Disc Golf Mecca: Walnut Creek Park in Charlottesville, VA

Since this is my first contribution to Disc Golf Traveler, I wanted to take a second to introduce myself. My name is Brian Giggey and I’m the tour manager for nationally touring band, Zach Deputy. Zach and I met in 2007 when I was in my first year of graduate school at UMass where I was getting my degree in Landscape Architecture. When he came to play at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, MA in April 2008, I made sure to introduce him to a deep passion of mine: disc golf. I had only started playing disc golf about two years before that time, but it’s all I could think about. My golfer brain would think about flight patterns, course management and pin positions, while my land arch brain would drool over riparian corridors, ridge lines and the amicability of the sport with other uses such as hiking, biking and dog walking.

Fast forward two years and I find myself putting the final touches on my disc golf course design for Orchard Hill Disc Golf at UMass Amherst, which will hopefully play host to several Zach Deputy disc golf tournaments in the future. As I pack my bags and say goodbye to Amherst, I’m ready for my new full time adventure of traveling town to town and state to state across the country. Zach, Innova’s newest sponsored celebrity, is a touring machine --- six nights a week for months on end. As we approach markets with shorter drive times between shows, our angst for disc golf grows. We start paging through DGCourseReview for the local goodness. Ratings and reviews left by other players are like gold as we seldom like to derail from our path unless we know it’s worth it. Low and behold, almost a year to the day after I joined the road full time, I find my favorite course thus far.

After our show at Clementine Café in Harrisonburg, VA we headed south to Charlottesville, VA for two relaxing days off in the old of the Dave Matthews Band in the early 1990’s. As we traversed the hills and valleys of the local roads, I couldn’t help but wonder where Haunted Hallows was; the custom built recording studio for DMB and their associated projects. The farm lands and mountain vistas already have me thinking of a potential house here in the future, but the amount of disc golf courses in the vicinity is surprisingly low.

A little over 10 miles outside downtown Charlottesville lay Walnut Creek Park. As you drive down the entrance road, excitement grows as baskets and pin positions begin to reveal pieces of the course. I’m already making mental notes of where pins are tucked and where not to miss. The road culminates in an impervious parking lot with a large facility that houses vending machines, picnic tables and family gatherings, overlooking a large lake that’s pressed up against the backdrop of rolling hills and mountainsides. This lake will come into play several times throughout your round, so get ready for it. If it’s not hypnotizing you with its beauty, its making you sweat a couple bullets as it entices you to bit off a little more than you can chew. Flanking the parking lot are two small playgrounds and a few huts that are ready to host your family barbeque.

All of these separate entities are perfectly connected by a trail system that runs through the park, aiding bikers, hikers, fisherman and disc golfers in their daily activities.

Tucked into the Blue Ridge Mountains, the disc golf course that circumvents the park is a shot maker's course through and through. With a 4.21 rating on DGCourseReview, I knew we we’re in for a treat. We all piled out of the Sprinter with excitement running through our veins, me especially, as tight wooded courses are my specialty. Zach is more of a rolling hills and fields player, while I could care less for those big D opportunities --- Walnut Creek Park: advantage me. Created in 2002, the course’s three designers put together a beautiful mix of uphill, downhill, open and wooded shots. This course is extremely challenging from either tee box, as each hole has multiple tee boxes and a variety of pin positions. Pin positions, as well as league information and course layout can be found at the message board near the parking lot, so head over to it before you venture off to the first tee.

As is standard with many disc golf courses across the nation, the primary feature that was lacking at Walnut Creek Park was signage between holes. Easily discernable to locals, wayfinding between some holes for us was quite frustrating. The only other negative in my opinion was that fact that all the tee pads were a compacted type of gravel, which depending on their structural integrity and amount of rainfall, were in either fair or poor condition. A course of this caliber should have permanent tee pads. Speaking from a landscape architecture point of view, less impervious surface (such as concrete or pavement) is a good thing, but in this case, concrete pads are a must.

