Ehh.. I got a few shows I got a month ago or so, still haven\'t given them a solid listen, but I\'m sure I will eventually. I saw them for the first time at the Middle East(downstairs) in \'02. I had fun and they really are great at what they do, there was just something that was missing for me. The songs themselves(esp. the jams) just seemed a little too forced for me, I dunno if that makes sense to you. It just seemed like a formula of some lyrics, a bouncy riff, toss in a heavy metal jam here, etc. It just lacked a little flow, and some soul too. I\'m sure they\'ve gotten much better since them, but its hard to keep up w/ so many bands these days, and its gonna take them to come here more and me to get some more experience in to change my opinion.
I had a chance to see them 3 more times, but the first time I forgot to bring a 21+ i.d., I only caught the last 2 songs of their set at Waterloo, NJ in \'03 where they played acoustic cuz of the horrible weather, and I decided to listen to their moe.down 4 set from my camp site while eating lunch and getting
**** together for the rest of the day and such(which means i wasn\'t paying much attention). I will be seeing them at Summercamp on Memoe.rial Day Weekend, so we\'ll see then.
Umphrey\'s is really progressive, that is they barely rely on improvisation. Some of their originals are classics in the making while others can sound monotonous. AS far as covers, they chose some of the best covers out there, which definitly boosts their reputation. I remember bitching about the TB covers in the covers thread so I won\'t tread those waters again, lets just say with a little manuevering the boys could be turning a lot more heads
thanks joe...
My opinion on the Umph is this... they are truelly talented muscians coming from the midwest who happen to be next to a blues city, Chicago. They have been dealt a really good hand and have taken full advantage of that, no harm intended to the Umph. They play around, it is what makes you known. I have many UM shows on disc and were really into them for a year or so before I came apon the realization that something urked me in their music. I listened and listened and then it dawns on me (remember, totally my opinion).
"Very tight jams, know how to play music, then right as the jam is getting done and they start to get ready for the vocals, the guy sings, and to me it just doesn\'t match up. The music is much more better then whoever sings, the voice just killed me, thats when I gave up on them"
I think the Breakfast need to do a little collaboration with a horn section for a weekend of shows or pull out a few big name special guests, just to get their name out to all those jambands fans, because in the end you don\'t have to love them, just like them enough to go to a show and have a good time! In the end thats what its all about.
I got little to no complaints at all with the Breakfast covers. I think most covers they play are really good at displaying all four of them\'s vocal chops, and musical inspirations. I\'m sure you hate them, but I\'m a sucker for most Ronnie covers(In the Flesh, Karn Evil 9, Tom Sawyer, etc.), and they are good at making them sound better than the original, in my opinion(Hush for example). Don\'t get started on the Zappa covers....
Maybe they should cut down on the Doors covers and the Dead ones as well. But Manzerik(sp?) is clearly a huge influence on Jordan, so I can\'t blame \'em.
I think next time Pevar shares the stage with Breakfast he should bring his walrus mustached friend David along with him
Umphrey\'s moved from Indiana to Chitown because they knew that relying on a poorly populated was not the way to make it. It\'s not that CT is poorly populated, it\'s merely poorly cultured.
I would love to see a duel between Herring and Timmy any day.
I love the Zappa/Funkadelic covers. Plus they cover Focus, which is incredibly cool. Everything else seems like a WPLR(classic rock station out of Milford,CT) play list, their needs to be some creativity in choosing what to display to an audience. I could list 13 covers that TB could adapt as their own, knocking the socks off the crowds every night. But as I discussed with Timmy many times, he\'ll always be about "rock and roll".
All in all, in my opion UM is good. But the Breakfast is great! It seems like UM has quite a bit of help. String cheese loves them. Same record label, even their websites look similer. moe. supports them. It is almost like every other jam band has left the breakfast over in the corner. From the sounds of it this year it may finally change with moe. down. They need to get in the big festival scene bonnaroo would be nice huh??? Before ya know it they will be playing to twenty two thousand and we will be saying.........what did we do
I\'ll never be able to figure out why they\'ve been looked over for the past few years.....
Jealousy
saying, "what did we do"... is a dream of many like some of yours
Festivals, all summer long is the answer. So many walks of life and all you have to do is be on stage.
My opinion of the Breakfast covers are that they usually make them sound better then the originals, however, i think a little more effort into chosing the covers might work out.
to me, I think they are still working out their sound, with a little patience we will push right throught this and will be left saying "what did we do".
as long as they continue to give 100% on stage I will continue to go to the shows...
I don\'t think anybody\'s at fault for being overlooked, its just a matter of most full time touring bands don\'t have the time to keep up w/ all the other young bands out there. Umphrey\'s first encounter w/ moe. was the 1st Bonnaroo and was because they had covered moe.\'s Rebubula and they let 1 of them sit in w/ them for it. It also doesn\'t help that the Breakfast play at festivals headlines by Max Creek and Strangefolk when they should be mixing it up w/ bands that actually made something of themselves, and not still play the Living Room after 30 years. Either way, give it time, the talent is there, and it can\'t be denied.
Well said, I enjoy the covers they have been playing as of late.
absolutely right about the sit ins, chose more wisely, why they beat a dead horse with Max Creek and all that is beyond me but I will say this, they need to take another step and take advantage of the summer festival season and collaborate with some musicians. They have a great funk fusion thing working for them and they do get better every time they are on stage.
The one thing I would like to see from them, and I know it takes time to build comfort and learn where everyone else is but I want JAMS not segues, I would like to be lost in the grand scheme of things and end up in something else like (fill in your own song). Segues just don\'t really do it for me, I like the improv jam, lose me in space and let me find my own pace.
TB needs to further the friendship with Umphrey\'s!!!
this thread has officially come full circle. now if PT wasn\'t down, we could get back to pimping.