When you play “Death by Stereo,” the September release by Umphrey’s McGee, prepare to feel like the wind-blown guy in the Maxell tape commercials. Yes, the power of this album by the prog-rock band is wicked enough to give you that experience — figuratively anyway — and you’ll love it. The only question is how the band will top it on the road.
“I think a big thing we try to do live is mix up what we play. We have such a backlog to choose from, it’s always fun and interesting for fans and for us,” said founding member and keyboardist Joel Cummins. “Some of these tracks, we have played live before [but not recorded]. Some we haven’t … but they’re really fun, up-tempo tunes.”
| Onstage |
| Umphrey’s McGee |
| When: 8 p.m. Friday & Saturday |
| Where: 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW |
| Info: $25; 9:30.com; 800-955-5566 |
What Cummins leaves unsaid is the array of genres whirled into this album. A bit of Pink Floyd sound here, a bit of Incubus there, a bit of Pearl Jam over there. But don’t think the band is anything like poseurs. The Umphrey’s McGee sound may have hints of other band’s signature sounds, but it’s unequivocally this band’s own.
“We used to worry [about how the songs] would sound when played live, but we got away from that,” he said. “More and more, we’re not concerned with how they are going to work live. We try to create something in the studio that can stand by itself in terms of a quality sound — maybe our version of [Queen’s] “Bohemian Rhapsody” — and then we go from there. But when we’re in the studio we do what sounds good in the moment.”
The same holds true during the band’s concerts, as they dig deep into their catalog.
“More of our fans are into the tours. Some listen to the [new] album a few times and say ‘Whatever. I’m more into the live show,'” said Cummins. “That’s what makes this all so rewarding for us. At [concerts] and in this album, we’re both trying to surprise them with the sound and with the arrangement and trying to make music that is really fun. … We love to take unexpected turns.”
