Umphrey's McGee 2-for-1

[toneknob]

American prog-jam band Umphrey's McGee are playing at the Brooklyn Bowl somewhere in the O2 Dome this week - three shows, Thursday-Friday. Support comes from two brilliant UK bands, Godsticks (Thursday) and Syd Arthur (Friday, Saturday).

Umphreys's are busy headlining festivals in the USA and have just announced their epic five night New Year's run which will sell out in milliseconds. Much like other bands from the same genre, they're unknown here - and tickets for their Brooklyn Bowl run have just been reduced to a two-for-one offer for all three nights - [url="https://tickets.axs.com/eventShopperV3UK.html?wr=b16626f0-4d91-4466-933a-76dde45279a5&skin=bbl&utm_source=getresponse&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=brooklyn_bowl_london_2014_1&utm_content=Secret+Gig"]https://tickets.axs....tent=Secret+Gig[/url]

Here's a couple of clips of songs that got me into the band:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J6HKcfb32Q[/media]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYYFw24Gn9E[/media]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B1vJpOn1so[/media]

Edited June 18, 2014 by toneknob

[Dingus]

This music is brilliantly played, but bloody awful I'm afraid. Sounds like a hybrid of Dream Theater and Gentle Giant to me . Also, quite worryingly, there are shades of the Dave Mathews Band in there, too.

Since the enforced absence of the Grateful Dead following Jerry Garcia's unfortunate demise nearly twenty years ago now, America has been searching for a substitute for that institution , or at least a way to indulge the same kind of notions of ...well, all kinds of things to do with a long-gone era that were mostly never really true even when they were current . All these "jam" bands and New Age prog rockers are trying to fill a void that should have been left as a void.

To my sensibilities, this band's music is like an intricate sonic wallpaper that is so densely patterned that it cannot be taken in and properly comprehended for more than a few minutes at a time. In light of that short attention span , the great irony is the extended length of these pieces of music. Not my cup of tea then , but I am glad they are coming to the U.K and at least their their fans here will get a chance to see them in the flesh . Hope you enjoy the gig.

[KevB]

I have a couple of their albums floating around in my iTunes library but not listened to them for a year or two, maybe I shoul dload them on the ipod and give them another go. Wouldn't be able to get to any of the gigs anyway mind...

[toneknob]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1403105682' post='2479847']
This music is brilliantly played, but bloody awful I'm afraid. Sounds like a hybrid of Dream Theater and Gentle Giant to me . Also, quite worryingly, there are shades of the Dave Mathews Band in there, too.

Since the enforced absence of the Grateful Dead following Jerry Garcia's unfortunate demise nearly twenty years ago now, America has been searching for a substitute for that institution , or at least a way to indulge the same kind of notions of ...well, all kinds of things to do with a long-gone era that were mostly never really true even when they were current . All these "jam" bands and New Age prog rockers are trying to fill a void that should have been left as a void.

To my sensibilities, this band's music is like an intricate sonic wallpaper that is so densely patterned that it cannot be taken in and properly comprehended for more than a few minutes at a time. In light of that short attention span , the great irony is the extended length of these pieces of music. Not my cup of tea then , but I am glad they are coming to the U.K and at least their their fans here will get a chance to see them in the flesh . Hope you enjoy the gig.
[/quote]

Thanks!

I'm a big fan of DMB, and quite partial to early Dream Theater and Gentle Giant lurk in that grey area of "bands your music pals say you should like given everything else you listen to". So I think I'll be ok.

The band you're looking for by the way is Phish. You know Phil Lesh is playing here soon, by the way?

Edited June 18, 2014 by toneknob

[toneknob]

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1403106118' post='2479857']
I have a couple of their albums floating around in my iTunes library but not listened to them for a year or two, maybe I shoul dload them on the ipod and give them another go. Wouldn't be able to get to any of the gigs anyway mind...
[/quote]

What've you got? Like other bands from their genre, their live output is where the meat of it is. Happy to make suggestions if required.

[Dingus]

[quote name='toneknob' timestamp='1403108154' post='2479889']
Thanks!

I'm a big fan of DMB, and quite partial to early Dream Theater and Gentle Giant lurk in that grey area of "bands your music pals say you should like given everything else you listen to". So I think I'll be ok.

The band you're looking for by the way is Phish. You know Phil Lesh is playing here soon, by the way?
[/quote]

Phish- now if ever there was a group of individuals who wanted so badly to be the Grateful Dead that they were willing to abandon any last shred of dignity or claim to originality then surely it is them !

There are so many of these bands nowadays that it is difficult to find enough time to dislike them all, to be honest with you. However, the one thing most ( all) of these new prog/ jam bands have in their favour ( or to their detriment, depending on how you look at it ) over the Grateful Dead is that they can actually play well. Contrary to popular myth, the Dead were, on the whole, fairly poor musicians , and but have garnered a reputation to the contrary as part of the whole Emperor's New Clothes phenomena that continues to surround them. If you listen to them objectively and divorce what you are hearing from the legend they encouraged , the plain fact is that the Grateful Dead sounded like a not-very-good amateur band that you could see for a the price of a couple of drinks in a bar somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

Phil Lesh is coming to the U.K ? Is this intended as a form of retribution for Tony Blair backing up George W Bush in illegally invading Iraq? I had the misfortune of seeing the Grateful Dead play live many times over the years ( once would have been too many, to be honest with you) and that band were the biggest joke in the history of popular music. When it comes to taking the public for a ride and lining your pockets in the process, no one has ever even approached the scale of the massive scam that the Dead surely were and still are . Malcom Mclaren and the Sex Pistols , or indeed Simon Cowell were rank amateurs by comparison.

[Dingus]

Oh , and I forgot to mention, Primus are rubbish, too.