After only three holes, you could see that this course was going to provide us with a wonderful mixture of both hyzer and anhyzer shots. Walnut Creek will bring out every shot you have in your bag! With tight fairways, water hazards and numerous elevation changes just on the front side, I was happy to be right around level par headed to the back. Notable holes on the front nine were the downhill, overwater 2nd hole, where if you split the uprights of the towering trees, you will be left with a short, level birdie putt. The 6th hole was the first of many holes with genius pin positioning. A relatively open field hole, the drive is uphill through a shoot of trees leaving players with second shot that only affords them a glimpse of the top of the basket. Situated on a 45 degree slope, players need to figure where they want to putt from. I decided short right would leave me the best putt, as who knows where my Roc would roll to if I flirted with that slope. I made par and left happy.

The 10th hole is your window to make up any shots you may have given back on the first part of your round. A straight shot, 235 foot hole, anything more than a par should make you think about heading to the car early.

The 11th and 14th are two holes that being too aggressive will only lead to birdie sometimes and bogies most of the time. With the baskets situated on severe slopes, unless you have a kick in, you might just want to take your par and move along. Saving the best for last, the 17th hole is one of the most breathtaking holes you’ll see. What initially looks like a big downhill drive and an awkward second shot slowly reveals itself to be so much more. With an elevation change from tee to basket of a couple hundred feet, this is your chance to let out all your frustrations. Be warned though, the lake on the right hand side is very much in play, while the thick woods on the left will catch the majority of drives, or if you go too far left, darn near impossible. As you make your way down to the plateau that catches most drives, a new obstacle presents itself --- more water! From the plateau to the basket isn’t much more than 125 feet, but the severe elevation change and water in the background should make you think for a bit before you throw. Remember that your disc is going to break A LOT when it slows down, so give yourself a large buffer from the water as it runs along the back and left hand side of the hole, leaving an almost island green to some degree.

Our round at Walnut Creek Park only took a couple hours, but this is a place where anyone could (and should) spend the day. If you’re in the area, block out a part of your day and really take the opportunity to explore this beautiful tract of land. Besides some wayfinding issues from hole to hole, there aren’t many negative things that can be said about this course. Charlottesville, VA has a prize in the form of Walnut Creek Park, so I urge you to put this course on your “to-play” list. You surely won’t regret it.

A couple of days ago, I celebrated my 27th birthday on the road. A couple months ago, I was in a routing meeting with Zach Deputy Management and thought I would be in Mississippi for my birthday. I thought, 'sure, I’ve never been to Mississippi, it should be fun,' but I knew I wanted more. As the weeks passed and the tour developed, we got a contract for February 11th, 2011 at Skipper’s Smokehouse in Tampa, FL. Fuck yeah! Skipper’s is one of my favorite venues in the entire country. When I was younger I used to go on Dave Matthews Band tours, seeing them play in large sheds and higher capacity venues. When you get to that size, things become much more sterile and the venues lose their “flavor.” There are many venues out there that are absolute gems that I have had the privilege seeing, but the scale rooms we play on Zach Deputy tour are so unique. So believe me when I say I was stoked as shit for this Tampa play on my birthday.

I’m not much of one to tell people when my birthday is. I’m not sure why, I just never have been. If you ask, I’ll tell you. If you don’t, it’ll just pass on by. We played a show at Common Grounds in Gainesville, FL at the end of February and I got to see my good buddy Jarrod, his niece and many other friends. He lives in the Tampa area, so we got to talking about the Skipper’s show and I guess I mentioned it was my birthday. He got all amped up for the show and told me he’d see me on the 11th. Fast forward a couple weeks and I’m at Musica in Akron, OH with our good friend Michelle. Michelle travels a lot in her work and has been able to see us in five states so far. I told her our upcoming tour schedule and started raving about how amazing Skipper’s was in Tampa. She found out it was my birthday and then became really excited about the possibility of a Florida Zach Deputy show.

Next thing you know, it’s February 11th and we’re pulling up to Skipper’s for our 5:30p load in. The purple façade greats us as we back in to the load-in door with large towering trees covered in Spanish moss hanging overhead. We get the stage and merchandise set up quickly so we can all relax before the show. Skipper’s Smokehouse is a 700 person capacity outdoor music venue that boasts some amazing features. The wooden planked floor connects the venue to the restaurant. The restaurant and other building facades are so natural looking, with rustic tin roofs offering quite the complimentary aesthetic value. The restaurant and adjoining buildings is a maze for the first time visitor, but for those returning can quickly manage the venue quite easily. Either way, it’s a treat being about to cut and dodge through all these rooms and nodes to get through a show at Skipper’s.

