More Q&A with bassist Ryan Stasik
Q: If you had to ride in a pickup truck for 13 hours who would you prefer to be riding with. Les Claypool, Ian Anderson, Chris Squire, Phil Collins, John Paul Jones, Roger Waters, Joel Cummins, Troy Polamalu, Charlie Sheen....think hard, 13 hours.
A: Troy Polamalu in back and Phil Collins at shotgun running the tunes. 13 hrs would fly by....
Jason from Earth
Q: Why did you switch from GK to Ampeg amps? Also, do you think you'll eventually make the Becker bass your #1 or are you planning on sticking with the Lakland as your primary bass?
A: I have not switched from GK to Ampeg. I use both. Both have pros and cons. I like the simplicity of Ampeg, just a bass, treble, & volume knob as well as a tube head. I'm also playing the Ampeg through 4x10 & 1x15. The GK is being played through 4x12. It is nice to have different tones and sounds. So I'll be playing both depending on the gig.
The Becker is an amazing bass, it sounds thick and plays very smooth. Right now, it is still very new to me and the long heavy neck is something I'm adjusting too. It uses muscles in my left hand that I'm not used to using since I am holding the bass up while playing. My blue Lakland "Booty" bass is old school now. Using a new bass to me is like dating...I don't know the Blitzburgh bass well enough to fart in front of yet, we are still getting to know each other. The Blitzburgh bass and the fretless will both be getting some love this year but not as much in the summer due to festival set ups. Thanks Kris.
Kris Mitchell
Q: How is the transition from being on the road for a long period of time to being home for a while? What are your favorite things to do after a tour or long stretch of shows?
A: It is difficult at times. But once I get home I have a vigorous routine. I believe in taking care of myself, in a balanced diet, in a rigorous exercise routine. In the morning, if my face is a little puffy, I'll put on an ice pack while doing my stomach crunches. I can do a thousand now. After I remove the icepack, I use a deep pore-cleanser lotion. In the shower, I use a water-activated gel cleanser, then a honey-almond body scrub, and on the face an exfoliating gel scrub. Then I apply an herb mint facial masque which I leave on for ten minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an after-shave lotion with little or no alcohol because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm, followed by a final moisturizing "protective" lotion. Now the day begins. Then I practice bass and listen to records, mainly Huey Lewis, Whitney Houston, or Robert Palmer. Bedtime!!!
Ben White - Chicago, IL
Q: YaY! Pone Zone!
I am so excited for the 2 sets at Red Rocks & Blue II this year! I'm wondering if you/Umphrey's have any interest in breaking the record for playing the latest at red rocks/ breaking curfew?? For playing the longest amount of time? To break any red rocks records? Hoping you guys make it extra special for us! 3 song encore?
A: Well let me call Axl Rose and see what the record is for breaking curfew. I'm sure G N R hold some kind of record for that at Dear Creek back in 92'. We will try our best Michelle, thanks for asking.
Michelle
Q: Would u guys ever cover another metallica song, such as orion or to live is to die? Also how bout a multi-nite run at nokia/best buy nyc like the old days or better a NYE run in NYC!! Appreciate all u guys do, 2011 has been some serious rawk!
A: Some new Metallica is definitely a must. We actually considered doing Orion awhile back. We currently rotate Seek & Destroy and And Justice For All. I will have a sit down with Jake and Kris and we will discuss the future of our Metallica catalog... Maybe Harvester of Sorrow or something off Kill Em All. Hmmmmm.
Matt
Q: Where did the name Umphrey's come from?
A: Brendan Bayliss has a second cousin who is a lawyer from Arkansas named Humphreys McGee. We dropped the "H" and made it possessive
and BOOM we have Umphrey's McGee.
Melanie Garcia
SARA AUTUMN HAS A MYRIAD OF QUESTIONS
Ryan,
1. Yes, it must be asked. "Why do they call you the pony?" Then I suppose there will be follow up questions...
Use your imagination Sara.
2. How long is it (your rat tail)?
Currently Pedro is about 12" long. He shrinks to a 7 when he is braided.
3. Tell us about your woman. How did you meet? How did you propose? Is she in to music? Does she play any instruments or sing?
She is the most amazing woman in the world. We got engaged in wine country. She loves music and introduced me to country. We both sing in the shower and rock the bass.
4. Why don't you sing? Ever?
My voice is very special and can only be used in serious situations. However, I have sang a few ditties:
Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You....Franki Valli
Safety Dance....Men Without Hats
Nuttin But A G Thang...Dr. Dre & Snoop
Anarchy In The UK...Sex Pistols
I Will Always Love You....Whitney Houston
5. What would you be doing if it weren't playing in a band? Could you ever settle for a desk job? What if it were a cubicle that required you to do all things ninja within it?
