By Chris Nixon
For the Union-Tribune
June 14, 2007
For those living outside the communal world of improvisational bands, earning the label of “jam band” isn't always a good thing. The bands, it goes, are drug addicts and rebels. The songs, lengthy and meandering. The fans, unwashed and scruffy.
Those stereotypes worked in the 1960s and 1970s when the Grateful Dead pioneered improv rock music highlighted by an open taping policy and devout fans that followed the band's annual tours in VW buses.
The caricatures might even have applied in the 1990s when the term “jam band” was first coined. Bands like Phish, Widespread Panic and Blues Traveler dominated the summer tour schedule, representing the second wave of jam bands while keeping alive the improv spirit of the Dead.
It's a new millennium now, and jam bands like the Disco Biscuits, moe. and Umphrey's McGee have inherited the underground network of fans and venues from Phish and the like.
DATEBOOK
Umphrey's McGee, with Alfred Howard & the K23 Orchestra
8 tonight; House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., downtown; $22; (619) 299-BLUE
But gone are the stereotypes. Jam bands are more diversified than ever, drawing on electronica, punk, metal, jazz and prog rock. Umphrey's McGee drummer Kris Myers broke down the term “jam band” recently.
“There are a variety of pros and cons to being labeled a jam band,” said Myers, deconstructing the mystique of one of the most misrepresented genres in modern music. “One of the pros is we're dealing with one of the most loyal and best live fan bases in the world, without a doubt. The collaborations with the other artists and bands, that's another great thing about the scene. Also the festivals, the networking, the publicity, the booking agents and the people you work with, you know them. It's a family vibe.”
And the negatives?
“The cons I guess are just being labeled as a jam band and the perception that goes along with it in the music critic's world or outside this cool world we're in.
“People don't tend to know what's really going on. Most critics will try to pigeonhole you and throw you into a classification or a style or a genre. Of course, as artists, we'd prefer to be known as just playing music.”
The music of Umphrey's McGee – with its tendency toward both tight songwriting on studio albums and long jams during live shows – places the sextet at the forefront of the next generation of jam bands (see also Particle and Disco Biscuits). After its humble roots in 1997 in the Midwestern town of South Bend, Ind., the group grew an audience through constant touring.
Learning the music business through touring can leave bands scratching their heads, especially jam bands. Even the most ardent of Grateful Dead fans (affectionately dubbed Deadheads) will admit the legendary group's studio output was uneven and mediocre at best compared with its live shows. Instead of creating material on the spot, Umphrey's McGee was forced to learn the art of studio songwriting.
Umphrey's McGee – Jake Cinninger (guitar), Joel Cummins (keyboards, vocals), Brendan Bayliss (guitar, vocals), Ryan Stasik (bass), Myers (drums, vocals) and Andy Farag (percussion) – released its third studio album in 2006, titled “Safety in Numbers.” The disc features 11 tracks of prog rock and tight songwriting, with guest appearances by veteran rocker Huey Lewis and touted jazz sax player Joshua Redman.
UM originally planned to release a double album but chose to boil down the extended sessions into “Safety in Numbers.” With a ton of unreleased material sitting in the coffers, and an expectant fan base hanging on every note, the band decided to combine 26 outtakes and 11 new songs and alternate versions into the 2007 double album “The Bottom Half.”
“We were going to release something called 'The B Sides' but we ended up just calling it 'The Bottom Half,' which is a little more tongue-in-cheek,” said Myers.
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
