Coming out of the Midwest, specifically, Chicago, in the mid-'90s, Umphrey's McGee is a hard-edged jam band. Their music is referred to as ''progressive improvisation.'' They moved toward the Frank Zappa side of the rock scale than the Grateful Dead direction taken by many of their contemporaries.
The members of the band met at the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN. They had been playing in various campus bands by the time they got together in 1998. The band had six members and named themselves after the second cousin of the bandleader and guitarist Brendan Bayliss. The band quickly began performing high power live shows and soon released their debut album, Greatest Hits, Vol. 3. They were a fourth-generation jam band who often included songs by Phish and other similar bands. They are much more influenced by progressive rock bands as King Crimson, Dream Theater, Yes and Genesis and heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden.
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They won a large following in the South Bend area during the initial days. The band has its roots in music. As half of the band members had degrees in music and the emphasis was always on constant precision. They practised hard and studied tapes of their performances to improve themselves. By 1999, the band was already famous outside of Indiana. Their live performances were more well received. That propelled them to release their live album Songs for Older Women. It featured tracks recorded over a two-night performance in November 1998. Artists who play at the concerts by Umphrey cover a wide range. That includes Lionel Ritchie to Metallica and even Snoop Dogg.
By 2000, the band had moved from their native South Bend to Chicago. Thereafter they went on two-week jaunts throughout the Midwest, sharing the stage with a variety of musicians. The list includes Dr. Didg (aka Graham Wiggins), who is the famed Chicago-based blues harmonica player, B?la Fleck, Topaz, Sugar Blue, and many others. New Year's Eve 2000 saw the band release their third album, another live disc-One Fat Sucka. The rest as they say is history.
The band is stil one of the most successful live performers. So get the sought after tickets from an online ticket vendor and be there.
Discography
Anchor Drops 2004
Local Band Does OK 2002
Greatest Hits Vol. III 2000
Songs For Older Women 1998