Switchmen Get Tangled For Abefest

Four scores and seven years ago... you remember that from history class, right? It comes full circle with the celebration of Abe Lincoln's birthday this weekend at one of Lexington's newest music venues, Underdogs. The Tanglewood Collective is presenting Abefest on Saturday, February 12th, featuring local bands The Futonics, Whitehall Bear, Kit Karma, and Love Interrupted, headlined by Switchmen. The Switchmen are a rock trio consisting of Chad Dickerson (vocals, guitar) Seth Murphy (cello, bass) and Tyler Montgomery (drums). In a little over a year, they have made a mark in Central KY, releasing an album "$2 Pistol", played countless shows from Lexfest to the BackRoads Tour, and opened for Sickpuppies. I was able to catch up with the band for a few burning questions...

DR - Just with listening to a few songs, you can tell that you are genre benders. The sound is self proclaimed as RetMod Rock. For those who aren’t familiar, what would you say is the best description for your sound?

SETH - Each of our songs has a different feel and a different influence to go with it. We all come from different musical backgrounds spanning post-grunge Seattle sounds, Fat-WreckChords punk vibes, and mid 70's experimental sounds. Fans we've meet at shows have compared us to The Black Crows, Led Zeppelin, and just last week we got a reference to Austin, TX band Flowerhead.

TYLER - Pearl Jam meets Led Zeppelin with the different song dynamics of Incubus. Like Seth said, every song sounds different and provides fans with a different feel.

DR - How did you come together as a band?

SETH - The same way every band comes together -- Craigslist.

TYLER - I put up a post on craigslist to try and sell myself. I guess I got confused and put it under musicians. I guess you could say I intrigued Chad enough to shoot me an e-mail. (Wink Wink)

DR - What did you think would happen in your first year?

SETH - We went into the studio after playing for only 3 months; that was the last thing I expected. Chad Dickerson felt strongly about the music we were creating while rehearsing and really pushed the band further than we expected to go. I would have been satisfied playing a gig around Lexington every other weekend, but Chad wasn't. Switchmen is just over a year old and we have nearly every weekend booked with shows, from Lexington to Nashville, until May.

TYLER - Play Lollapalooza.

DR - Who have you been excited to play with?

SETH - Every band gets excited to play a show where they open for a national act. We opened for the Sick Puppies in December and had a blast playing to a very receptive crowd. But honestly, as great as that experience was, I have enjoyed sharing the stage with local Lexington bands the most. Gaining a better understanding of what makes up the Lexington music scene let me really appreciate the music and the venues that the city offers.

TYLER - In Louisville we got to go on after Green Haired Freak... this was back in August... an amazing night to say the least.

DR - Who are some of the greatest influences on the band to drive the sound?

TYLER - John Bonham, Mitch Mitchell, Buddy Rich and Carter Beauford. Those guys had chops like no one else. They are in my head every time I get behind my kit.

DR - What has been the most gratifying event or thing in the time as a band thus far?

TYLER - Playing Varden's in Paris, Ky during the WEG.

CHAD - The most gratifying thing I've found so far, is the people I am meeting and their openness and love for the art. In my opinion I play with some of the best musicians in the world. The fact that they put as much time and effort as they do into playing and writing music with me, well that frankly is just humbling.

DR - Do you have any pre-show rituals?

TYLER - Well I don't really, but if you want to know what Seth does before a show, you'll have to ask me later. It's hilarious. He doesn't know that we know though.

CHAD - I like to find silence if I can. I also try to sleep just before stage time. I prefer the feeling of a fresh awaking and then directly picking up the instrument. It seems for me, to lead to a very spiritual and pure sonic experience.

DR - If you could open and/or tour with any national act, who would it be?

TYLER - Lil Wayne. Seriously, that guy is crazy and has an intense work schedule. Plus it would be wild to have two different sounds playing on the same stage. Someone would be injured for sure.

DR - How long has each of you been playing their instrument(s) collectively?

SETH - Cello - 8 years, Bass Guitar - 7 years
TYLER - Drums - About 3 months
CHAD - Vocals - 1 year , Guitar - 16 years

DR - How did you become involved in the Tanglewood Collective?

