Umphrey's McGee on PBS SoundStage

warwick.hoy · #1 02-05-2009, 09:06 AM

MySpace Bulletin.

Quote:

our Soundstage performance will air tonight, Thursday, February 5.
Check your local listings for channel and time information.

http://www.pbs.org/wttw/soundstage/

This is a really good prog/jamband from Chicago. If you've never heard of them you should check them out.

10pm my time.

Joe Gress · #2 02-05-2009, 09:36 AM

On at 8pm here. I'm watching it.

Joe Gress · #3 02-05-2009, 10:31 PM

Dammit. I did not get to watch it because apparently our local PBS didn't play it. The Denver one did, but we do not pay for that channel. Dammit.

warwick.hoy · #4 02-05-2009, 10:40 PM

You may get a rerun. I have yet to watch it. About 15 mins.

Joe Gress · #5 02-05-2009, 10:41 PM

I'll have to watch for it. Was it any good?

warwick.hoy · #6 02-05-2009, 10:49 PM

I'll keep ya posted.

warwick.hoy · #7 02-06-2009, 12:06 AM

It was pretty good. Only an hour long so that cut out a bunch of jamming for sure, here is the set as I saw it.

Higgins, Got Your Milk (Right Here), Out of Order, The Bottom Half>Jimmy Stewart>The Bottom Half, Believe the Lie, Eat, Morning Song.

I like older Umphrey's a lot. 2nd Self, Fussy Dutchman, Kimble (and a bunch more) are my favorite songs. That said UM still kicks arse and I really thought highly of Morning Song. Man I gotta get to see them live at least once in my life.

I wish Joel Cummings had brought his real piano and rhodes over the keyboard. It sounded okay, just not earthy and organic like I know he can sound, but other than that it was a good performance.

Brent's Groove · #8 02-06-2009, 01:02 AM

GAAAAH! I MISSED IT!

What a great band...
I've never heard of an entire band who's got chops like them.

Hope there's a rerun soon.

adube810 · #9 02-06-2009, 01:16 AM

tDB>UM

pt'd brah

Deluge Of Sound · #10 02-07-2009, 12:13 AM

I enjoy the Biscuits much more than Umphrey's McGee, but I've got to say the Umphrey's Trancegression podcast (where the Disco Biscuits cover an Umphrey's song and vice versa) has been a recent highlight in my listening experience. (Podcast #47, I believe).

Chad Michael · #11 02-07-2009, 05:05 AM

Just saw them on SoundStage. I'd call it 'fusion rock'

.

Really enjoyed the performance, but the camera never caught the percussionist

. Anyone notice R2D2 on the guitar amp?

warwick.hoy · #12 02-07-2009, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adube810

tDB>UM

pt'd brah

I'd say more like tDB=UM. You may like The Disco Biscuits more than Umphrey's McGee but music isn't a competition.

pt'd brah????? What does that mean?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deluge Of Sound

I enjoy the Biscuits much more than Umphrey's McGee, but I've got to say the Umphrey's Trancegression podcast (where the Disco Biscuits cover an Umphrey's song and vice versa) has been a recent highlight in my listening experience. (Podcast #47, I believe).

I'm not familiar enough with the Disco Biscuits to pass judgment. Some of the live stuff I heard was great musically but I wasn't so stoked vocally. May have been on of night.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bimplizkit

Just saw them on SoundStage. I'd call it 'fusion rock'

.

They really are a jamband. Jimmy Stewart and Jazz Odyssey aren't really songs as they are improv jams. They have been called the new Phish, but to me, there could never be another Phish. I've heard UM cover Steely Dan to Fugazi to Bob Marley to Metallica. They draw from less of a Blues and Bluegrass influence (Phish) and more of a funk and rock influence.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bimplizkit

Really enjoyed the performance, but the camera never caught the percussionist

. Anyone notice R2D2 on the guitar amp?

Jake has an R2D2 on his setup and Brenden has a Yoda on his. I don't know the history but they been up there since at least 2004 probably longer.

You can download soundboard recordings of their shows in either .flac or mp3 files at www.umlive.net. UM (as well as tDB and moe.) are taper friendly bands. You may also be able to download free audience recordings from the live music archives.

Joe Gress · #13 02-07-2009, 03:32 PM

Also from the Internet Archive:
http://www.archive.org/details/UmphreysMcGee

**Jerose** · #14 02-07-2009, 03:36 PM

Damn, I missed it AND they played Got Your Milk!! I haven't seen Umphs live in a few months, going through withdrawal. Luckily they're coming around here April 1st. They never cease to disappoint.

