Big Light: Live Video & Stories From The Road

One of our favourites over here at Back In 15 Minutes is a band called Big Light from San Fran. Right now the foursome is on tour with jam-giants Umphrey's McGee and they're keeping a great journal from the road. Read this hilarious encounter they had with an Umphreak:

We'll share this story from Arizona: The other night in Flagstaff, although the crowd's reaction to our set was encouraging and we played pretty well, we encountered this one guy after the show at the merch table... Apparently this dude's friend had purchased for him (as a gift) one of our CD's thinking that it was an Umphrey's album. After receiving the album from his buddy and realizing that this wasn't an UM album, but instead a record by the opening act that he hated (us), this dude came to the merch table, told Jeremy he thought we sucked, and then asked for either the money back (something we did't want to do) or for it to be exchanged for a Umphrey's disc (something we didn't have the power do).

Well, had the encounter happened with a different band member, perhaps this guy might have actually gotten his money back. Luckily for the band, he approached Jeremy- who promptly let the New Jersey in his blood rip, demanding to know how on earth someone could firstly tell an artist that he thought his band sucked and then secondly ask for money back on A CD HE DIDN'T EVEN PAY FOR, effectively robbing us of our fucking gas money! Anyway, the guy walked away, Big Light CD still in hand, contemplating why on earth he didn't ask one of the little dudes for the refund instead...

Big Light also stopped by MOG to record this great live version of "Good Time of the Year".

Big Light - Good Time Of The Year (Live MMN Session) from MOGMusicNetwork.com on Vimeo.

Umphrey's McGee Confirms New Year's Eve Plans

Umphreaks rejoice. Chicago's favourite jamband will be returning to their home city for a 3 night run at the Riviera Theatre. Umphrey's will play December 29 and finish on the 31. The band, who typically plays Chicago during the New Year had this to say. “We’ve played nearly every room in Chicago over the course of our career, to continue keeping things interesting, we’ve chosen one of our favorite venues in the city this year, the Riviera Theatre, with a perfect combination of lots of open floor for dancing and seats in the balcony with great sight lines,” keyboardist Joel Cummins said in a statement. “We can’t wait to feel the energy in this legendary Chicago haunt explode!”.

Watch Umphrey's cover the Beatles' classic "With A Little Help From My Friends" with some Joe Cocker flare on NYE 2009.

Umphrey's McGee: Show Review - Central Park Summerstage July 9, 2009

Thursday night was my third time seeing Umphrey's McGee within one week. Before any of these shows I can honestly say I didn't truly "get it". Sure, I dabbled into their music and even really enjoyed a handful of songs. Like many other casual listeners, I basically felt Umphrey's was too crunchy. They do play a lot of muted notes and they really do take their time to ease into a jam that isn't driven by their progressive and metal influences. Well, it wasn't until I rode the rails (front row,center) of the Central Park show that I truly understood Umphrey's McGee. First off, they are definitely the tightest and most technical live band out there today (in the jam scene at least). Umphrey's started the show off with "Professor Wormbog" a quirky, older tune that pleased a lot of the hardcore Umphreaks in the crowd. The band really got my attention with the next tune, "Cemetery Walk" off of 2009s Mantis. Channeling Pink Floyd in the introduction, "Cemetery Walk" evolves into a Steely Dan piano driver rocker. The piano riff is so memorable that I've been humming it since the show ended. The boys explored some prog-rock territory in the "Jimmy Stewart" section of crowd-favourite "Nemo" before dipping deep into their huge catalog and pulling out another oldschool song, "Mulche's Odyssey". Sooner than later a playful "Got Your Milk" segued into the techno-dance-remix-reprise of "Cemetery Walk II" which featured guitarist Brendan Bayliss joining Joel Cummins on keyboards. The boys jammed this one out hard and proved the Umphrey's can play dance music better than any of the current jam-tronica acts out there. Sorry Disco Biscuits. The final song of the night was a spirited take on the Beatles' Abbey Road classic "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", a dark, bluesy and not to mention lengthily song that stayed pretty true to the original with the exception of some colourful guitar licks by Cinninger.
The man simply cannot help but rip apart every guitar part he plays, be it solo, lick or riff. While I now consider this my first true Umphrey's McGee show, its safe to say it won't be my last. Thankfully for fans and newbies out there, Umphrey's tours just about 365 days of the year. Thanks for a wonderful night in the park guys.

Setlist:
Professor Wormbog, Cemetery Walk, Nemo, Walletsworth, Mulche's Odyssey, Higgins, Turn & Run, Got Your Milk (Right Here) > Cemetery Walk II, I Want You (She's So Heavy)

Umphrey's McGee - Mantis

Utilizing a new method of musical distribution in this day and age is almost as important as the music itself. Although Mantis was not given away via the Internet, a fair share unreleased live tracks sure were. Using "push" technology, Umphrey's stressed to its fans that more and material would be unlocked on the album as more and more pre-orders were made. That being said, the music on the album is also worth mentioning. Mantis is beyond strong. In fact, its damn near perfect. The first thing worth mentioning about the album is the heavy usage of stringed instruments. As if Umphrey's tunes weren't epic enough, the strings create an almost cinematic feel to the brand new tracks. "Cemetery Walk" is characterized by Brendan Bayliss' punchy lyrical phrasing and is accentuated by Cinniger's underlying, harmonizing guitar lines. "Cemetery Walk II" which builds off its rock and roll brother's piano work is certainly a new direction for the band. This track is pure techno fun. Its drum track is heavily danceable, proving that Umphrey's can easily upstage a genre ruled by tools on their MacBooks. Big surprise there. "Turn & Run" could easily be the highlight of the album. The crisp acoustic guitar intro is quickly followed by the classic prog-rock tone that has made Umphrey's so recognizable. What makes this song so special is Cinninger's epic guitar solo which closes out the last 2 minutes of the track. To be blunt, he rips the shit out of it like only a true guitar god can. Mantis' opening track "Made to Measure" is definitely the radio hit of the album. The comparison has been made in every review on the interweb, but it sounds like a lost Beatles b-side in the best way possible. Mantis is a fantastic release that is sure to please hardcore fans who will rage Umph until the end. "Made To Measure" alone will create new fans who are in for some serious musical enlightenment upon listening to the whole album. How will these songs transfer over live? Only time will tell, but knowing Umphrey's McGee, were sure to find out much sooner than later.

Check out the live debut of Made To Measure (not the best quality, but buy the cd if you want pristine!)