#Ryan Stasik

[eventseeker789]

Umphrey's McGee

Umphrey's McGee is an American progressive rock band formed in 1997 in South Bend, Indiana. The band's music incorporates a wide range of genres, including rock, jazz, blues, metal, and funk, often within a single performance. Known for their improvisational live shows and intricate compositions, they have built a dedicated fan base through extensive touring and live recordings. The band's lineup consists of Brendan Bayliss (guitar, vocals), Jake Cinninger (guitar, vocals), Joel Cummins (keyboards, vocals), Ryan Stasik (bass), Andy Farag (percussion), and Kris Myers (drums, vocals). Umphrey's McGee has released several studio albums, live recordings, and concert DVDs, gaining a reputation for their musicianship and innovative approach to the jam band scene.

[thebowerypresents]

Umphrey’s McGee Deliver with Two-Set Show at Brooklyn Steel on Friday Night

Umphrey’s McGee – Brooklyn Steel – January 19, 2024

In the vanguard of 2000s-era jambands, Umphrey’s McGee have often been thought of as the prog-rock one, and undoubtedly, the way their more complicated tunes can sprawl out into guitar-storm, drum-clattering, puzzle-box creative madness recalls some prog-rock forebears, especially King Crimson. But prog is only a slice of how eclectic Umphrey’s can get and how they make that eclecticism a weapon instead of a neat trick. As a going concern for more than 25 years now (!), Umphrey’s shows travel what often feels like the full gamut, from arena rock to psychedelia to scraping-crunchy industrial metal, brain-bender jazz, acid blues, reggae and tender ballads. Yeah, there’s many a jamband trope — dual guitar stack-ups, lengthy excursions, brilliant improvisation, oblique lyrics and song titles, the kinds of setlist gymnastics most bands would go hands up at — but in each Umphrey’s era, they’ve sounded more like themselves, even as they got more varied, their songwriting got better and their fan base grew and stayed.

At Brooklyn Steel on Friday night, the first of three local shows in what’s become a traditional(-ish) Umphrey’s swing through NYC at this time of year, the six-piece got to business as only they know how, creating two sets of sonic voyages that sometimes felt like visits to little worlds, destination assured, and sometimes felt like madness-bordering searches for those worlds, destination unknown. They do both, equally well.

Set 1 stops included “There’s No Crying in Mexico,” “40’s Theme” and a long excursion from “Half Delayed” into the prog-metal “1348,” plus the big guitar crunch of “Hourglass.” “Sociable Jimmy” was that first stanza’s standout. It began like a gnarly Frank Zappa workout and moved into a soaring guitar noise. Set 2 featured the instrumental “Nothing Too Fancy,” starting with a wash of cooling synth, kicking up the kind of slippery drums-and-percussion you’d associate with Radiohead, and then going full Zeppelin stomp. Other highlights included “Cemetery Walk” — a Police-meets-Traffic kind of thing — which bled into its constant companion, “Cemetery Walk II,” keyboards-forward and somewhat soothing until its jittery drums kicked in again. The beloved “Ringo” — more than 20 years in the Umphrey’s repertoire — closed the show, its not-quite-laid-back-not-quite-jittery reggae lilt briefly shifting into a cover of Tenacious D’s “Kielbasa” before taking things home.

Umphrey’s McGee — as ever, guitarists Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger, keyboardist Joel Cummins, bassist Ryan Stasik, and the monster drums-percussion core of Andy Farag and (back behind the kit after an injury-sidelined 2023) Kris Myers — are so adept at so many styles because they seem to approach each of them like a really dialed-in jazz combo would. The lead instruments duck and weave around one another. The rhythm instruments are tight in the pocket. They all have big ears and use them. Improvisation is constantly inspired, rarely wonky or wanky. In another band this would all be too much, from the varying styles to the arsenal of effects and the fortress-like stage setup. Umphrey’s make it all not just coherent but effective, and after their show, you’re spent. —Chad Berndtson | @Cberndtson

Photo courtesy of Chad Berndtson

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: Umphrey’s McGee - “Band On The Run” (Live, Dec. 29, 2018)

Watching and listening to Umphrey’s McGee performing “Band on the Run” is an experience much like the first - and only - time Sound Bites saw the group in concert.

First thought: these fuckers can play.

Second thought: these fuckers can’t sing for shit.

