Umphrey’s McGee Builds ‘Blueprints’ From Live Improvisation & Fan Input

Umphrey’s McGee will release a new album entitled Blueprints on September 12. The six-song effort was recorded last December at a hidden theater atop Chicago’s famed Metro club.

All six tracks on Blueprints were developed from fan-chosen live improvisations that the band transformed into fully realized compositions, complete with fresh lyrics and additional instrumentation. Umphrey’s McGee debuted the songs during “Raw Stewage” sets at their football-themed UMBowl concerts.

Not only did fans have a hand in picking the jams UM weaved into the songs featured on Blueprints, they also witnessed the recording process that yielded the album. Umphrey’s performed the material in front of intimate nightly audiences as part of three Top Note Sessions played on the fourth floor of the Metro December 10 – 12, 2024 and livestreamed each set.

Blueprints opens with a run of “Wide Open,” “Exit Signs,” “Unevolved” and “Out Of Focus,” which were each premiered live on November 12, 2022 at UMBowl IX. The album continues with “Den,” the oldest and most frequently played of the batch, as it dates back to 2012’s UMBowl III. “Concessions” — a song trotted out by the band at UMBowl X on April 27, 2024 — closes Blueprints.

The forthcoming live/studio hybrid marks the first Umphrey’s McGee album since 2022’s Asking For A Friend. Vinyl of Blueprints is available for pre-order now via the band’s Diggers store. The vinyl comes packaged with hand-drawn “pedal maps” laying out the origins of each song.

Check out a trailer for Umphrey’s McGee’s Blueprints below:

Blueprints Tracklist

1. Wide Open
2. Exit Signs
3. Unevolved
4. Out Of Focus
5. Den
6. Concessions