By Kevin Alan Lamb
After a weekend to recover from the two night Greensky Bluegrass and Billy Strings run at The Fillmore, Detroit is back at it, working for the weekend as Umphrey’s McGee rolls into town Friday night. Our ever supportive and enthusiastic jam-fam will be blasting off into familiar space, all looking for a great time to unwind after the show and ease their transition from the cosmos back down to ground control.
You’re in luck! Courtesy of Jake James and Further Frequencies, the official Umphrey’s McGee after show will take place at Magic Stick with Omega Moos and Act Casual. Omega Moos features Brenden Bayliss (Guitar) and Ryan Stasik (Bass) of Umphrey’s, along with Jamie Shields (Keys) of the New Deal and Nick Blasky (Drums) of Rays Music Exchange.
This collaboration is one of several good signs for Act Casual who continue to work with some of the best as they blossom onto the scene. The photo below was taken at Hash Bash where I had the chance to hang with Act Casual, shoot some mostly unusable video (I’m guessing), and see their ability to thrill a crowd of thousands who were testing the threshold of their THC tolerance.
The recipe is simple, yet elegant: work hard, be cool, and don’t be a dick.
Grab your tickets to see Umphree’s at The Fillmore before they sell out, and buy your ticket to this afterparty and take the ride.
When, and how did you start working with Act Casual?
I begin working with Act Casual in Aug of 2017 . I’ll never forget the night I met the band. It was after Keller Williams – Oabi Festival and they played the after party at Otus Supply. Let me tell you the boys shredded it that night! I immediately noticed their talent + potential, and I knew as a team we would have a bright future. Shortly after that I was given the opportunity work with Double JJ ranch in Rothbury, MI as the talent buyer for Offseason Gathering and I was able to lock Act Casual for a headlining slot on Saturday of the festival. As expected they crushed their set and had the crowd boogying all night long and the rest is history.
What do you love about producing events?
Ever since I was a kid I knew I needed to be involved in producing events. My mom would blast oldies in the car on my way to school and the feelings I experienced were never dull. Growing up in Lansing Common Ground festival came to fruition and would bring some great talent to town, getting to see live music at a young age was what really steered me down this path. I knew I wanted others to feel the way I was feeling when I heard the music.
What advice do you have for people interested in promoting and producing concerts?
The key to producing/promoting events is teamwork. Like they say teamwork really does make the dreamwork, can’t stress that enough having open communication with all people involved – national, regional, local support, venues, manager, agents etc. all need to be on the same page to make an event successful. If anyone is interested in joining the Further Frequencies promotional team to gain free admission to shows email me at furtherfrequenciesjcubz1@gmail.com or private message us on Facebook.
Tell people everything they need to know about Friday:
So Friday night is the start of Umphrey’s McGee’s 2 night run at the Fillmore in Detroit. My company Further Frequencies is hosting the official afterparty with the Omega Moos and Act Casual at the Magic Stick. For some of you that are not familiar this will be the Omega Moos is an improv/cover(mashup) project that features 2 members from Umphreys – Brenden Bayliss (Guitar) & Ryan Stasik (Bass) + Jamie Shields (Keys) of the New Deal and Nick Blasky (Drums) of Rays Music Exchange. Doors are at 10pm, Act Casual plays from 11-12 & Omega Moos 12:15-2:30. Tickets are $15 ADV/$25 DOS. This will be a party and this will sell out.
Talk about why Umphrey’s and Act Casual are such a good fit for an event like this?
So all of us have been hitting Umphrey’s shows since we were fresh out of high school, going to their festival Summer Camp for like that past 6 years. Safe to say we look up to these dudes on a musical front. Talking with Nick Small front man of Act Casual this is what he had to say: “In learning for the best we aim to match the same intensity at our shows, offering new unique versions of our own songs and extending improv parts until our fingers feel like they may fall off. Stylistically we are different in many ways but in your face rock’n vibe is shared int the music we create.”
Just in case you were listening for one, This Is A Good Sound.
Get your tickets before they sell out: http://bit.ly/OmegaMoos
This Is A Good Sound 