Still bringing the “Umph”

Nearing 20 years of existence, Umphrey’s McGee is racking up their number of shows

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After forming in 1997, Umphrey’s McGee soon began their relentless touring schedule. Meticulously recorded on its website, the band tracks the venue and set list for every live show the band has ever played over 17 years: a number that currently sits right above 2,060. Since 2002, they’ve played more than 100 shows annually, averaging 126 shows per year; close to one every three days.

Based in South Bend, Indiana, where the group formed on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, Umphrey’s McGee has performed in 46 states (sorry Alaska, Hawaii, South Dakota and Wyoming) and various venues across the world. The sextet consists of lead singer and guitarist Brendan Bayliss, lead guitarist Jake Cinninger, keyboardist Joel Cummins, bassist Ryan Stasik, drummer Kris Myers and percussionist Andy Farag.

The band has already played three dates in Colorado in 2015, which consisted of three shows in Aspen back in March. Their return to Colorado this summer will include two more concerts, July 2 at the Boulder Theater and July 3 at Red Rocks. The Boulder Theater show, which sold out within an hour of tickets going on sale, will be accompanied by a live stream of the show at the Fox Theatre.

With their most recent studio release, The London Session (2015), the band was able to schedule a mere day of recording time at the infamous Abbey Road Studios, where they recorded an entire studio album. The album includes versions of “No Diablo” and “Cut the Cable” off their previous studio album Similar Skin (2014); as well as previously unrecorded songs like “Bad Friday,” “Comma Later” and “Glory;” and a cover of The Beatles’ classic “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).” In regards to the band’s session at the famed studio, Bayliss says the opportunity provided excitement, along with a healthy dose of stress.

“Anytime I’m in any studio I’m always anxious and nervous and overanalytical, and I think that I can do better, and I think whatever I just did wasn’t my best. And then when you couple that with [the] Abbey Road situation, where it’s, like, already intimidating because it’s already been like hallowed ground, and then couple that with the fact that you only have one day to get it. It was very, very nerve wracking, and there’s definitely one or two takes where I knew I was blowing it.”

Despite what felt like “blowing it,” Bayliss says he managed to keep a cool head, and even found time to appreciate the experience before it was over.

“I feel that toward the end of that session, maybe the last hour or two, I caught myself and just told myself, ‘Listen, it is what it is — you’ve got to enjoy some of this because this is pretty sweet,’” Bayliss says.

The flexibility of recording The London Session in a day mirrors the musical style that Umphrey’s McGee have made themselves known for: improvisational progressive rock. Often shortened to “improg,” Umphrey’s live shows take the form of extended jams that weave in and out of different original songs and covers. Perfecting that style has come about after more than a decade of non-stop touring for the group.

As this year’s tour returns to Colorado and the intimate confines of the Boulder Theater, Bayliss says returning to smaller venues like the Boulder Theater provides its own set of challenges for a band that has by and large moved on to larger venues.

“There’s a little more of an excitement in the air for those shows and I feel like that translates to the music,” he says. “And we usually have to dig in a little more and have a more memorable night. It also kind of reminds us of where we’ve been, and it makes you feel grateful for what you have.”

The following night, Umphrey’s will be returning to the legendary Red Rocks stage that, despite this being their sixth consecutive year headlining the venue, still feels like a daunting challenge for this veteran group.

“I feel like the thing about Red Rocks for me is every single time I walk on that stage it always feels like the first time,” Bayliss says. “It’s weird — no other venue is like that for me. Every time I’m out there I feel like a little kid and I’m super excited.”

Since the band’s inception, they’ve put an emphasis on fan experience both at shows and in day-to-day fan interaction, in part because it was a necessity for survival.

“We kind of saw quickly that the more inclusive you are of your fan base only good things come from it,” Bayliss says. “Without people being interested and without people coming back all the time, without people supporting us, we don’t have a job. So for us it was clear that’s the way to make it work and to make a career out of it.”

Working further on engaging their fan base, Umphreys are in the process of releasing their “Nothing Too Fancy Pale Ale,” brewed right here in Boulder through Boulder Beer Co. in partnership with Cigar City Brewing out of Tampa, Florida. While the beer has already been made available in a very limited release, it will officially be released as a part of the band’s shows at the Boulder Theater and Red Rocks. For now Bayliss says the special edition beer will only be sold on tap at select venues.

Along with the beer, Umphrey’s McGee has also been hard at work creating music. They released two albums in the past calendar year, the first two studio albums to be released through their record label Nothing Too Fancy Music. For now Umphrey’s remains the only group on the label, and while Bayliss wouldn’t reveal whether there would be any new acts joining the label any time soon, he did hint at the possibility of more new Umphrey’s McGee recordings in the foreseeable future.

“We just got together two weeks ago in Jake [Cinninger, Umphrey’s guitarist]’s studio working on new songs and came out with five new songs,” Bayliss says. “We’re really excited, we’re already talking about the next studio thing were going to do. So we’re just plugging away, keeping the boat sailing.”

ON THE BILL: Evening with Umphrey’s McGee Doors: 7 p.m. Show: 8 p.m. Thursday, July 2, Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., Boulder, 303-786-7030. Sold Out. Umphrey’s McGee Boulder Theater Live Stream, Tauk and Eminence Ensemble. Doors: 6 p.m. Show: 6:45 p.m. Thursday, July 2, The Fox Theatre, 1135 13th St., Boulder, 303-447-0095. Tickets $10. Ages 21 plus. Umphrey’s McGee. Doors: 5:30 p.m. Show: 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 3, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison, 720-865-2494.