SETH - Haha, well I was at a house party when one of my hometown friends introduced me to his roomate, Jon Imeson. We were both into deejaying, I played Hip-Hop and Imeson played electronic, and really helped pioneer "Dubstep" in Lexington. We'd always give each other shit, saying that the others music was trash. Anyway...as Jon keep deejaying, he got more involved in the scene, to the point where he started putting shows together. Out of this, Tanglewood Collective was formed.

DR - What does the future hold for the Switchmen? Label and tour?

TYLER - Both, isn't that the point. The future has a lot of riches and I think Seth is planning on getting him some new pre-show material.

SETH - The future for Switchmen looks very bright. We are looking at several options as far as labels go. Mainly, deciding whether to hold out and get a substantial contract in the coming months, or to start our own which has a lot of positives and negatives. We plan to do 2-3 small tours this year and in the Summer of 2012 tour on a very heavy level.

DR - For those who haven’t experienced the Switchmen, what kind of show should they expect?

TYLER - Just get ready! And for the love of God, get up and dance.

So, you heard it straight from the grapevine, Switchmen are ready to rock your socks off along with the rest of the solid lineup for Abefest at Underdogs. Good times are in store and the most legendary Kentuckian will be revered in rock. Come pay your respects and get down with the get down. You don't want Chad chasing after you for not coming. The show starts at 9 PM and is an 18+ show.


SWITCHMEN on Myspace
SWITCHMEN on Facebook

(Photo credits by Stacey Tackett)

Umphrey's McGee Blows Doors Off Buster's

As promised by Joel Cummins, Umphrey’s McGee provided a crazy, crazy fun night at Busters last night. In a room filled to the walls, the energy and good vibes filled the spaces in between. Not all sell out shows have the same feel, but this particular one has the makings of a festival atmosphere.
Glow sticks? Check. Dancing? No doubt. Incredible music? Well covered. The music shifted throughout the show, flowing through metal, grunge, rock, funk, soul, and even a little bluegrass.

“Umphrey’s was flipping awesome” exclaims Sydney Townsend. The instruments created a fusion that only high chemistry bands can pull off. When you put a lineup of musicians on stage as Umphrey’s has, expect nothing less but to be blown away. Cassie Rohde was struck by the music as well, saying “Umphrey’s put on a damn good show. I love them! They are so much fun to dance to.”

This musical bridge could be highlighted by two covers they pulled off. The first was “In Bloom” by Nirvana, paying homage to a long lost legendary band. More shockingly though was when bassist Ryan Stasik came out, donning a Hines Ward jersey, and rapping Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s “Nuthin But a G-Thang”. Sporting the “Terrible Towel” on stage also proved who the guys are rooting for this Sunday. The energy from the stage carried out into the crowd. At one time, the whole place was clapping, creating a near spiritual moment. “Umphrey’s is the bees knees. People are so chill at the shows, coolest chilliest people that I will ever meet.” Kayla Schlein shared. For some people, Umphrey’s is an experience that would be hard pressed to miss. “This is my 63rd show and it never gets old. They’re just progressing the scene, very innovative, fun, interactive. My favorite band by far!” as Will Killebrew explains his UM passion. I am only 3 shows in myself. My recommendation: if you have seen them, see them again. If you haven’t, add it to your to do list. Thanks for the wild ride. Until next time… UMPH LOVE!

Umphrey's McGee Floats Back to Lexington

(pictures from Bonnaroo 2010)

