In the interest of making sure that everyone has the chance to hear the last of the 3 Mantis radio edits, we've just added Spires to the sidebar on your left. You can now stream it (and we're quite certain that some of you have "borrowed" it) for your listening pleasure right here on The Floor. Again, this is an incomplete version at this point but hopefully enough to keep that proverbial whistle wet and persuade those fence sitting friends of yours to Pre-Order Mantis.
In the ever revealing strip tease that is Mantis, we figured it was about time to release the full track listing with song times and a larger version of the album cover itself. Go to the Mantis site and download free wallpapers of much of the album art.
1. Made to Measure 3:12
2. Preamble 0:36
3. Mantis 11:49
4. Cemetery Walk 7:30
5. Cemetery Walk II 2:19
6. Turn & Run 7:25
7. Spires 7:41
8. Prophecy Now 2:47
9. Red Tape 5:43
10. 1348 4:49
Total Running Time: 54:04
We started creating the song back in the summer of
2006. Sitting at home at my piano,
I fleshed out some chords and melodies and put them down to my trusty Tascam 4
track (old school, I know).
Initially, I was thinking that we needed something darker for our
musical palette. Funnily enough,
most of that vibe was realized in the parts of the song you don’t currently
hear! But shortly after starting
the process, I took the tape up to Jake’s Boondock Studio in rural Michigan,
out behind the house he grew up in.
Jake and I have gotten together numerous times over the years and have
come up with a pretty good formula to realize songs. We’ll typically work on the arrangements of the songs, then
he’ll play live drums while I play the keyboard part. Being the multi-instrumentalist that he is, Jake will then
overdub bass and guitar to the sections after the 1st live pass on
keys and drums is done. We’ve
worked on pieces such as 13 Days, Words, Higgins, Cemetery Walk and the yet-to-be-heard
Mantis using this technique.
One of the crucial alterations we made once we convened at
Jake’s was rewriting the piano phrase (and now guitar line) under the vocal
“and I called for you” in 7/8 as opposed to 4/4. I told him that I liked the voicing and melody, but didn’t
like the meter. This was Jake’s
idea and it was a great one, it gave the piece a bit more of a lively
feel. Jake also added the chorus
progression at this point, as well as some beautiful and haunting guitar work
that you have yet to hear on the non-radio edit version of Cemetery Walk. We practiced the form through a few
times and then after some false starts, got the version we wanted to tape. So we had a basic track and were ready
to present it to the band.
Fast forward to January of 2007, when pre-production for
Mantis began at IV Labs in Chicago.
We had a dry erase board with markers in hand and started a very organic
process of arranging the songs, with everyone in the band there and
contributing. We’ve often found
that we can capture the more “macro” ideas and flow by writing them down. The more detail-oriented stuff is then
a bit easier to focus on once its not a sort of Simon Says memory game. But the only way to really see how
sections work together and how the transitions serve the song is by actually
playing them and executing them well.
That’s tough to do when you’re simultaneously trying to remember what
comes next, thus the brilliance of the dry erase board.
Also keep in mind that as of January 2007, we were only
dealing with the instrumental sections, Brendan had yet to put down the vocal
melodies and lyrics. So at this
point, we ditched what I had written as the verse structure and added what you
now hear under “I’ve got a secret but its longer than a paragraph…” In the interest of keeping things
interesting, we took the 7/8 phrase and made it into a half-time 4/4 feel about
half-way through the piece. Funnily
enough, it seemed to work in this spot.
You never know what’s going to happen once a piece of music starts to
evolve and take on a life of its own.
Jake’s chorus progression (under “Time won’t change you….”) was in
place, and we put his guitar solo between the two times the chorus happens,
another rather unconventional move.
But it seemed to serve the song, and that’s what we’ve always been
interested in first and foremost.
One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about creating an Umphrey’s McGee
song together is that we try to achieve interesting results by not adhering to
the standard pop song format or expectations. With Cemetery Walk, I think we’ve achieved another unique
arrangement.
Finally, at some point in early 2007, Brendan took the song
home and created the vocal sections you now hear. What would a song be without memorable melodies and lyrics
that provide key moments and hooks?
Without a doubt, Brendan’s work tied all of the disparate sections of
the piece together. There are
countless additions and layers that I haven’t described, but that was also part
of the fun of creating this album: as we gave ourselves lots of time to work
with, we could add layers and ideas as they came up. I added the final vocal on the track, which happens only
once during the last chorus, in August of 2008 (per Manny’s suggestion!). And in a nutshell, that is how Cemetery
Walk came to be. As Kevin has
mentioned in the previous blog, there are some essential parts of the tune that
you haven’t heard, and that’s almost as exciting to me as what you have already
heard. Happy listening….hope you
enjoy the tune as much as we do.
