Columns

Words: Mike Sherwood

THE BEAST

The Hydra known as Umphrey’s McGee carved its way through the Northeast this past weekend, leaving a path of sonic destruction in its wake. For those who are unfamiliar with Greek mythology, the Lernaean Hydra was a 9 headed beast that Heracles had to slay as his second of twelve labors. In 2010, I don’t think the son of Zeus would stand a chance if he had to contend with the increasingly mythic Umphrey’s McGee.

Umphrey’s McGee – A Day In The Life

Umphrey’s McGee is made up of six musicians (Brendan Bayliss, Jake Cinniniger, Joel Cummins, Andy Farag, Kris Myers and Ryan Stasik), sound caresser Kevin Browning, light magician Jeff Waful and another “head” representing an organization of people who are committed to pleasing UM’s diehard fanbase in fresh and innovative ways. When you couple the collective talents of the band members and the dedication of their support staff, you have the makings of a band that seems destined to make their own mythology in the jam scene and beyond…

THE SHOW

I was fortunate enough this past week to be able to catch three UM shows in four nights. The first of which was at the Nokia Theatre in Manhattan last Thursday. Having lived in Manhattan for eight years prior to moving to Boston last summer, I was very much looking forward to another Nokia show.

READ ON for more of Mike’s thoughts on Umphrey’s at the Nokia…

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Remember when Phish would put together a summer tour and we weren’t privy to all of the machinations that go into putting the dates together? Clearly, the band and its management are trying to break away from the typical shed to shed summer tours that the group has played in the past and as part of attempting to play unique venues they need to get approval from the towns/cities where these shows are held.

[Yesterday’s Meeting – ©Merrick Chase / Telluride Photography.Net]

For instance, let’s take the proposed Phish shows that AEG Live and Telluride Bluegrass are attempting to hold in Telluride on August 9th and 10th. We first learned about the possibility of these shows through a terse tweet from the Telluride News on February 17. Later that evening, Telluride radio station KOTO broadcast a report that featured an interview with Telluride Jazz director Paul Machado and Telluride Bluegrass Festival director Craig Ferguson in which the pair laid out all of the approvals that would need to be obtained before an official offer could be made to the band. That interview gave us all a behind-the-scenes look at the hoops promoters must jump through to hold Phish concerts in atypical venues.

Over the past few weeks, these potential Phish shows have cleared a number of “hurdles” including yesterday when Telluride’s arts board put the shows on the town’s calendar. Next, the promoters need approval from the town council next Tuesday. That would leave AEG and Phish to work out a deal that would bring the band to town, a deal that may have already been agreed upon so that the band could leave the dates open on its schedule.

READ ON for more on the potential shows at Wrigley and Telluride…

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We came across an amazing video featuring Gov’t Mule playing Blind Faith’s Presence of the Lord along with Chris Robinson and Marc Ford of the Black Crowes. Ford and Robinson