Lexington continues to see an upward trend of musical acts stopping through to give a dose of their magic. On Thursday, Umphrey’s McGee will be settling into Busters with Orchard Lounge for their only schedule Kentucky stop this year. They got their start at Notre Dame in the late 90’s and have been going for the past two decades. If you haven’t heard of the band, the name is something of folklore. They started out as Hubert Humphrey's Traveling Band featuring Flappy McGee, later interpreted by the crowd as Umphrey’s McGee due to the slurred words and sketchy microphone of the late great Rodney Dangerfield. The name now has become the favorite band for scores of fans across the globe.
I was privileged to spend a little time talking to Joel Cummins, keyboard player and founding member. We kicked things off by reminiscing on the heat of this past Bonnaroo (my first dose of UM), his iconic Book-It shirt he and the legendary Stevie Wonder. “Stevie is one of my heroes. Just played Sir Duke on our New Year’s Eve run in Chicago with a horn section and our drummer Kris Myers came out and sang it. Stevie produces such beautiful wonderful that’s equally enlightening and funky. It’s really special. The accuracy of both his keyboard playing and the amazing range of his voice, he still has it all. One of his heroes that’s one of my heroes is Donny Hathaway. I put on his records all the time when I am at home. Its cool to hear that influence on Stevie and to hear him talk about big Donny was in his life.”

For modern times, it’s tough to keep a band together, let alone keep the founding members attached. Joel talks about how unity and the bond of friendship played a factor. “The main thing is that we have rooted ourselves in our personal relationships just as much as we have musically. Being close to each other makes making music easier. We don’t have a lot of the hang-ups and egos that a lot of bands are faced with we’ve taken time to break down the walls from the get go. We realize we’re stronger coming together as a unit than we are individually. The ultimate goal was to avoid sitting behind a desk and so far we’ve achieved that and to get health insurance, those two things. We’re two for two.”
The sound that Umphrey’s brings to the stage is a full and robust explosion of sonic goodness. In a band with so many instruments and skilled musicians, I was interested to see who leads the music on stage. “We know each other well enough and been in a band for so long I think we’re all comfortable leading. If someone’s feeling it and want to step out and write a set list or take an improvisational section a certain direction, we are all comfortable with that. Kind of who has the hot hand is who we pass the ball to. Every time we have some sort of improvisation, there’s that open-ended ness of we don’t know what might happen but be very open to whoever is doing what they are doing, going with that idea and seeing where it takes us.”
Comparisons have been made between Umphrey’s and Phish, both considered jam bands. A lot of that comes from a generalization to explain a music type or genre.

Joel responds, “I think in general, we have a lot of things in common. A lot of the influences are the same for sure, from Frank Zappa, Beatles, Floyd, Talking Heads. We have a similar outlook on the improvisation with those guys. Although they don’t do the communicating with each other verbally or with any kind of signals, it’s kind of more osmotic. I am happy to be compared to those guys because they are fantastic band and group of musicians that I’m definitely a fan of. “
Lately, Joel has faced a tough dilemma with affection for the grand piano vs the utility of analog instruments. “I love playing Yamaha Grand pianos, but sonically it’s an incredible challenge with all the open mics we have on stage. As a tradeoff, the guys are ok with me having 6 keyboards up there, which I would rather have the flexibility of crucial analog instruments like the Hammond B-3 organ, Fender Rhodes, mini Moog Voyager, etc. It makes the show a better experience for the audience, sounds better, less feedback. There are always pros and cons.”
As a growing musician, I asked what he thought it takes to make it in music today. “I think the most important thing, I got this reading a Malcolm Gladwell publication and that is you need 10,000 hours working on your instrument, working on whatever you are doing, be it performing be it song writing, playing together as a band, that’s where the change happens where you start to understand music as a different language that you may have perceived it as before. There’s really no short cut to putting in the time.”
Lexington has been starved of Umphrey’s for sometime now. We talked about how the music scene has changed since they played here last and the future of the scene. “I’m really excited to be coming back to Lexington. We last played The Dame with Monte Montgomery in 2003 or 2004. I am glad we are able to make it happen at Busters this time around. Its going to be a crazy, crazy fun night. Expect to be hung over the next day and to remember you had a great time even though you might not be able to remember specific events.” If what I saw at Bonnaroo and Forecastle is just a taste for what they are capable of, this Chef is ready to hit the kitchen. For fans of or in the Music City, Umphrey’s hits Nashville Feb. 18th with Keller Williams. Check out their live show archives at UMLive.net and on the web at umphreys.com. See you at the show.

Printed in Ace Weekly, 2/2/11

(Photo credit by Kevin Browning)