1 of 3
Photo courtesy of Umphrey's McGee
2 of 3
Photo courtesy of Umphrey's McGee
3 of 3
Photo courtesy of Umphrey's McGee
“If you quit your band, we’ll quit ours.” This is what Umphrey’s McGee lead singer and guitarist Brendan Bayliss and bass player Ryan Stasik said to drummer Mike Mirro and keyboardist Joel Cummins at dinner one night in 1997, while they were all attending Notre Dame. The musicians agreed‚and once they listened to the tape from their first practice session, Bayliss says, “we knew this was something good.”
The members of Umphrey’s McGee have been jamming out to their own style of progressive rock ever since, with musical inspiration ranging from legendary classic rocks bands, the Beatles and Led Zeppelin, to jazz music from innovator Frank Zappa to a variety of 70's fusion bands.
Bayliss, Cummins and Stasik from the original band were soon joined by Andy Farag (percussion) and Jake Cinninger (guitar, vocals), and then after Mirro left in 2003, by drummer Kris Myers. 2014’s Similar Skin was the band’s eighth studio album and the first for their own indie label, Nothing Too Fancy (N2F). The album stays true to the band’s classic rock roots with lyrics inspired by Bayliss’ fatherhood.
“Lyrically, I start with a melody, and then I put words to that melody,” Bayliss says. “For me, I like to do several drafts because it’s important not to sound corny. If I know we’re making a four-verse song, I’ll write 16 and cherry pick from those, so we always have options.”
While Similar Skin was recorded in Chicago, between tour dates, the band amazingly finished their latest album, London Sessions, in just twelve hours—at the legendary Studio Two at Abbey Road.
Bayliss says, “It was so intense because, for me, the Beatles have been one of my biggest influences. Going there was like going to church, and we didn’t want to be sacrilegious. I felt so lucky, but there was also a lot of pressure because we only got one shot at it, and after the first two hours, we hadn’t even hit a chord yet.”
But that quickly turned around—the day ended with 10 tracks. Bayliss says, “I didn’t even stop to think about how cool it was until about two-thirds of the way through, when I realized we had 5 or 6 good songs. I was able to enjoy the last little bit knowing that, at least, we could leave with something.”
The band’s LouFest set will feature a mix of old and new songs, potentially including a few unreleased songs that they’re still working on.
Umphrey’s, one of the bands in the first ever Bonnaroo, has had an impressive lineup of festival appearances.
“We get pretty excited about performing at festivals because they’re a chance to get in front of a lot of people who’ve never heard us,” Bayliss explains. “About 90 of the 100+ shows we play each year pull mostly Umphrey’s fans—so we know everyone is there specifically to see us. But, with festivals, we can win over new ears.”
The past 17 years have provided the band with the recording and performing experience to define and streamline their sound.
Bayliss says, “In the beginning, I think we were out to prove something. We would write songs that were technically difficult to play, sort of like, ‘look what I can do.’ But, over the years, we’ve learned to be more precise and that you can still get the point across with fewer notes. We also listen to our fans—they’re honest with feedback on what they like and what they don’t, so we can improve as a band.”
Even so, there was always one person to whom the band did have something to prove: Bayliss’ second cousin, the man responsible for the group’s namesake.
“When I saw the guy for the first time, he was in a fly bowtie and suit. We liked his name, but changed the spelling around, so he couldn’t sue us,” Bayliss says, laughing. “He actually came to a show three or four years after we formed and told us after, ‘well…thank god you guys are actually good.’”
Umphrey's McGee performs Sunday, September 13 at 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit loufest.com.
