The members of Garaj Mahal joined Umphreys McGee Saturday at the Great Unknown Festival at Hog Ridge Hollow Amphitheater in Fayetteville, AR. At the end of the second set, drummer Alan Hertz, keyboardist Eric Levy, guitarist Fareed Haque and bassist Kai Eckhardt took the stage for Ringo, which segued into Umphreys improvisational exercise, Jimmy Stewart. During the latter, half of Umphreys McGee departed, leaving more room for Garaj Mahal to jam with guitarist Jake Cinninger, keyboardist Joel Cummins and percussionist Andy Farag.
The festival also featured cross-pollination between its other participants. Speakeasy welcomed all five members of Big Smith for a cover of the Talking Heads Road to Nowhere. Friday night included Jeff Sipes Apartment Projects (a reference to his nickname, Apartment Q-258). That line-up consisted of members of Speakeasy, The Flipoff Pirates, Eckobase, and The Station. The set featured mostly improvisation, with The Meters Fire on the Bayou thrown in as well.
Umphreys McGee plays Wednesday at The Dame in Lexington, KY. For more dates, visit www.umphreys.com.