Life is Music™

Here’s another reason why Umphrey’s McGee treats their fans better than any band in the business.  First it started with incredible sounding live matrix recordings (mix of soundboard and audience) that the band uploaded for anyone to download for free.  Sound caresser, Kevin Browning, did this for several years until it evolved into UMlive where a fan can now take home the night’s show minutes after the show is over, or he/she can download it later in mp3 or FLAC format.

With spontaneity and trust in mind, last October the band then created the Stew Art Series (S2).  In the Stew Art Series (S2), the band selects certain cities they are already playing and releases a very limited amount of tickets to an all out improvisational afternoon concert where the fans dictate what the band plays on the spot.  A Q&A session and a meet and greet follow with each attendee taking home an autographed copy of the performance.  The band works through each idea the fans dictate with complex signals that keep everyone on their toes.  A portion of the proceeds go to the USTORM charity which helps children and young adults to improve their lives by providing access to various music and arts education programs.  What an awesome idea!

Now the band is now stepping it up once more with their own take on American football.  The first annual UMBowl will take place at Lincoln Hall in Chicago on April 24th, 2010. UMBowl is a 4+ hour musical extravaganza where the band will play four quarters of music, each with a different interactive theme.

The first quarter will be comprised of an acoustic set chosen entirely by the attendees who will cast their votes for which songs will be played in advance.  For the second quarter the band goes back to the Stew Art Series and will text their soundman ideas, he will then display them on a big screen and the fans must text in “plays” and march the band down the field.  The third quarter is the all request quarter.  Once again each attendee will fill out a ballot in advance and express how they want the songs and interludes to go.  In the final quarter, the fans are the quarterbacks.  During the songs the band plays, options will be provided on the big screen and the fans can then text in which direction the band should go.  The band aims to please and any attendee of this game will certainly get their moneys worth.

Umphrey’s McGee has come far.  Along this road to prog-rocking legendary status, it’s refreshing to know they never have forgotten their deep and loyal fanbase.  The band now fills theaters and clubs to capacity all across the country yet they still are willing to keep their ticket prices low.  Continually they look for new and unique ideas to impress and grant open access to their fans.  The band has never hid their love of sports and UMBowl again shows that.  This should be a wonderful experience for all those who attend.  Umphrey’s McGee is the best.  Midwest represent!

Also check out the band’s blog, The Floor, for a behind the scenes look into the day to day happenings of the band.

So it seems 2010 is not going to be a great year for music festivals, or at least not in the upper Midwest. First, in December, Minnesota’s annual 10,000 Lakes Music Festival was cancelled indefinitely due to financial issues. Now the real dagger has just been announced. Rothbury Festival will not be back in 2010. Although rumors swirled in December that this festival too was having money problems, according to their website, Rothbury 2010 has been canceled due to the fact that they cannot put together a “cutting edge roster that everyone has come to expect from ROTHBURY”. This news will undoubtedly hit many music fans in the Midwest and all across the country hard, but if things go well, Rothbury should be back in 2011.

Here is the statement published on their website, www.rothburyfestival.com.

“During the past three years, all of us involved with ROTHBURY have greatly appreciated the tremendous outpouring of support for the future of the festival. For 2010, we have had to make the tough decision to postpone our efforts. A contributing factor in our decision is that, due to various artists’ recording and touring schedules, we now believe that timing will not allow for us to assemble the cutting edge roster that everyone has come to expect from ROTHBURY. The result for this year is that we are not able to move forward with the integrity and high standards that we demand from ourselves and for the festival.

Despite the 2010 postponement, we intend to move toward continuing ROTHBURY in 2011. This event is something very special, and we are unwilling to potentially tarnish what ROTHBURY is, and can become, by working under conditions that will produce anything less than a magical experience.

ROTHBURY is more than a festival. It is a mission intended to discover strength in community, and what it means to be a large-scale sustainable event in these times. Our efforts are certainly not coming to an end.

It is important for us to thank the people of Michigan, Oceana County, The Village of Rothbury, Grant Township, and the Double JJ Resort. Also, we thank our team members, volunteers, creative contributors, media partners, and sponsors. We have made many friendships that will last a lifetime.

To all who attended the first two years of ROTHBURY we thank you for the soul you gave the event. Those times entered rarified air because of your energy.

We hope you have a fantastic July 4th this summer.”

In 2008 and 2009, this nearly sustainable music festival held near the west central Michigan town of Rothbury has had the following musicians (to name a few) grace its stages: The Dead, Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews Band, Umphrey’s McGee, Sting Cheese Incident, Widespread Panic, Snoop Dogg, The Black Crowes, John Mayer, Willie Nelson, The Hold Steady, 311, Trey Anastasio, Primus, Michael Franti & Spearhead, The Black Keys, Drive-by Truckers.

10,000 Lakes Music Festival will not be back in 2010.  Announced today, the wonderful midwestern music festival held for the past seven years in Detroit Lakes, MN will be on an indefinite hiatus due to financial issues.  Minnesota Public Radio reported on their website that promoter Rand Levy said the costs involved were so large the event can’t pay for itself, and that only two of the seven festivals broke even.  Levy says he wants to take a year off and rethink, and the event may come back in another form in future years. 

“We want you to know we have heard your voices as community and the 10,000 Lakes Festival wants to deeply thank all of our fans, artists and attendees for seven amazing years at Soo Pass Ranch,” festival promoter Rand Levy said in a statement.

2009 brought in headliners Wilco, Widespread Panic and Dave Matthews Band.  Approximately 17,000 fans attended the 2009 festival, yet according to the Detroit Lakes Tribune, promoters were expecting a much larger attendance. 

Despite adding a more mainstream headliner, Dave Matthews, fans didn’t turn out in 2009 as organizers had hoped. Levy said before the event he expected 10,000 to 15,000 people to buy single-day tickets for the Matthews finale, in addition to those with full festival passes. Shortly before the July 25 headlining set, an organizer estimated overall festival attendance around 17,000.

10,000 Lakes Music Festival has hosted a mix of national touring acts and north country favorites since 2003. Past performers include: Dave Matthews Band, The Allman Brothers Band, Phil Lesh & Friends, Bob Weir & RatDog, Trey Anastasio Band, John Mayer, 311, Mike Gordon, Wilco, O.A.R., String Cheese Incident, the Disco Biscuits, Umphrey’s McGee, moe., Galactic, MMW, Leftover Salmon, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings and The Roots.