Off to the corner of the venue are benches with their foundations rooted in the sand. The upper deck porch and bar overlook the venue as it slopes down to the stage, all encompassed be large multi leader trees strangled with Spanish moss. This venue is heaven for me…the perfect blend of music and landscape architecture. Landform, plants, water and structure make up the floors, walls and ceilings of the venue, all rotating around and feeding off the good energy of Zach Deputy, his music and the kind-hearted, fun loving fans he brings out.

Very early in the night, I walk out from the backstage area into an empty venue, as doors have just opened. Sure as shit, there’s Jarrod and four of his friends. He gives me one of the biggest, most genuine hugs as do my new found friends. All so kind and entertaining in their own right, these four new friends are joking with me and enjoying some good laughs. That’s music family for ya! I have a tough time expressing how amazing music family is sometimes. To put it in simple terms, music family brings accelerated friendship. If you’re friends with my friend, you’re a friend of mine. You have this trust and confidence that you’re friend only keeps the best of company, and 98% of the time, that’s true. You don’t need to do introductions and background checks…you skip straight to hugs, badass conversation and great times!

After I open my singing birthday card from Jarrod, I walk back to merch, only to bump into my friend Ashley. Ashley and I met in Asheville, NC a year or so ago and we have crossed paths again many times since then…including shows in Boston, California and now here in Tampa. It’s fun to be hanging with a dear friend half way across the US in some instances and not even think twice about it. It’s not weird, it’s not a coincidence…it just is. Then I see Michelle and her son Patrick. They hoped a flight from Philadelphia and came to take me up on my recommendation of Skipper’s Smokehouse. We all enjoyed one hell of night that consisted of lots of laughs, dancing and good company.

It just absolutely blows my mind that all of this that lays at our fingertips on my birthday is a byproduct of liking music. I’m a rat. I’ll see any music and I love the majority of it. I don’t do drugs, I don’t drink; I just fucking looooooooove music, traveling and friends. How is that fair though? I feel music at this unbelievable level and absolutely drool over the business side of it. I close my eyes and dance by myself, I run around and see all my friends, I get to see the United State and beyond, and I get to celebrate my birthday at one of the premier music rooms in the Southeast with some of the best people I know. And because of what…music? I still have a tough time wrapping my head around how lucky we all are to share these times together just because we have the same common interest in one of life’s most common things.

And to top it off, I got to pick up a package at Skipper’s the next day that consisted of some of my favorite goodies from Atkins Farm in Amherst, MA as well as birthday cards, winter gear and notes from home (thanks Zeena)! What an absolutely beautiful day. I never draw attention to my birthday, so for all these things to fall into place as they did really was touching and repeatedly blew my mind as I quietly stood in the back of the venue with my arms crossed and smiling.

Disc golf discs don’t fly as well in Colorado!

For those who know me well, you could say disc golf is a huge passion of mine. I’m still relatively new to the sport as I have only been playing 5-6 years, but I’ve had the privilege of seeing some of the country’s finest courses. What started out with throwing one disc with friends in the woods in Maine has turned into a nerdy obsession. I’m an archiver by nature…I take pictures of EVERYTHING. Not so much people, but things. When I was getting my Master’s in Landscape Architecture, I heard the quote “nothing is original, it’s all been done before.” I took that quote, fixed it up a little bit to pertain to myself, and added it to a document that only I see. This document is a gold mine of inspiration for me as I visit it constantly. That being said, I have accumulated thousands of pictures of things --- seating, signage, pathways, lighting, structures, waterways, landform, etc. These picture come in handy in my designs, be it in the design of the 7,000 person amphitheater at Mountain Park in Holyoke, MA or my proposal of Orchard Hill Disc Golf at UMass Amherst. I aim to provide UMass, my alma mater, with one of the finest disc golf courses in the state, hopefully to be talked about within the community for years to come. You can find a link to the course’s official Facebook page in the sidebar to your left. The page includes excerpts from the proposal I provided the University, as well as some kind words from local supporters. Please ‘like’ the page, and keep in touch with the ongoing process.