I would be a ninja.
6. What do you hope to accomplish before you die that is not music related? How about music related?
I hope to have a healthy family with many children. I want to travel to all 7 continents. I wish to run with the bulls. I would like to help the needy, solve a crime, love my wife unconditionally. Maybe sail a boat, build a tree house, howl at the moon, see ND win a football championship.
7. Where did Fabec come from? I might borrow it for my firstborn's name.
Fabec is my middle name and is my mother's maiden name. You may use it if you like, it is powerful.
8. You went to Notre Dame. Life takes us on incredible journeys since college days. How are you different today than from those days?
I put on about ten pounds, hangovers are more brutal, and I am not as foolish or naive.
9. What is your kryptonite? What inspires you?
My kryptonite is chocolate. I cannot resist the power of a Take 5.
I am inspired by all that surrounds me. My Melchy, my family, my band mates, my friends, the crowd, music and life.
Thanks for your questions Sara, I hope I have answered them to your satisfaction.
THANKS FOR WRITING THE PONEZONE AND STAY TUNED FOR MORE ANSWERS IN JULY! SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO THEPONEZONE@GMAIL.COM
"But I want a golden ticket!" - Veruca Salt
It was the beginning of 2009 and UM Headquarters was consumed with all things Mantis. As we hastily prepared for the release, the band sat down to sign 1000 deluxe boxes in preparation for the big day. It was quite the affair and seemed to go on forever, particularly for the guys as they signed box after box after box.
After a legion of loyal Umphreaks helped fill the 1000 pre-orders, we were baffled at the giant stack of unused, now signed deluxe boxes in the corner. A quick phone call to the manufacturer revealed they had unintentionally produced almost 300 extra units and just sent them anyway. Thanks for the head's up! We didn't think too much of it and tucked them away in a forgotten corner of the office.
After a couple of years and a thorough spring cleaning we've decided it's time to quite hoarding and let you at 'em. We put our heads together and are pleased to bring you the first ever Golden Ticket event at this year's Summer Camp Festival.
We have stuffed 250 autographed Mantis deluxe boxes with a huge cache of UM goodies, each one entirely unique. The contents run the gamut with t-shirts, UMLives, DVDs, hand bills, coasters, set list notebooks, wristbands, bandanas, guitar picks, so forth and so on. Each box is a surprise unto itself packed with a slew of UM merchandise.
Beyond that, 10 special boxes are filled with official UM Golden Tickets. What do I win if I get a Golden Ticket you ask? A stockpile of goodies await. One lucky winner will receive 2 tickets to every Umphrey's show for a year*. (No Shite? Yup) Another will win dinner with the band before a good old fashion rock show. And yet another will win tickets and VIP passes to our Topeka, KS 2011 New Year's Run (or possible alternate location TBA). Want Ryan Stasik to record your voicemail message? That's on another Golden Ticket. And on and on they go...
Regardless of which box you end up with, we promise you'll get your money's worth. Each box costs $30 and contains at least that amount in goods, typically more. You will be able to hand select your own sealed box to give you the opportunity to channel your lucky mojo and walk away with a Golden Ticket. And to ensure these boxes are truly differentiated from the original Mantis Deluxe versions (only fair to original collectors), we've made a fun alteration that sets these apart from the limited edition 2009 release.
Join us at Summer Camp, Friday, May 27th from 1:00pm - 3:00pm next to the Soulshine Tent before Jake & Brendan take the stage for their Conscious Alliance acoustic set. Ryan Stasik will be hosting the event and most of the rest of the band will be mingling about checking out your spoils. There will even be a trading post set up near by to swap sizes or trade goods with your fellow campers if you want to strike up a deal.
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to our good friend Sanae from Japan in her efforts to support Japan disaster relief and her chosen charity, The Support Underground. Sanae will be at Summer Camp accepting $1 donations throughout the weekend so if you see her smiling face, please help her noble cause.
What: UM Golden Ticket
Where: Summer Camp Festival, Soulshine Tent
When: Friday, May 27th, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
How Much: $30 per box. No limit.
Why: Because we love you
*Tickets are non transferable and are solely for the winner +1 to attend. Festivals are not applicable (unless we can swing it).
