The moment that we’ve all been anticipating has finally arrived. Hall of fame voting is here! For those of you who don’t know, Umphrey’s McGee has their fans vote for the improvisation that they enjoyed most throughout the year. It is broken down into two voting sessions. The second round consists of the most voted for songs from round one. Voting can be completed by going to Umphrey's McGee's website. There is so much to choose from and it’s very overwhelming. It’s a difficult process to go through when deciding which jams to vote for. And all the jams are good that it's hard to decipher through almost one hundred shows to find only ten jams that you liked the most. Although its difficult, it is an extremely fun and good way for the fans to discuss the year in review. Together you’ll discover the bands best month of the year or you’ll find a jam that you really liked in the beginning of the year that you forgot about and fall in love with it all over again.
When the time rolls around for the list to be released, a lot of umphreaks can get upset about the results. The voting is open for everyone so a lot of people will vote for only the jams that they saw live or covers. (A little word of advice: this is NOT a time to vote for the best cover of the year! This is all about Umphrey’s music and how they expressed their talent to us through hard work and improv, not which cover you liked best. Although, they did do a seventeen minute “Hey 19” by Steely Dan, but what makes that version so spectacular was the improv!) I’ve heard some people say that it would be better if the boys of the band got to pick the songs. I have to disagree with that because this is their way of asking us what they did right this year. We get to tell them which jams were the best and it works out in their favor because they get to watch us argue over the facts. It’s great because every umphreak has a different opinion on which jams were better and in the big picture the answer really is that all the jams were great. Although we have different opinions, there are some jams throughout the year that have been immensely talked about between the fan base and are clear components of this year’s Hall of fame list. Jams like the “Phil’s Farm” lyrical stew from Red Rocks or the “Attachments” from St. Augustine. I try to stay away from voting for those songs in round one because they will most likely be making it to round two so I can vote for them then. There were also a few stand outs on my personal list. Like the “Der Bluten Kat” from Philly, the “In the Kitchen” from San Diego and the “Cemetery Walk II” from New Year’s Eve. From the moment I heard them I knew they were going on my list. But it’s finding the under rated and less talked about jewels that I love. This time of year is the one time I get to go full nerd on Umphrey’s but of course I can’t talk to anyone about it in my non-umphreys life because people just don’t get the excitement I get when its voting season.
After changing my mind a million times and going through a very extensive process of eliminating songs and finding the right jams, I’ve finally
my votes! I have a particular process when deciding whether or not a jam is “hall of fame worthy.” There has to be a sort of “inciting incident” to catch my attention. When I hear the first light in the jam that makes me like it, I force myself to listen thoroughly. There has to be at least one other ear catching section in the jam to seal the deal for me. Length of the jam is a small aspect of deciding but I always remind myself that it’s the quality in the jam that really counts! This year I told myself that I was going to keep track and save songs as I go. I had added the couple of songs to my list but when Umphrey’s tweeted that it was time to cast our votes, I was a little lost in the weeds. I thought that I knew which songs I wanted to vote for but then all the twitter peeps kept throwing hidden gems at me form left and right. My one friend Kyle, who I had the pleasure of meeting over fall tour, made the perfect playlist that helped me get a grip on the whole thing. He picked out seventy of the years greatest jams and pulled them together on a playlist (a Joel approved playlist!). https://twitter.com/paytheslacker/status/1102995240519127041 Here is the link that will lead you to his playlist on Nugs.net!
It took me a little while, but my votes are in and I encourage all of you that have not voted yet to listen to this playlist and get to work! The voting ends on March 19th so there is a little time, but I suggest using that time to listen carefully and have fun enjoying Umphrey’s McGee through the year of 2018!
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