Having the ability to play a different course in a different state almost daily, I decided to include course reviews in my blog. I love the sport so much, and part of the fun in it is to educate the public. My travels and pictures afford me the ability to expand my archive catalog, while my blog can hopefully bring some more light to the sport as well as some incredibly beautiful (or brutally hard) courses that you need to know about, and hopefully play in the future. This review is about

the disc golf course at Golden Bell Camp and Conference Center in Divide, CO. This course has been a fixture on our Zach Deputy tour’s in Colorado. On tour we have played Manitou Springs, CO (just outside Colorado Springs) twice, with our next gig being Three20South in Breckenridge, CO. This is a great drive because it’s all back roads through some beautiful meadows and mountain ranges with hardly any traffic. With a drive time of a little less than two hours, we never miss the course in Divide. The course runs through a valley set against mountains in the backdrop. Every time I get there, I'm pumped up! Let’s go, time to birdie the first hole! Sure as shit, terrible drive on the first hole! Disc golf discs don’t fly as well in Colorado! The air is thinner, I’m not in good enough shape to traverse the hills and valleys of the course, my discs are dinged up --- there’s got to be a reason! Luckily enough for me, after bogeying the first hole both times, I stick it 10 feet from the basket on the second hole with my Star Eagle to get back to even.

The next couple holes crisscross the valley with each of the baskets set under a grove of pine trees. These holes are a lot of fun as if you really get behind a Valkyrie; you can get to the pin on your drive. The tees are so elevated that the natural flight of the disc is straight into the tree tops, so you really have to come down on the release and risk throwing the disc straight into the ground. After some huffing and puffing from my fellow playing partners, a break is welcomed. You can sit on the hillside and look over the rolling landscape onto the mountains in the distance. What a sport! Look at where it has brought us. Somewhere in Colorado, en route to a show at one of the premier music markets in the Mountain West. Would we have known about this Camp and Conference Center if it wasn’t for the sport of disc golf? Nope. And that’s why I love it.

As the front nine ends (and we usually only have time to play the front nine), the final hole takes advantage of a logging road to be utilized as the fairway on this dogleg left. I’m just gonna go ahead and bust out my Star SL and throw a nice banana in there. Nope -- good idea, poor execution. Like I care though, as I got to my disc I look off to my right and see something awe inspiring. After I finish the hole with a disappointing bogey, I walk into a grove of birch trees. Sporadically placed, this resembles a vision I’ve had in my head from years. So what do I do? Snap a couple dozen pictures and file them away, of course! This living example will be revisited down the road when I design my next course, but for now, I’ll leave it at that as I don’t want to ruin the surprise.

Another trip to Divide, CO is finished, but we’ll be back in March of 2011. And damn it, I will learn the flight of the Colorado disc golf disc, and I WILL NOT BOGEY THE FIRST HOLE! If you’re ever in the area, check out Golden Bell Camp and Conference Center. With multiple baseball and softball fields, a disc golf course as well as a performance amphitheater, this tract of land provides plenty of opportunities for the outdoor enthusiast.

Umphrey's McGee, ter, and Penn's Peak - all good things!

This show review might be a bit lengthy for most, but when I wrote it back in August, I hadn't seen the band live in months, and was headed to a venue I'd had on my list of must-sees for years. I never posted this review, but with our (Zach Deputy) upcoming opening slots for Umphrey's McGee in February, I thought I'd get this blog back up and going again with a piece that I had a blast writing.

If you’re a traveling music fan, you may have already had the pleasure of seeing such venues as The Gorge in George, WA, The Greek Theater in Berkeley, CA, Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, CO, or Alpine Music Valley in East Troy, WI. These are revered as some of the top notch outdoor performance spaces in the nation, all of them possessing the ability to take your breath away in a matter of seconds. The east coast is dotted with some spectacular outdoor sheds, but this review will talk about an indoor venue that any music fan is lucky to see. Situated along a mountaintop in Jim Thorpe, PA, Penn’s Peak posses the same “wow factor” as the aforementioned outdoor music venues that attract legions of fans to their shows each year.

