A note from Umphrey's McGee:
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Dear Friends,
The holidays are upon us and after enjoying a good balance of work and play at Holidaze, our preparations continue to ensure we close out the year in style. While the palm trees and white sandy beaches of Chicago in December aren't quite as nice as those in Jamaica, we couldn't be more excited to celebrate the end of 2008 with fans, friends and family in our beloved hometown.
As we said in the Umphdate that announced Mantis, we are eternally grateful to have your support, and are humbled by your relentless dedication and energy. Thank you so much for making it possible for us to do what we do. In appreciation, we've decided to give away a free holiday EP of never-before-released material spanning holiday shows from the last few years. Please click here for the free download. If you already have a umlive.net account just add the tracks to your shopping cart and download. If you don't have an account, signing up is free and fast after you add the gift to your cart. Please, please, please tell your friends as we'd like to put this in the hands of everyone, but we would appreciate if you would send them to UMLive.net to sign up and download rather then sending the files yourself through email or by file sharing.
We hope you've been enjoying the Mantis pre-order campaign as much as we have - constructing Mantis “Teasers" that give you a taste of what's coming, digging through the archives for bonus content and holding the finished album in our hands has been a thrill. Our thoughts and conversations are turning towards how great it will be to FINALLY PLAY THESE NEW SONGS LIVE next year. You still have until January 5 to place pre-orders, and thanks to your support and word-of-mouth you are closing in on unlocking the final level of content. We look forward to seeing you at the finish line in 2009 - The Year of the Mantis.
As much fun as it is to enjoy this time of year (particularly with the new album right around the corner) we continue to turn our thoughts towards those who are less fortunate, and extend our gratitude to all of you for your support of our shows benefiting USTORM and Keys 4 Kids. If you are interested in learning more about these organizations or wish to make a donation, more info can be found at the USTORM and Keys 4 Kids websites.We look forward to seeing many of you over the New Year's run and at the first Mantis tour dates beginning in January. Our best wishes to you and yours for a Happy Holidays.
Andy, Brendan, Jake, Joel, Kris, Ryan and the entire Umphrey's McGee team.
