Umphrey’s McGee Takes On 2017

Umphrey’s has long been known for arranging and performing original mashups live. On Nov. 11 the band is releasing Zonkey, a collection of 12 unique mashups, described “as seamless as it is bizarre, playful as it is razor sharp.” Check out “Ace Of Long Nights” below, combining “Ace Of Spades” from Motörhead and “It’s Gonna Be A Long Night” from Ween.   

“Ween’s ‘It’s Gonna Be A Long Night’ feels like a modern homage to Motörhead’s ‘Ace of Spades.’ They’re two dizzyingly torrid riff-rock ragers mashed into one, occasionally so similar that you could mistake one song’s riffs for the other. Jake nails Lemmy’s vocals and I do my best Deaner as my studio lead vocal debut. I saved the track for last in the studio so I could blow it out. Let’s party,” keyboardist/vocalist Joel Cummins said.  

The band just added a run of early 2017 tour dates to its schedule to go along with its previously announced three-night stand at Atlanta’s Tabernacle. Select dates feature special guests Spafford and Joshua Redman. Here’s the plan:

Jan. 13 – Atlanta, Ga., The Tabernacle
Jan. 14 – Atlanta, Ga., The Tabernacle
Jan. 15 – Atlanta, Ga., The Tabernacle
Jan. 20 – Richmond, Va., The National
Jan. 21 – Richmond, Va., The National
Jan. 22 – Jim Thorpe, Pa., Penn’s Peak
Jan. 26 – New Haven, Conn., College Street Music Hall
Jan. 27 – Portland, Maine , State Theatre
Jan. 28 – Albany, N.Y., Palace Theatre
Jan. 29 – Rochester, N.Y., Anthology
Feb. 3 – Detroit, Mich., The Fillmore Detroit
Feb. 4 – Detroit, Mich., The Fillmore Detroit

Spafford appears Jan. 20-21, Jan. 26-29 and Feb. 3-4. Joshua Redman joins the tour Jan. 26-29. Tickets are on sale now.

As for the baseball wager, depending on whether the Chicago Cubs or the Los Angeles Dodgers win the NLCS seven-game series, Umphrey’s or Los Los Lobos will have to cover the other band’s song. Of course the Chicago-based Umphrey’s McGee is rooting for its hometown team.

Visit Umphrey’s McGee’s Facebook page and Umphreys.com for more information.