UMPHREY’S MCGEE COMING TO FIRE UP LA MARCH 13th
March in LA usually means lots of great jam bands coming to town. The rest of the country has been under a blanket of frost for months, and it’s as if it dawns on everyone at once…hey, there’s a whole other side of the country that isn’t freezing, lets go there and play. Umphrey’s Mcgee is one of these bands that figured this out, and the Indiana/Chicago based prog rock jam behemoth makes their annual pilgrimage to the Wiltern Theater again this March 13th. Welcome back boys!!!
2019 was a little different. Umph actually made two So Cal appearances, their typical March show at the Wiltern, but they also came back in August to the House of Blues in Anaheim to coincide with their High Sierra Festival appearance. That show in Anaheim was a Jake Cinninger (lead guitar/god) showcase, including a mind blowing Syncopated Strangers>Ocean Billy. I left that show marveling that here’s a band 20+ years into their existence, and they still throw down consistently every show.
Kris Myers (Drums, Umphrey’s McGee)
Although originally formed at Notre Dame University in the 1990’s, both Kris Myers (drums) and Joel Cummins (keys) have called LA home at one point. There’s definitely some added fire to these local shows. Kris is a madman on the drums, and they usually uncork him on vocals once or twice a show. It’s hard to fathom how great a singer he is, while still playing drums. He unleashed Hot For Teacher by Van Halen last year in Anaheim, and it doesn’t seem fair that the same person can sing and play drums to that song at the same time. Kris is a one of a kind talent, not to be missed.
Speaking of insane, one of a kind talents, Jake Cinninger is mesmerizing with a guitar in his hands. There isn’t an Umph show I leave where I’m not dumbfounded by what he does. It isn’t the flowing blues jam that a lot of us jam heads are used to. He’s technical, precise, and completely shreds. Sometimes I expect to see sparks coming off the guitar neck. Brendan Bayliss (lead vocals/guitar) is no slouch on guitar either. And in any other band he’d be the one getting the praise, but it’s hard understandable playing next to Jake. With Ryan Stasik on bass and Andy Farag on percussion rounding out the backline, you can tell this is a band that has played together for 1000s of shows.
As if Umph wasn’t enough, Buffalo based quartet Aqueous is opening. I caught these guys last year with Big Something at the Bootleg Theater. The hype is legit. There’s a reason you see these guys playing every jam festival all over the country. Quoting their bio: ‘Rock and Roll, pop-laden melodies and hooks, hip hop inspired grooves and massive, anthemic choruses, Aqueous’s sound is explosive, fresh, and undeniably their own. Citing influences as wide ranging as Steely Dan to Tame Impala, Queens of the Stone Age to Kendrick Lamar, the band’s sound is a nod to their open-minded approach as songwriters and musicians.’
OK, DO WE HAVE YOUR ATTENTION LA JAMILY?…because the next bit of info is where March 13th becomes not just another normal Jam night in LA. Because Spin Cycle Presents is teaming up with Redhouse Productions to throw down one of the coolest after shows LA has seen in a long long time. YOU READY? I’m not sure how many details we can give out yet…but…
Joel Cummins, Venice Local and UM Keyboardist, will be one of many featured guests at the Official Umphrey’s McGee LateNight SuperJam.
After the Umphrey’s show at The Wiltern, head to The Mint for the official after show. The Creature Collective kicks off the evening while UM is finishing up things at the Wiltern…then things get wild. The evening will include sets by Marcus Rezak’s Gateway to the Galaxy and CITIZUN plus A LATE NIGHT SUPERJAM featuring: Joel Cummins and Kris Myers (Umphrey’s McGee), Jason Hann (The String Cheese Incident), John Norwood Fisher (Fishbone), Angelo Moore (Fishbone), Antwaun Stanley (Vulfpeck), Eric Moore (Suicidal Tendencies) Marcus Rezak (Shred is Dead, Gateway to the Galaxy) Jesse Clayton (Citizun)…and who knows who else will show up. The firepower coming off that small stage is going to melt the walls down. YOU THINK THAT’S IT ??? Nope.
Can’t really mention what’s going happen after that, but let’s just say, the night isn’t going to end when it usually does, and LA is going to grow up and act like a real city. Don’t miss this night, seriously, it doesn’t happen like this often. More info to come…
Joshua Cumming
Spin Cycle Presents (editorial)