Umphrey's McGee: "The Floor"

Halloween Monster Mash Up is Here!

We have just about completed the preparations for tonight's festivities and are feeling good about the slew of mash ups we'll be throwing your way. If you can't join us tonight make sure to tune into the iClips webcast and enjoy couch tour. Click here to enjoy the sights and sounds (no smells) of the party from the comfort of your home. 

We couldn't wait until tonight to break out all the mash ups so here is one we debuted last evening, mashing Rage Against The Machine's "Bulls On Parade" with The Beastie Boys "Mark On The Bus"

Bulls On The Bus

Kalamazoooo S2 Wrap Up

40's For Everyone

Well, my mistake is your gain. Last night in the Fair Capitol City of Des Moines, IA one of the cd burners that I use for the umlive recordings inadvertently got stuck at the beginning of set II. Therefore 40's Theme didn't make it's way on to the cds that we sell at shows. So this morning I went to the backups and remixed the track to make sure the show was complete on umlive.net and that those who purchased it last night could easily grab the tune.

But at that point, we figured why not just give it everyone? So here is last night's 40's Theme to ease you into your Autumn weekend. Just click on the actual post and you'll see the link to download at the bottom. 

Joel Visits Gabba Land

Joel's latest side project

Moustache Finale

Our impromptu Fall Moustache Tour has come to an end and we wanted to document the final looks. The tour showcased a variety of styles this time instead of our standard 'officer 'staches' of previous tours. A hearty thanks to all the fans who participated as we saw some fairly epic moustaches sprinkled throughout the crowd. Even some of the ladies donned impressive upper lip wear.

(Thanks to Kyle Baker for this stellar UMoustache logo)

"Slightly" more flattering pictures this time around...

Joel Cummins

Ryan Stasik

Jake Cinninger

Brendan Bayliss

Andy Farag

Bob Ston

Jefferson Waful

Robbie Williams

Kevin Browning

Recording Wellwishers

Six months ago we embarked on our first official journey to Jake's new recording setup at Boondock studio in Niles, MI.  We'd rehearsed and done some preproduction and songwriting there in the past, but with the assistance of good friend Jim Leep, the studio has taken on a life of its own and stepped into the future.  You can really hear the tight ambience of the main room when you listen to things like the snare or toms from the drum track.

The band took a week to set up shop, record some old songs, record some new songs in general, just have a good time playing together in a relaxing environment.  As Brendan and I were driving up to Niles together from the city, we listened to some possible cuts we could work on.  The demo that jumped out at me most was the tune that is our new single, Wellwishers.

Brendan had the basic idea laid out and recorded, with quite a few of the words already done.  It was brought to the table and the band immediately dug in and found the groove, which is really the centerpiece of the song. Within hours, we had the basic tracking done, and later that night after the rest of the band had left to go home, I added some counterpoint to the chorus with Jake and we laid it down on top of the existing track.  That section is what you hear as the ascending guitar / synth line during the chorus vocals.

A few weeks passed, Ryan redid the bass, Jake overdubbed a few minimalist guitar parts, and Brendan completed the vocals, adding various harmonies to mix it up a little bit.  Voila, we have a new track that we've enjoyed working on and now, have already played live three times.

I'm sure the form will expand as the tune grows over time, but until you get to hear it live, enjoy the driving groove and contagious melodies that have already become my new favorite Umphrey's McGee tune, Wellwishers. 

-Joel

Wellwishers

Music by Brendan Bayliss, Joel Cummins & Jake Cinninger

Words by Brendan Bayliss

Produced by Umphrey's McGee & Kevin Browning

Recorded at Boon Dock Studios, Niles, MI

Recorded by Kevin Browning

Assisted by Jim Leep

Mixed & Caressed by Kevin Browning & Manny Sanchez at I.V. Lab Studios, Chicago, IL

Assisted by Shane Hendricksen

Mastered by Manny Sanchez at I.V. Lab Studios, Chicago, IL

Download "Wellwishers" for free here 

Wellwishers Giveaway

We are pleased to announce a new collection of music coming at you starting this fall. In a departure from the standard "album" format, we have decided to roll out the new music in bite size pieces for your prolonged enjoyment. 

The forthcoming offerings combine studio takes on some familiar UM favorites, as well as some new material that hasn't yet seen the light of day. We will be kicking things off with one of the latter, a brand new studio single titled "Wellwishers." The track is free for download as a Thank You for your continued support. Additionally, there will be a widget available for posting on your Facebook page or blog to help spread the word. And for you discerning audiophiles, you can go to umlive.net and upgrade to the FLAC or 24-Bit Hi Res FLAC of "Wellwishers."

The upcoming releases will be available as series of digital EPs. You will have a few options to acquire them: buy the EPs separately or as a bundle; or splurge for the holidays on the box set which will include music and video for the discerning UMphreak, including a wealth of bonus tracks, previously unreleased rarities, and hand-picked, band curated material from studio and live work. The tracks will be available in multiple formats: MP3, FLAC, and 24-Bit Hi Res FLACs for select titles. Details will be released shortly.

In the meanwhile, enjoy "Wellwishers" and pass it along to your friends and family. 

Thoughts on a logo...

We are constantly searching for great UM imagery and were excited for the opportunity to loop in our talented fan base on that search. Crowd sourcing art is a new one for us and it's incredible that so many of you submitted such great work. We were honestly overwhelmed at the number of amazing and diverse results. 

We didn't really want to have to choose just one. It was a difficult decision as many logos lent themselves to conversations such as "Oh, this would be great for a t-shirt or this would be great an Improg EP cover." Ultimately, we are continually looking for an iconic image that fully encompasses all things Umphrey's McGee that can be used everywhere. To be fully transparent, we loved a ton of the submissions but didn't feel that any one logo truly encapsulated that. We're going to have keep looking for our "steal your face". 

Our choice may seem a bit odd at face value but we kept coming back to the simplicity and memorable image that is the rhino. We wanted it stick out and we wanted it to be memorable. After narrowing it down to our favorites, there was something that oddly kept pulling us back to the quirky simplicity of this image. Look for it to evolve as we play with the concept in some very hands on ways. 

So many of them are great for one reason or another.  We had to pick one for the contest but we're not going to let it stop there. You will most assuredly be seeing additional winners as we select more images for merchandising and tour art. Below are some more of our favorite images. Look for them on t-shirt in a theater near you...

A tremendous thank you from our camp for all of great submissions. The fact that you would take the time to share your creativity and ideas is seriously flattering. We have always valued your feed back and always will. Umphrey's McGee is a team sport.   

Just a handful of ones we liked, in no particular order...

Umphrey's goes to Hanson

Remember that one time UM popped into a Hanson show and were actually kind of impressed? 

Seriously tight vocals.