(PR) In June, prog-rock powerhouse Umphrey's McGee will release Jimmy Stewart 2007 - an ambitious double-live album comprised of some of the band's most inspired improvisations, sequenced into two seamless 70-minute "mixtapes." Several times each performance Umphrey's McGee delves into the "Jimmy Stewart" creation process. They aim to generate melody-rich, spontaneous compositions, utilizing a Zappa-inspired language of body gestures and hand-signals which allow the band to create structure on-the-fly.As Umphrey's McGee's sound continues to evolve, each live performance is increasingly a showcase for their "Jimmy Stewart" approach to progressive improvisation, which they utilize as a breeding ground for new material. Fan favorites "In the Kitchen", "Intentions Clear", "Bridgeless", and many more have come from such sessions. In fact, the newest original to the Umphrey's McGee live repertoire is "Waist Down", a song with firm roots in the Jimmy Stewart 2007 track "Eat - 2.17.07 - San Francisco".
Umphrey's is a band always on the cusp of fresh technology and music distribution, and the trendsetting Umphrey's McGee Podcast serves up two 75-minute sets of live UM each month to its 20,000 subscribers. On June 10th, the Podcast offered it's 66th broadcast, a Jimmy Stewart 2007 companion piece of an extra CD's worth of material from the cutting room.
That past weekend, a limited pressing of 2,000 Jimmy Stewart 2007 CDs were available at the Bonnaroo Music Festival, with remaining copies to be distributed at shows and though the band's online store. Beginning June 17, the record is available digitally via iTunes and UMLive.net.
Also this month, Umphrey's McGee debut a digital-only live series called CompendiUM. The first ten releases in this iTunes series are comprised of the band's favorite ten shows of 2007, showcasing the incredibly diverse range of the Umphrey's McGee live experience.
CompendiUM releases:
CompendiUM: Live in Boulder, Colorado - 03.06.07
CompendiUM: Live in Pontiac, Michigan - 03.16.07
CompendiUM: Live in Madison, Wisconsin - 03.22.07
CompendiUM: Live in Rochester, New York - 04.15.07
CompendiUM: Live in Portland, Oregon - 06.07.07
CompendiUM: Live in Portsmouth, Virginia - 06.28.07
CompendiUM: Live in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota - 07.19.07
CompendiUM: Live in Bloomington, Inidiana - 11.09.07
CompendiUM: Live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin - 11.10.07
CompendiUM: Live in Chicago, Illinois - 12.30.07
Look for the band on tour this summer:
July 05 Saturday in the Park Sioux City IA
July 06 Weesner Amphitheater - Minnesota Zoo Apple Valley M
July 10 Willow Island at Alliant Energy Center Madison WI Co-Headline with STS9
July 12 Westfair Amphitheatre Omaha NE Co-Headline with STS9
July 15 Moonlite Gardens Cincinnati OH Co-Headline with STS9
July 16 Innsbrook Pavilion Glen Allen VA Co-Headline with STS9
July 17 Promowest Pavilion Columbus OH Co-Headline with STS9
July 18 The Lawn at White River State Park Indianapolis IN Co-Headline with STS9
July 19 Charter One Pavilion at Northerly Island Chicago IL Co-Headline with STS9
July 24 Roseland Ballroom New York NY Co-Headline with STS9
July 25 Festival Pier at Penn's Landing Philadelphia PA Co-Headline with STS9
July 25 Fillmore at the TLA Philadelphia PA
July 26 Bank of America Pavilion Boston MA Co-Headline with STS9
July 27 Pier 6 Concert Pavilion Baltimore MD Co-Headline with STS9
July 30 House of Blues Myrtle Beach SC Co-Headline with STS9
July 31 Koka Booth Amphitheatre Cary NC Co-Headline with STS9
July 31 Lincoln Theatre Raleigh NC
August 01-02 Masquerade Music Park Atlanta GA Co-Headline with STS9
August 09 Up North Music and Arts Festival Hiram ME
August 31 Red Rocks Amphitheatre Morisson CO With Gov't Mule
September 01 The Fox Theatre Boulder CO
September 13 Mulberry Mountain Harvest Music Festival Ozark AR
December 11-15 Caribbean Holidaze Jamaica IA
