“Umphrey’s McGee is what would happen if King Crimson, Steely Dan and John Coltrane collaborated on a magnificent bronze statue paying tribute to Frank Zappa…and then returned the night after the grand unveiling to blow it up using an extremely small, homemade thermonuclear device.”

So states the band’s bio on Madison House Publicity, and who am I to argue? To be perfectly honest, my initial reaction to this group was one of semi-wary appreciation–I have done my time in the jam band scene, folks, and have, for the most part, moved on. However, I still owe the scene an occasional visit, as I attribute my appreciation and knowledge of jazz to my immersion in the Grateful Dead as a child. So when my hippie counterpart, Chris, called me up and demanded that I see Umphrey’s McGee (and after a brief confusion over exactly whose McGee I was intended to see, and why), I obliged, though admittedly not expecting much.

Once again, I am glad to say that lowered expectations have managed to yield amazing results.

Let’s get something straight right away: Umphrey’s McGee is not a jam band. That is to say, they’re not just a jam band, even though they borrow their three-hour, multi-set concert structure from the jam band scene, and have been called “the new Phish.” Umphrey’s McGee have been characterized by many jazz afficianados as an avant jazz combo, in part due to their recent work with experimental violinist Michael Kang and frequent Coltrane tributes. Others have noticed the often crunching, heavy guitar riffs and pointed out the band’s obvious prog-rock roots. Still, the band are not frequently heard describing themselves as anything more than “rock”–a somewhat lazy epithet, to be sure, but conveniently liberating for a band with so much musical diversity. “A little bit of everything played at an aggressive volume,” says Jake Cinniger, is the hallmark of an Umphrey’s show experience. It’s certainly one way to describe the band’s (by many accounts, indescribable) concert presence, which is driven largely by the manic drum work of Kris Meyers, drummer since 2003. By the way, Myers has a Master’s Degree in Jazz Drumming.

Umphrey’s McGee has been around, in varying lineups and manifestations, since December of ‘97–but despite a faithful (if cultish) fanbase, this summer may go down in the books as their big break! Although they have previously played such festival events as Bonnaroo and Sierra Music, they are currently on tour with String Cheese Incident, which is affording them much more publicity and mainstream exposure than ever before.

Umphrey’s McGee’s newest album is Anchor Drops (2004, Sci Fidelity Records), a song-oriented project that tips its proverbial hat to the Allman Brothers in a major way. Incidentally, even though this isn’t an album review, I give Anchor Drops a solid 8 of ten, and an even higher rating is in order for the production team alone.

Go do the boys a favor–perhaps more importantly, do yourself a favor–and pick up an album or go to a show. While the festival atmosphere can at times be questionable if you’re not used to it, it’s all about good family vibes and better music.

Umphrey’s McGee is Joel Cummins (keyboards, vocals), Brendan Bayliss (guitar, vocals), Ryan Stasik (bass), Andy Farag (percussion), Jake Cinninger (guitar, synthesizers, vocals) and Kris Myers (drums, vocals). Also with the band are sound man Kevin Browning, lighting designer Adam Budney, road manager Don Richards, monitor engineer Bob Ston, and manager Vince Iwinski.

P.S. - All the words in the world can’t sell an artist you haven’t heard. Here’s a rollicking live recording of “Mullet Over” (featuring Michael Kang), a jam from the recent All Good Music Festival on the 17th of this month.