Sound Advice: Indiana Jam Band Umphrey's McGee to Perform at MegaCorp Pavilion

This story is featured in CityBeat's Jan. 24 print edition.

Formed in 1997 at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., jam/fusion group Umphrey’s McGee now consists of members Brendan Bayliss, Jake Cinninger, Joel Cummins, Andy Farag, Kris Myers and Ryan Stasik. They named the band after a real person named Humphrey Magee. In the beginning, they covered the likes of Guns N’ Roses before releasing their first album, 1998’s ironically titled Greatest Hits Vol. III.

After gaining a Midwest following, they introduced themselves to a larger audience at Bonnaroo in 2002, and their career took off. A series of studio and live albums followed, and they played as many as 150 shows a year. 

UM’s music is difficult to pinpoint, as it combines jazz, hard rock and electronica, as heard on the percussion-heavy song, “Staircase.” Live, they’re known for what they refer to as “Jimmy Stewart” improvs. Currently, they live in Chicago, and every New Year’s Eve they perform a long set in the city. Sometimes, if the audience is lucky, they’ll perform a Hall and Oates cover. They appreciate their fans so much that between 2011 and 2021, they released Hall of Fame albums, which are songs fans voted as the best songs from live shows of the previous year. In 2022, UM released their 14^th studio record, Asking For a Friend. They also have a documentary out called Frame x Frame, which chronicles their more than 25 years as a band. 

As far as contemporary jam bands go, they haven’t been around as long as A-Moe or Phish, but they’ve been here long enough to show other like-minded bands how to evolve their sound while also keeping close to their roots. 

Umphrey’s McGee plays MegaCorp Pavilion on Feb. 9 at 8:30 p.m. Info: promowestlive.com.