Another Intro to the Intros
Joel & Jake provide some insight on the latest UM musical trend
For those of you who haven't seen us live lately, we've been adding new pieces of music quite frequently. Here's our unique twist: we'll record a piece of music as a band and play it over the PA as we walk out to start a set. Then we'll join in, slowly fading out the original recording (Catshot) or creating it so that it's an immediate switch (Jekyll & Hyde) from the recording to the live band.
With the intros it seems that the simpler the idea, the more ability it has to soar to open the show. We'll choose the intro based on the first song of the night, get the place rockin' and build on the anticipation and excitement of an evening of rock ‘n roll. I don't know if any other band out there has ever tried to execute a concept like this, but to us it seems like the perfect beginning to a night of Umphrey's McGee. It's fun to see how far the intros have come along in just a short period of time. We now have 8 different pieces of music in regular rotation, and of course are constantly working on new ones.
Joel's dad rocking out to Nipple Trix at the Aragon Ballroom
Catshot
| This particular intro was the first song to kick off the whole intro ideology, dating back at least a couple years. When I moved into my new home in South Bend I set up a studio and moved my old piano that I've had since I was a kid to the house. I remember the day clearly because it was raining really hard and hot humidity just wouldn't quit. I had the doors and windows open, set the microphones up over the piano, turned on a click track and played this simple piano riff. Then I over dubbed many drum layers and simple bass figures and voila, Catshot. And now the idea is to create an intro in each key of the chromatic scale. I think we are up to about eight intros now, aren't we?? |
-Jake
Jekyll & Hyde
I arrived in St. Louis a few days ahead of the rest of the band to work on some ideas. I created a somewhat simple but haunting repeating melody to play with, alternating bars of 6 and 7 that comprise the main theme, more unique than a typical 6/8 or 4/4 feel would with those syncopations.
December 27th, full band in house at the studio, I played the idea for everyone and Jake immediately pounced on what became the other half of this concept -- the huge full band hits. We recorded the acoustic piano part by itself and then the entire band playing 2 bars of hits. The idea being the full band takes over after the 2nd bar. We've done this now a few times and the moment it switches the band kicks immediately into 5th gear and the lights explode over the stage & audience. The live arrangement develops the hits a bit with a few subtle chord inversions underneath the surface, eventually cycling back around for another run through.
-Joel
Look for more intros to be debuted in 2012, but for now, here is a sampler of some of the aforementioned and beyond.