me
Can't there be a way around this
And its easy to stop before you start
When its there you know you ought to be the one to ride it through
And its easy to stop before you start
Theres only one more way to think about what everything could happen if it wasn't left unsaid
And everytime we seem aware of all that matters there will always be a memory you forget
So be demanding if no ones listening
You will always find an ear
Set in motion what your still missing
There will always be a need
There has got to be a reason
Who's to say what privilege means
When its there you know you ought to be the one to ride it through
And its easy to stop before you start
When its there you know you ought to be the one to ride it through
And its easy to stop before you start
The more I realize the things I've seen through these eyes
there's only so much more that you could show
As many times as we've been there and back again
now I dont care if I'll be no one in the end
As many times as we've been there and back again
now I don't care if I'll be no one in the end
The song "Nemo" by Umphrey's McGee is a thoughtful, introspective piece about the complexities of life and relationships. The opening lines of the song express a sense of detachment and a desire to avoid making assumptions about others - instead, the focus is on being true to oneself and "setting in motion what you're still missing." This notion of self-discovery and growth is repeated throughout the song, with the singer urging listeners to demand attention and pursue their desires, even when it seems like no one is listening.
Central to the song is the idea that life is full of uncertainty - no one knows what the future holds, and there may not always be a clear path forward. Despite this, the singer encourages listeners to take risks and "ride it through." The final lines of the song suggest that, ultimately, individual achievement and success are less important than the experiences that shape us and the memories we create along the way.
Overall, "Nemo" is a deeply reflective song that encourages listeners to embrace uncertainty and pursue their true desires in life. It speaks to the importance of individual growth and authenticity, and the need to stay true to oneself even in the face of uncertainty and adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
No assumption should be worth listing
Don't bother mentioning assumptions, they're not helpful
They belong with someone else
Assumptions are someone else's problem
Set in motion what your still missing
Start taking action towards what you're lacking
There will always be a need
No matter what, there will always be something lacking or needed
You are always somewhere above me
You seem to always be in a better place or situation than I am
Can't there be a way around this
Is there a solution to this inequality?
When its there you know you ought to be the one to ride it through
If a good opportunity is present, take it
And its easy to stop before you start
Sometimes it's easier to avoid an opportunity before trying it
Theres only one more way to think about what everything could happen if it wasn't left unsaid
The only way to know what could happen is to voice your thoughts
And everytime we seem aware of all that matters there will always be a memory you forget
Even when we think we know it all, there will always be something we forget or overlook
So be demanding if no ones listening
Speak up even if no one is paying attention
You will always find an ear
Someone will eventually listen and understand
There has got to be a reason
There must be a purpose or explanation
Who's to say what privilege means
Privilege is subjective and can be interpreted in different ways
The more I realize the things I've seen through these eyes
As I gain more experience, my perspective changes
there's only so much more that you could show
There are limitations to what can be seen or experienced
As many times as we've been there and back again
Despite repeating the same experiences, things may not change
now I dont care if I'll be no one in the end
It doesn't matter what happens in the end or what role I play
Contributed by Mila O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bob Senior
on Resolution
*I'be got it set it my mind, I'll be a mountain in the sky this year"