Umphrey’s McGee Welcome Scotty Zwang as Permanent Drummer
Umphrey’s McGee, photo by Brian Stollery
Three months after Umphrey’s McGee parted ways with their longtime drummer Kris Myers in May, the band have finally elected their new full-time backbeat. Onstage for their finale at Peoria, Ill.’s CEFCU Center Stage at The Landing, the pioneering prog ensemble formally welcomed Scotty Zwang, who has filled in through all but three shows on the summer Cruising Altitude Tour, to sign on indefinitely.
Guitarist and frontman Brendan Bayliss popped the question during their encore on Thursday night, in the middle of the regularly scheduled monologue section within the band’s tried and true cover of Simple Minds’ ‘80s pop anthem “Don’t You (Forget About Me).” Capping off a set lined with longtime classics like “1348,” “The Triple Wide” and “Ringo,” all of which Zwang has taken to naturally on the road, Bayliss reflected:
“While I have your attention, I’d like to give a little shoutout to our buddy Scotty back there on the drums, stepping in the last couple of months and making our world keep going around. We feel very blessed to have met him and we were able to lock him in for the whole year, which is fan-fucking-tastic if you ask me.
“But, the other day, I got on the phone with Jake [Cinniger] and Joel [Cummins] and Pony [Ryan Stasik] and Andy [Farag], and we were talking about how time is moving faster and faster, and before you know it, the end of the year is going to be here. And we’re like ‘You know what? I’m a big fan of the Zwang and I think everyone here is a big fan of the Zwang.’ So we were talking about, ‘Why don’t we just ask him to be our drummer?’
“I guess this is the part of the story where it turns into an awkward wedding proposal on stage because we put him on the spot. You don’t have to say yes, you don’t have to say no, but Scotty Zwang, if you would be so inclined to join Umphrey’s McGee and be part of our brotherhood and our family, it would make our world very complete.
“All you have to do is a fantastic drum fill, and if you do it, we’ll know that you want to do it. Everybody make some noise, because if you make enough noise, maybe you can convince Scotty to take a leap of faith with us. What do you guys think? Should we do it?”
Naturally, Zwang complied, ripping a fill for the ages to ring in his new tenure as a permanent member of one of the jam scene’s most esteemed acts. Zwang, whose experience includes stints with Dopapod, Ghost Light, MORE! and a current spot in SunSquabi, previously joined Umphrey’s as a temporary stand-in while Myers took a live hiatus for rotator cuff surgery in 2023.
Kris Myers was a member of Umphrey’s McGee for 22 years. He assumed the seat of founding drummer Mike Mirro after his departure in late 2002 and quickly became an integral component of the group’s continued fearless pursuit of new creative directions. In a post to the Umphrey’s social channels, both the longtime drummer and the undefinable fusion ensemble shared heartfelt statements reflecting on the split, their years together and the journey ahead. “After long talks and deep consideration, I have made the difficult decision to resign as the drummer of Umphrey’s McGee,” Myers wrote. “This decision wasn’t easy, but the biggest ones seldom are.”
Umphrey’s McGee will return to the stage with their new backbeat Zwang tonight for a set at Omaha, Neb.’s The Admiral Theater. Find tickets and more information here. Read about Blueprints, the group’s forthcoming studio album, here.
