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.
Plunger
Umphrey's McGee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Climbing stairs for sale is insufficient
Reading off the wall is too contagious
We're capable of more, is that suspicious?
Careful where you rest un-spinning
Don't be fooled by youth
There's nowhere you're from
Stairs are always left with limits
Won't there be a roof?
And as for all the change in schedule
Compared to hear who won
And maybe when you find it all again
(And you will)
Nothing's stopping, not ever here or there
And you rarely ever find it when you need
(You're still lookin')
Someday, sometime, someone, somewhere
The opening lines suggest that the singers are in deep thought as they consider decisions they need to make. The fact that they are climbing “stairs for sale” suggests that they are trying to make a purchase but the options available are not satisfactory. The second line, “Climbing stairs for sale is insufficient” reinforces this, indicating that they cannot find what they need.
The next two lines, “Reading off the wall is too contagious, We're capable of more, is that suspicious?” suggest that the singers want to move beyond what is familiar or conventional. They are wary of following prescribed paths, as doing so might dull their creativity and stifle their ability to make unique decisions. The next four lines offer cautionary advice for the future. The line “Don't be fooled by youth” implies that young, inexperienced persons should be careful not to make hasty decisions, while “And after all the stains have settled, there's nowhere you're from” suggests that one’s past actions can limit or define them.
The final stanza, beginning with “Maybe when you find it all again” suggests that the singers acknowledge that uncertainty and indecision cannot last forever. The line “Nothing's stopping, not ever here or there” suggests that progress and change are inevitable. Despite the fact that the singers have not found the answers they seek, they will continue looking until they find what they are looking for.
Line by Line Meaning
Gravely now we stare at indecision
We are contemplating deeply and seriously on being unable to choose between two or more alternatives
Climbing stairs for sale is insufficient
We are trying to attain success by taking steps but it seems to not be enough
Reading off the wall is too contagious
We are influenced by the beliefs and opinions of others around us, which may not be beneficial for us
We're capable of more, is that suspicious?
We believe there is potential for us to do more than what is expected, and this raises doubts in others about our intentions
Careful where you rest un-spinning
Be cautious of choosing a resting place that may cause you to be stuck or unable to move forward
Don't be fooled by youth
Do not underestimate someone's abilities or value based solely on their age
And after all the stains have settled
Once everything has settled down and the dust has cleared, it becomes evident what has been left behind
There's nowhere you're from
Your origins or background do not define who you are
Stairs are always left with limits
There is a limit to how much one can progress by taking steps or climbing stairs
Won't there be a roof?
Is there a limit to what one can accomplish, or is there always room for growth?
And as for all the change in schedule
Despite changes to our plans or routine,
Compared to hear who won
It is pointless to compare or measure ourselves against those who have already achieved success
And maybe when you find it all again (And you will)
There is hope and reassurance that even if you lose yourself or your way, you will eventually find your path again
Nothing's stopping, not ever here or there
There is always forward progress, no matter where you are in your journey
And you rarely ever find it when you need (You're still lookin')
Often times, what we need most is not easily found and we continue searching
Someday, sometime, someone, somewhere
One day, at some point in time or place, you will find what you have been searching for
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BRENDAN H BAYLISS, JACOB ALLEN CINNINGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
HaNdYmAn 420
Gravely now we stare at indecision
Climbing stairs for sale is insufficient
Reading off the wall is too contagious
We're capable of more, is that suspicious?
Careful where you rest un-spinning
Don't be fooled by youth
And after all the stains have settled
There's nowhere you're from
Stairs are always left with limits
Won't there be a roof?
And as for all the change in schedule
Compared to hear who won
And maybe when you find it all again
(And you will)
Nothing's stopping, not ever here or there
And you rarely ever find it when you need
(You're still lookin')
Someday, sometime, someone, somewhere
96zahari
Anyone who is suffering from depression, when feeling like it's the right time to try and get off bed and just go outside... no matter how miserable you fell, GO OUT, WALK AND LISTEN TO THIS SONG.
Paul Staats
You feel *
How Ya Doin?
I needed this. I'm currently in the search of what makes things make sense
SUBJECT TO CHANGE
How is umphrey's not a jam band? If I go to an almost 2 hour show and only hear 8 songs, you're either jamming or I'm robotripping too hard
Howard Segal
They are a jam band, but they are not your grandfather's Grateful Dead, nor your father's Phish. They are musicians creating and making me Chi-Town Proud.
Howard Segal
I am older than your grandmother, so don't play me.
Pijetro1
Just found out about these guys Why didn't anybody wake me up? Can't believe what i've been missing....
HaNdYmAn 420
Gravely now we stare at indecision
Climbing stairs for sale is insufficient
Reading off the wall is too contagious
We're capable of more, is that suspicious?
Careful where you rest un-spinning
Don't be fooled by youth
And after all the stains have settled
There's nowhere you're from
Stairs are always left with limits
Won't there be a roof?
And as for all the change in schedule
Compared to hear who won
And maybe when you find it all again
(And you will)
Nothing's stopping, not ever here or there
And you rarely ever find it when you need
(You're still lookin')
Someday, sometime, someone, somewhere
96zahari
This song helps me cure depression. A random stranger sent it to me on Omegle today.
wolf tijuana
Oh yeah an omegler has given me a song like that too