Official website: www.umphreys.com
The acension continues for Chicago’s Umphrey’s McGee, not only in terms of their commercial success but in creative accomplishment and instrumental achievement as well. Their performance on Live at the Murat (SCI Fidelity), their first official live release, is as impressive as anything they’ve recorded to date, with the power and finesse, the yin and the yang, that have come to characterize their by-now classic material.Umphrey’s McGee spends half the year on the road habitually flooring audiences. Their anything-goes musicianship, humor, and good-nature all make remarkable entertainment. The band shuttles between styles with precision, from straight-up pop and rock to jazz, prog-metal, and classical. If you can name it, chances are Umphrey’s can play it. Another Summer Camp tradition since 2003, the festival would not be complete with a couple UM sets.]]>Official website: www.familygrooveco.com
Family Groove Company is a four piece band from Chicago that has been turning heads and catching ears with a sound that is uncannily fresh, and live performances that simply envelop audiences in the fun, excitement and passion that the band radiates from the stage. With a sound that's defined as "groove informed jazz rock", the Family Groove Company is a band that music fans should not miss!Family Groove Company, referred to by fans as FGC, integrates the groove sensibility developed by funk/jazz crossover artists like Herbie Hancock and Medeski Martin and Wood with the thoughtful songwriting that takes cues from classics like Steely Dan and the Beatles. This combination results in a fresh sound that has been pleasing audiences in venues and cities all over the country.]]>
Official website: www.56hoperd.com
56 Hope Road is a band bonded like a family, and as a result, their music has an unmistakable honesty and openness. Uncanny, intuitive communication creates an easy interplay on stage, making even the most layered tunes sound effortless. They allow the joy of spontaneous creativity to color their song-based arrangements - neither losing their musical center, nor restricting its growth. The music is acoustic funk at its finest with sounds reminiscent of G-Love and Special Sauce, Richie Havens, MMW, Grateful Dead, Paul Simon and Gomez. This Chicago-based “acoustic funk explosion” is known for clever songwriting, lush vocal harmonies and one of the tightest rhythm sections on the scene.]]>
Official website: www.moe.org
moe. is Led Zeppelin, Steely Dan and Gram Parsons... From hard rock to melodic country, moe can write songs and they can play the bejesus out of them live. They can deliver live energy to a studio recording and are equally comfortable playing textural musical landscapes or balls to the wall guitar solos. By not limiting their songwriting to preconceived genres, moe. are a rarity in today's pop music culture. Their latest studio album, "The Conch", has already received 4 out of 5 stars from Rolling Stone, and 3.5 out of 4 stars from Paste. The Buffalo News calls "The Conch" "A Masterpiece".See them live, Buy their album, or live an unfulfilled life. moe. is a Summer Camp tradition from day one (2001) and we couldn’t imagine the event without them.]]>
Official website: www.cornmealinthekitchen.com
Cornmeal continues to forge a path all their own, pushing the boundaries of bluegrass, Americana and folk for a whole new generation of music lovers. Steeped in the tradition of musical acts such as Old and in the Way, John Hartford, and New Grass Revival, Cornmeal has proven to be an influential presence in the world of roots music. Cornmeal has consistently evolved its sound and stage performance using bluegrass as a springboard for long improvisational work and songs ranging from country, rock and blues to jazz, funk and disco.]]>