Umphrey's McGeeWould you like some jam with that band?
On Jan. 29. Track 29 (1400 Market St.) will host Umphrey's McGee, a Midwestern improvisational rock giant whose name often is uttered in the same breath as artists such as String Cheese Incident, Widespread Panic and Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9).
For fans who have seen the band's touring schedule hit cities all around Chattanooga, seeing them locally has been a long time coming.
"I have spent the last nine [years] following [Umphrey's McGee] around the country, and they are finally coming to my town," writes Signal Mountain resident Zach Byron in a Twitter post Tuesday morning.
Umphrey's began touring in the late '90s after it was formed by a quartet of students - mostly music majors - at Indiana University South Bend. The group quickly gained a national following built largely via grass roots, word-of-mouth distribution of its live CDs. These early recording reportedly were so successful that the band managed to sell out shows in Colorado before ever setting foot in the state.
The group's last album, "Death by Stereo," released September 2011, but a new album is in the works that "is definitely going to be very rockin' and lots of fun," according to an Aug. 23 interview with keyboardist Joel Cummins on RVAmag.com.
New material or not, fans of the band say they are stoked by the upcoming show, which will have tickets available online for $22.50 at 10 a.m. on Friday.
"Umphreys McGee coming to Chattanooga. My life is now complete. #BoutTime" writes Ryan Durante in a tweet posted just after the announcement late Monday evening.