As one traverses the mountainside down into the quaint town of Jim Thorpe, you know you’re in for a treat. The small town that lies along a river at the foothills of these Pennsylvania mountains is the home of my new food recommendation, the French Dip sandwich at Maggie MaGuire’s. A great little restaurant in the heart of town, Maggie MaGuire’s patio offers up a meeting spot for the car loads of fans and friends that are making the trek in from last night’s Umphrey’s show at The Westbury Theater on Long Island. The Westbury show was a treat, showcasing the ability of sound engineer Kevin Browning and lighting director Jefferson Waful, and how they can easily adapt to the most unusual of scenarios, as the rotating stage was nothing more than an absolute delight as fans were offered never before seen sightlines that night. This new perspective for fans offered the ability for everyone to see how the band interacted with one another on a completely different level, as well as showcasing the two brains of Andy Farag and Kris Meyers, and how they become one. Watching these guys work together is a treat to say the least, and something fans rarely get to see in its entirety from their normal perspective within a crowd.

Back to Penn’s Peak. Anticipation was building as we drove up the mountainside to the venue, ultimately culminating in panoramic views in every direction down to the valley below. The lot scene was rippin’, with faces both old and new, ready for a Friday night rager somewhere in Pennsylvania. As friends poured into the lot, I could barely contain myself as Penn’s Peak has been a venue I have had on my list of places to see for 3-4 years now. I just finished my graduate work at UMass Amherst and always thought I would make it out to a show here, so when I found out I had a 10 day break from Zach Deputy tour, I planned my entire schedule around this one show. The Westbury Theater show was a great start to my four night run of Umphrey’s, but as I walked around the grounds of Penn’s Peak, I couldn’t break the overwhelming feeling of “this is gonna happen.” That feeling right there doesn’t come around that often, but when it does, you’re in for it.

As I walked into the venue, my jaw dropped. Wooden trusses support two floors of this cathedral-like venue. We were greeted by dim blue lights cutting through the fog that filled the large open space of the dance floor as hugs, smiles, and high fives were customary in the greeting of the masses. Umphrey’s tour (also known as ter) is fun because no one ever really says bye…you just know you’ll see each other at the next show, whenever that may be. Many fans figure out ride shares or meet ups via The Bort, but others just fly by night, knowing that they’ll see whoever it is they’re supposed to see. As the family greeted one another, I took a tour of the venue. The flow of the venue was superb. Circulation ran around three sides of the dance floor and upstairs to the balcony, offering up a different perspective of the show, as the raised outer edge of the dance floor was home to chairs for those who preferred to take it easy for the night. I got all sorts of excited when I saw decals on the floor, labeling the rows of seats…talk about attention to detail. Track lighting overhead made it easy for patrons to find their seats and played nicely off the dim blue lights that Jefferson Waful had set as house lights, creating some ambiance for friends and fans to greet one another and rest up for what was in store. The back of the venue housed a kitchen, bar, band merchandise and venue merchandise, en route to the outdoor patio that captures views into the extended landscape. With small cities in the far distance rendered to nothing more than a clump of lights, the foreground of the panoramic view offered up by Penn’s Peak was a blanket of dotted lights running along the valley floor, instilling in fans the notion that they are in a very rural part of the country, atop a mountaintop, and about to feed off the energy of one of the most progressive bands (both musical and intellectually) in the music industry today.

