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A long strange trip
By Cassie Hood
hoodc@mscd.edu

Courtesy of madisonhousepublicity.com What, no tie-dye or patchouli? Umphrey's McGee, from left: Jake Cinninger, Kris Myers, Joel Cummins, Ryan Stasik, Andy Farag and Brandon Bayliss.

Life is filled with ups and downs, and all people can really do is have faith and believe that things will get better. Fortunately, things do improve most of the time. For Umphrey’s McGee, it took releasing a new album, Safety in Numbers, to find their footing.

“Just to kind of have faith, I think,” singer Brendan Bayliss said. “Things can get pretty overwhelming, but if you have faith things will work out.”

In 2004, Bayliss and the sextet lost their long-time friend and fan Brian Shultz, killed by a drunken driver. They found comfort and security in each other, giving the new album its name. Bayliss said Umphrey’s hit the studio with one motive: to let out their frustrations.

The end result of their cathartic release is an album that ventures through various genres of music. Their sound is based around acoustic and electric guitars. They intertwine the two to make a down-home country feel while adding a kaleidoscopic range of sound with tranquil and reassuring vocals.

In “Liquid,” from Safety in Numbers, Bayliss lethargically belts out lyrics dripping with emotion. Supporting his vocal exploration are a plethora of strange noises coming from everything from a Moog synthesizer to steel pedal and electric guitars. At the end of the song, everything crashes together, like a nightmare tearing a person from sleep.

As a whole, their newest studio release explores human emotion and survival. Each track delves into the soul, pulling up everything hidden deep inside. When Umphrey’s McGee hit the studio, they held nothing back and let everything pour out of them for the world to witness.

“It wasn’t a conscious effort,” Bayliss said. “We were in the studio and it just came out.”

For Umphrey’s McGee no two songs are alike, just as no two shows are alike. They are a jam band, refusing to settle for one defined sound. When they play, they play what they feel. Bayliss said they don’t make music for popularity; they do it because they enjoy it. Bayliss loves music for its honesty and truth, so playing for an ulterior motive of mainstream success never crossed his mind. He would prefer to play a small room full of people than a huge venue that is half-empty, because his connection with the audience helps get him going during the show.

Their live show is nothing like their studio recordings, Bayliss said. They approach the two as separate entities. Since their humble beginnings in 1997, the band has been known to play for hours at a stretch, sometimes without even knowing it. Bayliss said that in the beginning they just wanted to get free beer, but now they are more rounded and have a purpose onstage: to share their love of music with other people.

For Bayliss, music directly affects how he feels. When he is down he can put on Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry,” and it hits him. Listening to Marley, he knows everything will be okay. For Umphrey’s McGee, they not only feel better by playing music but also by hearing it.

When they put together their newest album, they sought to heal themselves. Perhaps they will be known for songs that people can put on when they need help.

“I don’t want to sound grim,” Bayliss said. “But shit happens. Don’t expect bad things, but be open to change. Because things happen for a reason. I wasn’t worried about other people when we were in the studio. But it is great if this helps someone.”

Because each Umphrey’s McGee performance differs from the last, the band encourages their fans to tape their live shows. While their taping policy, found at http://www.umphreys.com, does state that tapes can only be used for personal use or trading, their openness to recording allows audience members to relive each concert long after Umphrey’s leaves the stage. The band also provides podcasts and setlists for their recent shows, as well as links to buy tickets and merchandise. Many of these recordings can be found at http://www.archive.org.