[toneknob]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1403110369' post='2479924']
Oh , and I forgot to mention, Primus are rubbish, too.
[/quote]

Yeah I don't get them either. Have you heard Oysterhead? Now that was bad.

[Dingus]

[quote name='toneknob' timestamp='1403110806' post='2479928']
Yeah I don't get them either. Have you heard Oysterhead? Now that was bad.
[/quote]

There have been so many Primus spin-off projects that it's difficult to keep up, to be honest with you. ( Not that I want to keep up... ). It all sounds like music for an imaginary children's T.V show made by someone suffering from severe paranoid schizophrenia to me, to be honest with you.

One thing that we British folks can be very proud of is prog rock. When you look at the horrific mess that the Yanks usually of that genre, you begin to realize what great bands Yes, Crimson, and Genesis[i] et al[/i] were . Rush were great too ( crap nowadays , though ) , but they are part of the Commonwealth so we can claim most of the credit for them .

Edited June 18, 2014 by Dingus

[KevB]

[quote name='toneknob' timestamp='1403108672' post='2479900']
What've you got? Like other bands from their genre, their live output is where the meat of it is. Happy to make suggestions if required.
[/quote]

Just checked and I have Anchor Drops and Mantis. I think they were passed on to me as mp3's by a mate who knew I liked a bit of prog. Don't think I've listened to either for a year or two.

[toneknob]

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1403136772' post='2480227']
Just checked and I have Anchor Drops and Mantis. I think they were passed on to me as mp3's by a mate who knew I liked a bit of prog. Don't think I've listened to either for a year or two.
[/quote]

Do you use Spotify? There's a great selection of live material there - check out Live At The Murat or any of the "Hall Of Fame" collections (these are 'best ofs' that year's live recordings).

[toneknob]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1403111668' post='2479946']
There have been so many Primus spin-off projects that it's difficult to keep up, to be honest with you. ( Not that I want to keep up... ). It all sounds like music for an imaginary children's T.V show made by someone suffering from severe paranoid schizophrenia to me, to be honest with you.
[/quote]

It's as much a Phish and a Police spin-off as a Primus spin-off. I've copied it to my music machine today to see if they were a decade or so ahead of their time.

[quote]
One thing that we British folks can be very proud of is prog rock. When you look at the horrific mess that the Yanks usually of that genre, you begin to realize what great bands Yes, Crimson, and Genesis[i] et al[/i] were . Rush were great too ( crap nowadays , though ) , but they are part of the Commonwealth so we can claim most of the credit for them .
[/quote]

I wouldn't put UM in the same prog pigeonhole as these four bands, of which I am very fond - although three (Yes, Genesis, Rush) were great but haven't presented much since the early 80s that interests me any more. I'd say Invisible Touch and Union were a horrific mess as well. (Rush more a post-Counterparts plateau of mediocrity)

[FuNkShUi]

Bassist of Godsticks is on here. Or he used to be, dont know how active he is now.....

Dan Nelson. A fellow student of Jon Caulfield.

Good lad and a great player.

Ive seen them live and id say they are well worth a watch

[toneknob]

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1403168035' post='2480334']
Bassist of Godsticks is on here. Or he used to be, dont know how active he is now.....

Dan Nelson. A fellow student of Jon Caulfield.

Good lad and a great player.

Ive seen them live and id say they are well worth a watch
[/quote]

Yeah, Dan's really good. And given he's playing music of that complexity and stepping in the shoes of Bryan Beller and looks about 17, I'm not jealous oh no.

[toneknob]

UM update: generally having a fantastic time so far, one night to go. Ryan Stasik's being brilliant, it looks like he's only brought along his F Bass (http://www.fbass.com/artists/artist/ryan_stasik) and left the usual Laklands at home.

The venue is really good sound- and lights-wise. BUT the cost of beer raised an eyebrow on Thursday night: £5.80 for a pint of Meantime. Last night I asked for a pint of fizzy water, ice and slice. FOUR POUNDS. (I switched back to beer)

[toneknob]

The blue Lakland came out last night, you'll be relieved to hear: [url="http://livemusicblog.com/2013/08/26/photos-setlist-sts9-umphreys-mcgee-chesterfield-amphitheatre-st-louis-mo-82213/ryan-stasik-of-umphreys-mcgee/"]http://livemusicblog.com/2013/08/26/photos-setlist-sts9-umphreys-mcgee-chesterfield-amphitheatre-st-louis-mo-82213/ryan-stasik-of-umphreys-mcgee/[/url]


The band were joined in the encore by Manny Sanchez of the Misfits for "London Dungeon". Awesome/bewildering. Stasik took the time to chat afterwards: "Hey are you a bass player? I could see you checking my stuff out all night". He's my new favourite.

[RhysP]

[quote name='toneknob' timestamp='1403168637' post='2480345']


Yeah, Dan's really good. And given he's playing music of that complexity and stepping in the shoes of Bryan Beller and looks about 17, I'm not jealous oh no.
[/quote]

He looks about 17 because he IS about 17 ( a bit older actually).

His Basschat name is Danthewelshy & he's a really nice guy. He also plays with my old mate Steve Roberts (Godsticks drummer) as the live rhythm section for Magenta.

[toneknob]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1403430918' post='2482539']
He looks about 17 because he IS about 17 ( a bit older actually).

His Basschat name is Danthewelshy & he's a really nice guy. He also plays with my old mate Steve Roberts (Godsticks drummer) as the live rhythm section for Magenta.
[/quote]

Yep! Both lovely chaps, I was chatting to them post gig. Dan's looking to sell his bass so I of course directed him to basschat classifieds. Their slot on Thursday was the best I've seen them - they've really filled out the sound by adding a permanent keys player (another incredibly young/talented guy, Murray (I think))

Edited June 22, 2014 by toneknob