So let’s meet some of the family. My name is Brian and I’m a music rat. I currently tour manage Zach Deputy (www.zachdeputy.bandcamp.com for name-your-price soundboard recordings) and have been street teaming for Umphrey’s, amongst dozens of other bands, for a long time now. I’m not much of one to have a list of songs that I want to hear on a tour, but I had picked a couple originals as well as covers for this run (Dump City, Bad Poker, We’re Going To War, Bloody Well Right) since Umphrey’s shows are few and far between now. The pictures you will see throughout this article are the handy work of Beau Blackburn, a photographer from San Diego, CA. Next to me is Jeremy Cobb, one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. Jeremy is from Virginia, loves journalism, baseball, music and...Water! I’m very confident that Jeremy is one of the most in-depth music listeners I will ever come across. He hears where the music is going, from the slightest of chord progressions and teases, and can name the next song long before Umphrey’s even drops into it. Jeremy has been running all over the place, buying beers for everyone in sight, including my UMass friends and driving partners, Mike and Meg Dawg. Joining us is Spud and Andrew, dear friends of mine from Queens who put me up last night after the Westbury show. Without mentioning everyone in our little traveling posse, you can quickly see how going on tour with a band is so easy. We’re not here solely for Umphrey’s, yet they are the common element that brings us together. We’re here to see venues and friends, to drink beer, to rage hotels, to travel, to get away from work, and much more. We’re so very lucky to have each other and in all honesty, Umphrey’s is lucky to have us. We feed off them; they feed of us…simple as that. Luckily for us, Umphrey’s McGee is in touch with their fan base. They know they have legions of followers; they thank the first timers, the second timers, and the travelers. They throw out guitar picks, hand out setlists, and remember faces and names. If you’re in a bind, talk to a band or crew member, 95% of the time, they’ll figure out some scenario to get you out of the pickle you’re in.

At 9:00p, the members of Umphrey’s walk out from behind the curtains, ready to rip Jim Thorpe a new one. Never to keep their fans waiting too long, they quickly launch into one of their newer songs, entitled Conduit. A short, yet hooky song, Conduit is soon followed up by Atmosfarag and The Bottom Half. None of these songs really put me into a frenzy, but nicely built the set to a point where The Bottom Half and its cascading lights segued into 2nd Self, where Brendan Bayliss stepped up as the featured artist. With his cutting vocals and loose guitar work, Bayliss ripped apart 2nd Self, setting a launching off point for the songs to follow. Cutting vocals and loose guitar work is not a knock on Bayliss, it’s a compliment if anything. A very original sounding vocal presence, Brendan Bayliss is one of the founding members of the band. His “loose” guitar work is only complimented by the band’s lead guitarist, Jake Cinninger. Jake, a naturally born drummer, tends to fill the negative space of the songs, with creative fills and licks, before unleashing his uncanny ability to shred a solo like no other. Bayliss is the opposite, possessing a much fuller, rounder sound to his guitar work, naturally fitting best on songs like 2nd Self. No slouch in the shredding category, I best describe Bayliss’ guitar work as loose as it’s much less choppy and percussive as guitar counterpart Jake Cinninger.

Next up, Water! Someone’s ears must have been burning when Jeremy was talking about how he wanted to hear Water earlier that night at dinner. Our friend Ian had informed us that Water was indeed soundchecked; only leaving us stirring with excitement as this song doesn’t seem to come around nearly enough. Seamlessly segueing into Andy’s Last Beer was the only thing that could possibly make me okay with the band leaving a stellar version of Water. As if things couldn’t get any better, next up was Umphrey’s rendition of Supergroup’s hit Bloody Well Right. Okay, I’ll take it; I haven’t seen this song since the barn burner of a show at The Avalon in Boston on 4.12.07. We music nerds can spit dates and versions of songs like it was nothing. Maybe that’s why I like tour managing and archiving, I just have a knack for remembering things from a decade ago like it was yesterday, and being able to spit off tour dates well into the future. As the first notes of Intentions Clear were strummed, I saw my buddy Mike take off for the bathroom, and I almost grabbed him and told him it was a bad idea, but decided against it. Judging from the jams in some of the previous songs, tonight was lining up to be one of those shows were everything Umphrey’s touched was gold…Intentions Clear was no different. Disgusting jam, go download it from www.umlive.net. The jam was one of the highlights of the night before The Bottom Half came back to end the set. The end of this song is a great opportunity to compare the guitar stylings of Bayliss and Cinninger. Similar to 40’s Theme, The Bottom Half initially features Bayliss as he builds the song to its climax before Cinninger comes in and kicks the song square in the face, ending each version with a bang, and in this case, the first set at Penn’s Peak.

