Umphrey's McGee's stop in West Michigan this summer will be a nice homecoming for the band, as some of its members call this side of the state their home.
Ryan Stasik, bassist for the prog/rock/jam/funk/blues band, grew up in Kalamazoo and remembers a time when Kzoo's music scene was dismal.
"I guess when I was growing up, stuff was either going on at the State Theatre, or Club Soda, where we used to go," he said. "I remember sneaking into those shows when I was 15 or 16. As far as the music scene, I don't really recall. Bell's was always a great place to go to hear some music and have some great beer. I always remember the Kalamazoo Blues Festivals were tons of fun."
Stasik remembers being in a "really s****y garage band" in high school, but according to him, that's about as far as the Kalamazoo music scene went.
"We didn't have a community or anything, so I'm not really keen on [the scene]," he said.
| Umphrey's McGee Frederik Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids July 16, 7 p.m. $37 meijergardens.org, (616) 957-1580 |
As for his current home, Stasik has become accustomed to the road.
"It's like you have a different office every day," he says.
Umphrey's McGee not only hits the road in the fall and winter months, but is a big part of the festival circuit every summer. The band plays Bonnaroo, Coachella, and, until recently, Rothbury.
"The summer time's great because all the festivals are kind of like little mini Vegas conventions for us," he said. "We get to see all our friends, everybody gets to hang out backstage, you get to play a quick show outdoors. There's usually a larger crowd of people, but I wouldn't say I like it better than the intimacy of playing in clu
bs as well. But it's a nice change for the summer."
In order to stand out from the enormous lineup of summer bands to see, Stasik promises a different show at every Umphrey's McGee concert. That, and a light show, which he says is "always magnificent."
"I think [our show] is pretty unexpected. Sometimes you're going to get some old tunes that we never play, sometimes you're going to get some heavy improvs," he said. "If you go to see the same four shows in a row, you're not going to hear the same show twice."