So we trimmed a couple of tunes for potential radio play and those discs are starting to pop up at stations across the Country. We figure that it's probably driving some of you nuts that some DJ who has never heard of UM to has a sampler while the die hards wait in anticipation. So we've decided that to share another album track with you, although this version is missing a few significant parts that you will hear later on the uncut Cemetery Walk.
This is the radio edit, UM style. Enjoy!
I bought my first PRS guitar in 1997 because Mike Nolan played one and I thought that was reason enough. My dad took me to the store and loaned me the cash, and i still have it (many thanks to Kevin Browning for talking me out of selling the old one for a new one). When the band played the first Bonnaroo, Jim Smith was running the recording trailer for the show and he called his brother, Paul to tell him about Umphrey's and how I was using his guitar. I got a call later that summer - from Paul himself - and I've been sponsored ever since.
The last Friday of our east coast tour, I was invited to take a tour of the PRS factory. Winn Krozack, the best artist rep in the world, was gracious enough to take me around for the day and let me follow the process from beginning to end. Being able to see blocks of wood transformed into the beautiful feminine shape that is the guitar, I gained a new respect for the company as well as the art of guitar making. Every single employee I came across was genuinely happy and passionate about their respective jobs, and the whole place really seemed like a great place to work.
The drive there took me through my birthplace, Annapolis, MD...so the whole day meant a lot to me. I was feeling the thanksgiving vibe early this year....we here at Umphrey's Mcgee truly have so much to be thankful for.
And I'm thankful for PRS being so good to me...
(To give you an idea of the sheer perfection of PRS guitars, Winn is holding a destroyed body. Apparently something was wrong with it, but it looked fantastic to me)
The tour is over and we are all enjoying the comfort of home. There is truly nothing like your own bed. Aahh.
(We have removed the stream of the 9:30 club due to Abraham Lincoln's request. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
Abe
Dogs
The first of many installments of "Guest Bloggins"
Light a bolt of lightning from the heavens, Umphrey's McGee has thrust itself down upon a city torn asunder by political transition. Our heros find themselves swimming amidst a sea of sharks who know but one quest, and that quest is blood. Shall they prevail and vanquish the naysayers? Repudiate the critics? Quiet the nattering nabobs? Take the our nation's capital by storm and tame its wildest beasts? Finally get a goddamned profile in the Washington Post's Friday Weekend section? This humble reporter believes that they will. Not by luck, nor by chance, but by by sheer force of will, with a dash of prog-funk for dat ass.
Represent D.C. style at the 9:30 Club. Much respek. The fellas are coming pretty hard tonight with some electronica at times, offset with that trademark Umph-funk. It may be the penultimate night of the tour, but the energy is just as good as it's ever been. KTB on the ones and two and Budney Lights mixin' it up doesn't hurt. That and Stasik's bass line is making my pants shake. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I would be remiss if I didn't mention Jake's solo in 40's Theme- it brought the house down. 9:30 is always a good venue, a good crew and a good show. I just wish it wasn't so damn cold.
A good man once said, "Axl Rose? F-ck Axl Rose." I thought I knew this man. I was wrong.
-Johnny Buick
Backstage at setbreak: Foot Breathe
Soundcheck Wizard
Budney Lights
Kris Myers explores the world of free form Jazz Blues backstage at The National in Richmond, VA, one of the few glorious theaters with a hot tub in the dressing room.
In the interest of switching it up...
Bijou Theater, Knoxville, TN - Acoustic Set One:
August > Visions > Morning Song, Crooked > Great American > Down Under > Great American, Black Water
I snagged this this short solo piece from Jake while he warmed up his gear, unbeknownst to him. The mood parallels the weather here in Nashville today.
To lots of people, summer means hanging out at the pool or the beach, soaking up rays and baking in the sun in pursuit of the perfect golden tan. Indeed, most Americans, including up to 80% of people under age 25, think they look better with a tan. But before you don your bathing suit and head to the pool — or into a "John Wilkes tanning Booth" (not recommended) — spend a few minutes finding out about your skin and sun exposure. These facts can help you get the look you want without stressing your skin.
Not to mention skin caner!!! Always protect yourself. Sunscreens or sunblocks, which block the sun's harmful rays, are one of your best defenses against sun damage because they protect you without interfering with your comfort and activity levels. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays. Ideally, it should also be hypoallergenic and noncomedogenic so it doesn't cause a rash or clog your pores and give you acne.
Staying out of the sun altogether may see to be the only logical answer. But who wants to live like a hermit? The key is to enjoy the sun sensibly, finding a balance between sun protection and those great summer activities like drinking, volleyball, triathlons, and swimming. So these are just a few tips/facts about fun in the sun!
Yours truly,
Chuck Tanner
"Stay golden Ponyboy!"
Don = afraid of the sun Pony = loves the sun
Too much sun!!!
Always protect your skin.
Just working on my bronze, man!
Bad spray tan = orange embarassment. Stay natural.
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