After a half hour set break, the band came out at 10:40p, ready for another go around. Things got going quickly with a great version of Miss Tinkle’s Overture. One of the best built songs in their repertoire, this version peaked hard, whipping the crowd back into the state of mind they were just in during set one. Words slowed things down a bit, but once again offered a glimpse at the brain that is drummer Kris Meyer’s and perc world extraordinaire, Andy Farag. Last Man Swerving was the highlight for many, and in my opinion, showcases Umphrey’s McGee for exactly what they are. Last Man Swerving is always a great vehicle for a jam, and this version was no different. The first jam that came out of the song was a heavy, almost death metal progression, giving the song a rare dark feel. After a quick build to the jam, the band flipped the song on its head, laying down one of the best grooves of my four show run. Quickly driven by Jack Cinninger and complimented by Waful’s change of color palette, bassist Ryan Stasik wasted no time finding the groove and kept it going.

In my time following this band, I’ve had several music fans tell me how Stasik needs to be replaced because he’s not flashy enough and never takes a big solo. Flashy solos aren’t Stasik’s MO, though…he’s the root. He is the most fundamental layer in a sound that is completely comprised of layers. He finds the groove, lays it out and stays right on it. He rarely ventures off course and just sits in the pocket, usually capping it off with a smile from ear to ear. Jake usually leads these impromptu jams, with Bayliss filling in where he sees fit. Keyboardist Joel Cummins adds his own layer, and even though often overlooked in many jams, is an integral part of the Umphrey’s McGee sound. Pushed by the backbeat of Kris Meyers and Andy Farag, this six piece band always delivers when they’re given the opportunity to explore outside the structure of the original song.

Immigrant Song/Thunder Kiss ’65, a mashup of Led Zeppelin and White Zombie followed Last Man Swerving, before segueing into an 18 minute version of Utopian Fir. Always a monster jam vehicle, Joel Cummins quickly threw down a danceable synth layer, and when paired with the beats of Kris Meyers on the electronic drum pad, this Utopian Fir jam was already in high gear. Lighting director Jefferson Waful put a gloomy, dark wash on the band, turned the lights around and painted the back wall with gobos, nicely completing the vibe of the song. As the rotating gobos took the crowd’s eyes for a ride, the band’s layers continued to compliment and pass one another, as the initial layer that was turned down and buried, slowly built momentum until it was later the driving force of the jam. After the electronic dance party was over, Cemetery Walk made an appearance. The only song off Umphrey’s most current album, Mantis, I would have liked to see its counterpart, Cemetery Walk II continue the dance party vibe and end the show with a bang. No worries though as JaJunk in the encore slot offered fans one more song to get out any air guitar that they had been holding back.

As punctual as they were with their 9:00p start time, like clockwork, the band exited the stage at 12:00a on the dot. As fans fleeted into the night, sound engineer Kevin Browning could be seen burning out a copy of the show at front of house, ready to hand it off to tour manager Don Richards, who is stationed at the merchandise table with two CD duplicator towers and a line chalk full of fans eager to take home the set they just witnessed. Seeing this affords me the opportunity to make a point: one common misconception by fans is thinking the band is just the guys on stage.

Umphrey’s McGee has six men on stage, but they are a full 12 person team while on the road. Everyone knows their job and executes it to a T. Besides the constant evolution of the Umphrey’s family, the scenarios you get in on the road and the blissful music the band produces, my absolute favorite thing about this band is the feeling that you just got in the way of a 12-headed monster. They come into a venue, do their thing and leave…we were all just lucky to be in its path.

After a two great nights at Penn’s Peak and The Westbury Theater, we travelers packed up with excitement, ready to go from mountains to beaches, as we got in the van for a trek over to the New Jersey Shore, with Saturday and Sunday shows in Asbury Park and Atlantic City. The Penn’s Peak show was everything I hoped it to be and more, and with the chance to see four new venues on my short four night run, I couldn’t have been happier to share it with all my friends and one of my favorite bands on the scene, Umphrey’s McGee.

Penn’s Peak
Jim Thorpe, PA

Set I:
Conduit, Atmosfarag, The Bottom Half > 2nd Self, Water >Andy’s Last Beer, Bloody Well Right, Intentions Clear > The Bottom Half
Set II:
Miss Tinkle’s Overture, Words > Last Man Swerving > Immigrant Song > Utopian Fir, Cemetery Walk
Encore:
JaJunk