Umphrey’s McGee has come a long way in their prolific, genre-defying career as a rock band. Despite releasing a total of nine studio albums in their twenty-year career, the band has found time to perform more than 100 concerts annually and release each full-length show online to their fans since 2005. They’re a rock band, no doubt, but their music resists the confines of this label with each new release as they experiment with jazz, blues, funk, reggae, metal, electronic, bluegrass, and folk influences.
For a band with such a wide breadth of skill and style, it’s no surprise that Umphrey’s McGee is eager to push their musical boundaries, and their November 11th release ZONKEY — an album consisting entirely of mashed-up cover songs — is a continuation of this trend. A rock band releasing a mash-up of Michael Jackson’s “Rock with You,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” and the Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face” all on one track might sound ludicrous to a music fan unacquainted with Umphrey’s McGee, but this is just the type of off-the-wall, cavalier material that fans have come to love.
The band’s central focus has always been its listeners, and their show at the Anthem on Thursday, February 15th will be one that devoted fans and newcomers alike won’t want to miss. Further event details can be found here.