The Keyboard Wizard's play by play of Mission Control, Houston, TX
Sometimes tour throws you curveballs and sometimes tour throws you fastballs right down the middle. When we were invited to a private tour of NASA's Mission Control facility, my first thought was "how can we get our music into space." Brendan's first thought was, "Is there anyone in the 190 mile high club?" We were treated to an up-close-and-personal tour of Mission Control and got to see and do some amazing things, including sitting in the space shuttle simulator, moving the cameras on the space station to our desired views and giving Russia the old "war games" fake out. Ok, only two of those were true. In honor of the penultimate space shuttle launch, enjoy a short tour of what Brendan, Jake & I got to experience first hand: a most impressive current space program and a place where American & human history unfolded in the 1960's & 1970's as we reached the moon and beyond.
Our first destination was the rocket and lunar module that made the first trip to the moon. The rocket inside is less than a foot shorter than the building.
Apollo 11, the first lunar module to leave Earth's atmosphere, land on the moon and return safely back through the atmosphere into the ocean. July 20, 1969.
The back of the Saturn V rocket from Apollo 11, this reminds me of the first scene from Star Wars.
Full Saturn V: One big rocket, taller than a 36 story building and at its time, the most powerful rocket ever built.
Where the magic happens. On the left, you see data streaming, in the center you have the space station's path around Earth and to the right you have live views from 4 different cameras on the space station.
In this shot, you can see an Italian scientist working in the lab. The ground handles all technical aspects of what happens at the station so that the focus can be an international push for science once in space.
Around the Houston facility, there are various items commemorating teams that went up, this Beatles / Abbey Road tribute shows a more humorous side to the crews. Notice the photoshopped lunar module on the left side of the street.
Another flight crew shows off their humor. STS9 watch out for your lunar tribute band, STS-134
The original Mission Control situation room, from which the Apollo 11 & Apollo 13 missions were directed.
Ah, technology circa 1969. Can you believe we sent people to the moon and trusted these things?
The status report button in Mission Control--inspired by the colors of the stop light.
Direct line to the President, although the Flight Director is the only one who can say no to the President while crew members are in space.
Brendan seizes the opportunity and prank calls President Obama, ordering a large pepperoni pizza ASAP.
One of the flags that flew on the moon with Neil Armstrong & Buzz Aldrin.
Joel only sees himself when trying to take a picture of the mirror the Apollo 13 crew used to survey damage while in space. Can you find Brendan & Jake?
The Houston-based team celebrates the safe return of Apollo 11 from the moon in 1969.
As a crew nears launch, they have security in place so that no one can touch them or pass on a cold, thus they become "The Untouchables"
A view of the shuttle simulator cockpit, where the crew practices flying.
Underneath the simulator, these crazy-looking hydraulics can simulate turbulence & pressure, but when it makes you sick, that's real.
The facility is laid out just like the real space station, including a replica of the space station's "Colbert treadmill."
We were told the Japanese have a good sense of humor up there, their emblem for their space program captures their humor perfectly.
The Mission Control seal. Thanks for the tour Laura & Eddie, and keep up the good work!
In support of the S.F. AIDS Foundation and our good friend Brett Callaway who is doing the 7 day, 545 mile AIDS Lifecyle Ride on June 5th, we've put together 5 exciting raffle prizes chocked full of some umph-love, including tickets to the upcoming Summer Camp Festival. Brett is hosting an online raffle beginning this Thursday, May 14th at Noon PT through Sunday, May 22nd at Noon PT.
All you have to do is make a minimum donation of $10 to Brett's Aids Lifecycle page. Simply click the DONATE icon and enter a donation of $10 or more. Then put the word RAFFLE, your phone number and your email address in the message box. If we help Brett reach his goal of $5000 raised, we'll choose five more winners who will receive a complimentary code for a download of an Umphrey's McGee show. Winners will be contacted on Monday, May 23rd. We hope you enjoy the prize packages and best of luck to Brett on the ride.
ENTER TO WIN HERE
1st Prize:
- Two tickets to Summer Camp Festival, May 26-29, 2011***
- Series of THREE autographed Umphrey's McGee NYE run posters, by artist A.J. Masthay
- Complimentary code for a download of a UM show at www.umlive.net
2nd Prize:
- Two tickets to any Umphery's McGee 2011 show (non festival or holiday shows)
- ONE autographed Umphrey's McGee Chicago Theatre poster
-
Complimentary code for a download of a UM show at www.umlive.net
(3) 3rd Prizes:
- The Umphrey's McGee Survival Kit including 2011 calendar, Andy's Rippin' Rub, Wrapped Around Chicago DVD, Soundstage DVD, set list book, and more!
*** if you cannot attend Summercamp, email info@umphreys.com and UM HQ will work out a suitable second choice with you
1st Prize NYE Posters
2nd Prize Chicago Theatre Poster
3rd Prize Survival Kit