As for this musically faithful Wings cover from Dec. 29, 2018, it’s not just that Joel Cummins, Brendan Bayliss, Jake Cinninger and Kris Myers are singing parts made famous by Paul McCartney. It’s that each of them is about as qualified to take the mic as Linda McCartney was.

The music is superb. The vocals are the opposite. And that makes this freshly released, professional video a tough sell.

Grade card: Umphrey’s McGee - “Band On The Run” (Live - 12/29/18) - D

11/9/20

[tonyvasquez]

Happy Birthday to Umphrey's McGee's bassist Ryan Stasik! 📸: Vasquez Photography

[mypositiveoutlooks]

High schoolers leave graduation minutes after receiving their diplomas to put out fire at a classmate's house

High schoolers leave graduation minutes after receiving their diplomas to put out fire at a classmate’s house

A group of students who had just graduated from Port Jefferson High School in Long Island, New York, went from walking the stage to claim their diplomas to putting out a fire after being alerted to a nearby fire. Their principal, Eric Haruthunian, identified the six brave students as Kasumi Layne-Stasik, Shane Hartig, Ryan Parmegiani, Andrew Patterson, Peter Rizzo, and Hunter Volpi. The…

[revolwave]

Ryan Stasik from Anthony Leonard on Vimeo.

[sourceseth]

Some from Wonderlust on Vimeo.

Based on a poem and inspired by the work of Italian designer Ettore Sottsass, Some is a short film that explores the spectrum of emotions in everyday life.

Produced by: Wonderlust Directed by: Ryan Rumbolt Art Direction // Illustration: Justyna Stasik Animation: Juan Pontaroli & Arm Sattavorn Sound Design // Music: CypherAudio

[umphreysmcgee]

We want to share details on some moments & highlight a handful of the photographers that helped make our #itsnotus Deluxe Book what it is. Today’s comes from our pal & all around good guy @jayblakesberg. | “This image was made at @summercampfest. It’s one of my favorite places to shoot Umphrey’s because as one of the main attractions at the festival along with @moetheband, you get both day and night opportunities to photograph the band. I know from shooting UM so many times that the end of a song, and even more so, the end of the set is when the frontline guys often turn around to make eye contact with Kris and Andy. This is when I try and position myself to “anticipate the play” - an old little league bit of wisdom given to me when I was 10 years old that has served me well as a photographer - and be ready for that moment when Brendan, or Jake or Ryan turns towards the drummers. I typically am waiting with the widest lens on hand, for the big dramatic sky effect, and the large crowd that UM always has.  This photo worked well for me as it captures Bayliss at a cool moment, with sky, crowd and Stasik!  Jay Blakesberg

[yummyummy-404]

Stasik Power Stance by JSSphotography Ryan Stasik of Umphrey's Mcgee US Celluar Center Asheville NC 2.16.18 March 5, 2018 at 10:08PM

[musthavemedia]

Ryan Stasik and Brendan Bayliss if @umphreysmcgee team up with Jamie Shields and Darren Shearer of @tndontour to become #omegamoos during the official #umphreysmcgee #afterparty at @magicstickdet #magicstick #detroit (at Magic Stick) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8Re0uiAytA/?igshid=1hthcj9zxnafs

[karoltabis]

Based on a poem and inspired by the work of Italian designer Ettore Sottsass, Some is a short film that explores the spectrum of emotions in everyday life. Produced by: Wonderlust Directed by: Ryan Rumbolt Art Direction // Illustration: Justyna Stasik Animation: Juan Pontaroli & Arm Sattavorn Sound Design // Music: CypherAudio

[artwalktv]

Based on a poem and inspired by the work of Italian designer Ettore Sottsass, Some is a short film that explores the spectrum of emotions in everyday life. Produced by: Wonderlust Directed by: Ryan Rumbolt Art Direction // Illustration: Justyna Stasik Animation: Juan Pontaroli & Arm Sattavorn Sound Design // Music: CypherAudio

[thebowerypresents]

Umphrey’s McGee Cap Beacon Theatre Run on Saturday Night

If it’s winter in New York City, Umphrey’s McGee are due for a visit. The veteran jammers settled back into their traditional mid-January Beacon Theatre weekend after switching it up last year with February shows at Brooklyn Steel. Saturday really was winter in NYC with just about every kind of precipitation falling during the day. Umphrey’s matched the weather with their own exploratory wintry mix, cramming multiple styles and genres into their two-set show. At the 15-minute mark of the opening set, my show notes were already a page long, marking the passage from chugger metal guitar to a drum-bass room pulse to an electric shred from guitarist Jake Cinninger to a chilled-out keyboard interlude led by Joel Cummins, then a two-axe climax with Cinninger and Brendan Bayliss in each other’s faces center stage to a darker minor-key full-band smolder to a bright anthemic arrival to a prog-rock pretzel and so on. Rain, sleet, snow and combinations thereof, the camera-ready lights shining just as many permutations of colors and geometries into the venue. And that was the first just-getting-started 15 minutes or so.

