10 Things We Learned From Umphreys Ask Me Anything
By Scott Bernstein Jan 28, 2015 • 1:20 pm PST
We’ve compiled a list of ten things we learned from UM’s AMA:
1. Ryan Stasik would like to tap into the hip-hop world a little more
Question: What musical collaboration would you like to see UMs do in the future?
Answer: Ryan says he’d like to tap into the hip hop world a little bit more as far as collaborations go. We’re big fans of Lupe Fiasco.
2. “Jimmy Stewart”s segments these days are almost completely improvised
Question: Can you please shed some light on how you prepare as a band before each individual show, and how much about your jams you plan ahead of time as opposed to how much is completely spontaneous?
Answer: We warm up for 30-40 minutes before every show (pants optional -unfortunately, Stasik rarely wears his) so when we hit the stage it feels like the middle of a set. We occasionally do write outlines for Jimmy Stewarts before the show, but what you end up hearing live is about 90% unplanned 10% vaguely planned improv.
3. A few of Joel’s cover selections have been vetoed by the band
Question: What are some new cover ideas you’ve brought to the table that the rest of the band vetoed?
Answer: I’ve had Glad by Traffic & Chest Fever by the Band vetoed by the rest of the band. They’re crazy right?
4. Oakland’s Fox is a favorite venue for UM, hence the lack of recent dates in San Francisco
Question: Why does the Fox seem to be a sweet spot for you guys?
Answer: The Fox is the best 3000 person theater in the Bay area, so that will probably continue to be a favorite for us to visit. Yeah, that’s the main reason we’re playing there and not SF, same market.
5. Joel wasn’t responsible for the shift from “Visions Of Parin” to “Visions”
Question: I heard that Visons of Parin was renamed to Visions because Parin was your ex girlfriend. Is that true?
Answer: Sort of, ex fiancee. I didn’t make that change though, the other guys in the band did.
6. There’s a reason “Believe The Lie” has been rare as of late
Question: Why don’t you play Believe the Lie that often?
Answer: BTL is very hard for BB to sing, only on the days when he feels it.
7. It’s unlikely we’ll see more S2 Stew Art events beyond UM Bowls
Question: Is there any possibility for S2 events outside of UMBowl?
Answer: Probably not, the S2’s are very challenging & exhausting to the band but work well for UMBowl. Stasik says he’s not tired, he’s a well oiled machine.
8. Umphrey’s McGee still provides free tickets to tapers at each show
Question: How much has the audio taping community helped Umphreys McGee as a Band? You offer free tickets for people to tape, which i think is pretty awesome.
Answer: We’ve grown a lot from word of mouth so having free recordings of our shows out there has been hugely important to us. And yes, we offer 5 free tickets a night to audience tapers, still doing that.
9. Joel aims to mix it up when he’s tasked with writing setlists
Question: Can you explain what goes into a typical Joel setlist?
Answer: I like to put songs in places where they don’t usually get played, mix up old & new tunes and put improv in spots where it doesn’t usually happen. While the results are often outstanding, this also generates many sighs from Brendan.
10. There’s no Huey Lewis and the rUMours shows in the works, but the band is hopeful it will happen again
Question: Will there be another “Huey Lewis and the rUMors” show?
Answer: Uncle Huey is quite busy these days but we’re hopeful we’ll be able to do another Huey & the rUMors show. He’s the best.
