With a resume of over 2,700 live shows, 14 studio albums and 25 years together as a band, Umphrey’s McGee continues to build an organization that defies categorization. Attracting followers from across the globe and from different musical backgrounds, the band has devoted its craft to creating a community centered around meticulous attention to fan experience. At the cutting-edge of both music and technology, their live show offers immersive tech-fueled innovations, while both super-serving their core audience and welcoming new fans into the fold.
The band’s sound has been an amalgamation of genres, moods and tempos, effortlessly flowing from one feeling to the next throughout an album or concert—or sometimes within a singular song. But with time and repetition comes wisdom and maturity, both personally and musically, and in the case of the band’s latest album Asking For A Friend (2022), Umphrey's McGee entered the recording studio with something to say and a wise, measured way to say it.
The end result is an astoundingly cohesive 14-song album that feels like a fresh statement from a group of world-class musicians and friends reapproaching their craft with a new lens. But longtime fans will be happy to know that the Umphrey's McGee they know and love is still very much present on Asking For A Friend, just more refined and more focused.
Comprised of six critically acclaimed musicians – Brendan Bayliss (guitar, vocals), Jake Cinninger (guitar, vocals), Joel Cummins (keyboard, piano, vocals), Andy Farag (percussion), Kris Myers (drums, vocals) and Ryan Stasik (bass) – the group blends together multiple genres and sounds to make something uniquely Umphrey’s McGee.
Joining Umphrey’s McGee is Lotus, a four-piece instrumental band. Lotus was formed while members were in college and has evolved and grown over 20 plus years. They were early adopters of fusing electronic beats and sounds from dance music with jam music, but also draw on psych-rock, post-rock, disco, funk and jazz. Their dance-inducing, high energy shows have made them festival favorites.