The highlight stretch of the first set came in its second half. A without-a-map version of “Nothing Too Fancy” found the band clicking in several spots over an extended improvisation. They say, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” but on Saturday on the Upper West Side, Umphrey’s filled 26.2 miles of distance with seemingly infinite 100-yard dashes of ideas, quick spurts of jamming, beautiful, then gnarly, funky then ecstatic. The first set ended with the band bringing out NYC guitar stalwarts Mike Stern and Leni Stern for a four-guitar take on Miles Davis’s “It’s About That Time,” both Sterns taking multiple turns leading the outsize version of the band and thrilling the full house. The five-song second set opened with Umphrey’s McGee paying tribute to Rush drummer Neil Peart with a high-energy cover of “Limelight” sung by drummer Kris Myers.

The rest of the set was a “What song is this again?” blur. “Der Bluten Kat” gave everyone a spot in the limelight, with frenetic stop-start guitar forays, an excursion led by bassist Ryan Stasik and a nice simmer-down section fronted by Cummins under muted pastel lights. “Booth Love” was a dark-funk dance party under triangles of green, orange and yellow, Cinninger moving over to the keyboards to bring an extra dose of groove, Bayliss grabbing phones from the audience to take pictures from his vantage, the crowd of faithful fans going full boogie. The set ended in appropriately triumphant fashion, a jubilant arms-aloft take on “All in Time,” with maybe another guitar solo or two thrown in, like those last few lingering snowflakes from the passing storm, for good measure. The temperature in the theater sufficiently raised to melt the slush, the roads all clear, Umphrey’s McGee capped off their 2020 Beacon run encoring with their somewhat rare version of Pat Metheny’s “Last Train Home,” a fitting end until, we can only hope, next winter’s visit. —A. Stein | @Neddyo

Photo courtesy of Aaron Stein | @Neddyo

[krispyweiss]

“I Know We Could All Use Just One More:” Umphrey’s McGee Dedicates ‘With a Little Help’ to ‘Friend’ Jeff Austin

“Umphrey’s McGee,” a smiling and headphones-sporting Jeff Austin says gleefully.

“Do people really dance to this crap?”

The screen then fades to white. Black letters and numerals appear: “Jeff Austin 1974-2019.”

The poignant and funny moment comes at the end of a pro-shot video of Umphrey’s McGee and members of Turkuaz performing Joe Cocker’s arrangement of “With A Little Help From My Friends” at Red Rocks. Dedicated to the former Yonder Mountain String Band mandolinist, it was the first time Umphrey’s played the Beatles song in more than a decade.

Austin, who also played with Umphrey’s’ Brendan Bayliss in 30db, died June 24 at 45.

Goosed along by Turkuaz’s horn section and singers Shira Elias and Sammi Garett, it’s an emotional rendition, obviously motivated by the musicians’ love for their fallen comrade.

In an equally emotional remembrance, Bayliss called Austin “a giant tidal wave” and encouraged readers to listen to his music and tell stories about him.

“I know I will never ever meet anyone like Jeff again, and the world will never know anyone like Jeff again,” he wrote. “And that is what makes me cry at random times – the realization that I don’t get to have one more hug, one more laugh, I know we all could use just one more.”

6/26/19

[manukyan]

Some from Wonderlust on Vimeo.

Based on a poem and inspired by the work of Italian designer Ettore Sottsass, Some is a short film that explores the spectrum of emotions in everyday life.

Produced by: Wonderlust Directed by: Ryan Rumbolt Art Direction // Illustration: Justyna Stasik Animation: Juan Pontaroli & Arm Sattavorn Sound Design // Music: CypherAudio

[waldocapote]

Some from Wonderlust on Vimeo.

Based on a poem and inspired by the work of Italian designer Ettore Sottsass, Some is a short film that explores the spectrum of emotions in everyday life.

Produced by: Wonderlust Directed by: Ryan Rumbolt Art Direction // Illustration: Justyna Stasik Animation: Juan Pontaroli & Arm Sattavorn Sound Design // Music: CypherAudio