Just moments before Umphrey’s McGee took the stage at the Barrymore Theatre Saturday, the men of Umph were lounging backstage cracking jokes and frantically checking the scores of ongoing football games. One would never guess that in a mere five minutes, their two-set and more than three-hour long show would begin.
While drummer Kris Myers joked around playing the air drums, Brendan Bayliss, vocals and guitar, yelled for the latest score update to the Notre Dame game. When frustrated that no one could get cell-phone service in the basement and thus no Internet access, he disappeared upstairs.
These aren’t typical rock stars. A spread of two sandwiches and a few slices of kiwi were on a table for the guys. They are just your plain and simple young Midwesterners and that’s just one reason why they are so highly revered by their growing fan base. They are easy to relate to, approachable and able to transform into stellar musicians in a matter of minutes. Barely recognizable by the larger public, band members can attend Cubs games (as Bassist Ryan Stasik did Monday) and keep their down-to-earth attitudes despite ultimately being named the “next Phish” by Rolling Stone magazine. That’s quite the claim for any band. And despite the weight that title throws on their shoulders, Stasik couldn’t be more pleased.
“It’s kind of overwhelming to think about what we were doing six years ago, and to be compared in a serious publication like that is … pretty heavy,” he said. “If I could have thought to myself seven years ago and said that’s what would be going on right now, I’d think that was a joke.”
In light of their most recent album, Anchor Drops, Umphrey’s McGee is touring nationwide hitting up old favorites like Chicago and relatively new territory on the West Coast.
“We are very lucky to be so loved in Chicago. Definitely since the album came out and Bonnaroo we’re seeing a lot of new faces.”
Anchor Drops is receiving raving reviews and an excellent response from current fans. It starts out with an intense jam in “Plunger” and travels through the poppy and lyrical “In the Kitchen.” There’s a bit of jam, a bit of bluegrass, a bit of pop and a bit of metal. It’s an impressive mix and the fans are diggin’ it.
“We wanted to do something different in the studio that sets it apart from our live shows. Get in there and definitely use all the tools we can. Make things short and sweet,” Stasik said. “I’m really excited about people’s reactions to the album as well.”
Despite attempting something new in the studio, the group’s live shows are staying relatively consistent, using old techniques while improving as a band with every show. And while Umphrey’s has a way with words, you won’t hear much of them live. The guys opt for the jams that got them recognized.
“There’s always room for jams of any part of any song,” Stasik reassured when discussing the shorter songs on Anchor Drops.
And the jams were ever-present Saturday night while Umph chose to play only one song from the new album. With such a widely respected release, one would think the band would throw in a few new tunes. Regardless, the guys opened the second set with the jazzier medley “Wife Soup” while sticking to old favorites through the rest of the set. It was your typical concert, fully equipped with glow-stick wars, a lame marriage proposal and wild dancing Umphreaks.
Before heading to Madison, Stasik commented on the excitement surrounding the band’s upcoming venture.
“The Midwest definitely has its own feel to it and that’s where most of us spent our growing-up period,” Stasik said. “Wisconsin has always been a really fun place to play. I love Madison, to be honest.”
Umphrey’s McGee is Joel Cummins (keyboards, vocals), Brendan Bayliss (guitar, vocals), Ryan Stasik (bass), Andy Farag (percussion), Jake Cinninger (guitar, synthesizers, vocals) and Kris Meyers (drums, vocals).