Joe Gress · #15 02-07-2009, 03:41 PM

There definitely on my list to go see next year. All the big jam bands seem to come early in the year, so this year it was moe. Next it's going to be Gov't Mule, or Umphreys.

Deluge Of Sound · #16 02-07-2009, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by warwick.hoy

I'm not familiar enough with the Disco Biscuits to pass judgment. Some of the live stuff I heard was great musically but I wasn't so stoked vocally. May have been on of night.

I've been told I have a filter that automatically lets me ignore amateurish singing.

http://www.archive.org/details/db199...1.AkiraRM.shnf

One of the best Jams I've ever heard--if you're pressed for time just check out Part II, but you really have to hear the whole thing develop...

**Bass7755** · #17 02-07-2009, 09:05 PM

I saw these guys on Sound Stage on Thursday.
Then I searched them on Youtube on Friday night

.
Today I bought the Live At The Murat CD.

Umphrey's Mcgee...Oh yeah.
I'm a new fan!!!

Looking at the band bio's Ryan...(the bass player)
is Ryan Stasik (bass, no vocals)

The NO VOCALS thing must be an inside joke.
Anyway Ryan is an awesome bass player
and his Lakland sounds GREAT!!!
Dan

warwick.hoy · #18 02-10-2009, 01:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deluge Of Sound

I've been told I have a filter that automatically lets me ignore amateurish singing.

http://www.archive.org/details/db199...1.AkiraRM.shnf

One of the best Jams I've ever heard--if you're pressed for time just check out Part II, but you really have to hear the whole thing develop...

I have it streamed to my iTunes. I'll for sure check it out, but my wife is asleep and I don't want to wake her.

I should note that I've heard lots of off nights from Phish and UM vocally so yeah you definitely have to tune out the bad vox sometimes. It's different when your actually there and out of your mind, you tend to not notice.

The Grateful Dead? Ee-gads. I've heard more off nights than not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bass7755

I saw these guys on Sound Stage on Thursday.
Then I searched them on Youtube on Friday night

.
Today I bought the Live At The Murat CD.

Umphrey's Mcgee...Oh yeah.
I'm a new fan!!!

Looking at the band bio's Ryan...(the bass player)
is Ryan Stasik (bass, no vocals)

The NO VOCALS thing must be an inside joke.
Anyway Ryan is an awesome bass player
and his Lakland sounds GREAT!!!
Dan

Yeah; it's been bass no vox since (at least) Local Band Does OK; which is a great album BTW.

I love jambands and I tend to appreciate the albums as much as the live stuff. UM has yet to put out a dud, although I haven't heard Mantis yet.

I like the Fuzz and Hajimemashite from the Murat disc. You should know that that is a compilation from two nights worth of shows not just one show.

You can download live aud (audience) recordings of shows from archive.org. I get lost easily on that site so I just pay like ten bucks for SDB (soundboard) recordings from umlive.net. It's easier and I think they; as well as nugs, deserve my money

I recommend Umphrey's short set from 2/12/2005 where they opened for Phil and Friends. The Great American>Nemo opener is great as is the jam between Partyin Peeps and Franklin's Tower; both with Phil replacing Ryan on bass.

I have SDBs from 1-10-04 and 1-30-04 (downloaded from the further.net P2P file-sharing site...now defunct I think) that I really dig but somewhere along the line I got rid of the shorten plugin for winamp and can't listen to them anymore

.

Ryan Stasik is one of my favorite bassists ATM.

bucephylus · #19 02-10-2009, 08:21 AM

I also caught the act and thought it was a pretty impressive performance. Very nice.

However, I am a bit surprised by the "Jam" band label. The material, though quite complex, sounded pretty much rehearsed and composed. Not that this is bad, just it did not sound like there was a whole lot of improv going on. I think of Weather Report as more of an improv situation, where the original construction is more of a launch pad.

Maybe, I am just not familiar enough with their stuff yet.

warwick.hoy · #20 02-10-2009, 09:00 AM

If you want to "define" the jamband genre, I'd say that it is characterized by two set shows each set about 1 1/2 hours. Not playing the same setlist every night. Being Taper Friendly. Last employing Lengthy Jams. Bear in mind that that soundstage performance was edited quite a bit.

Here is the original setlist (from soundstage's website):
Oceans Billy
Higgins
The Triple Wide
Got Your Milk (Right Here)
Out of Order
Great American
The Bottom Half
Walletsworth
Believe the Lie
Eat
Words
Morning Song
Alex's House
Glory

Here is the setlist of the preformance that aired:
Higgins
Got Your Milk (Right Here)
Out of Order
The Bottom Half
Believe the Lie
Eat
Morning Song

Note that they didn't include the Jimmy Stewart (improv jam) that was in The Bottom Half.