Bump

Detroit Music Awards w/ Ted Nugent

2009-03-25T10:07:00.003-04:00

Atmospheric spaced-out sound worth your time

2009-03-24T14:59:00.002-04:00

Atmospheric spaced-out sound worth your time
Jesse White
For The Corner News - Auburn, AL
published March 24, 2009

Detroit progressive rock band Bump opts for a jam approach when performing live.

Bump is a progressive rock group from Detroit. While their songs are widely varied in style, the recurring theme is an atmospheric, spaced-out sound that is deep in mood and advanced structurally. The band will be playing Saturday, March 28, at the Olde Auburn Ale House, promoting their newest record, “Forward.”

The tight composition on the album is put aside in the band’s live shows for an exploratory, jam-heavy approach that showcases the members’ musicianship.
The song “Everyone Knows” has high, U2-esque guitar textures and an ambient background with vocals that tie the track together perfectly, resulting in an almost Radiohead experience. As the album progresses, however, Bump switches to a jazz/country realm and a change in singers to a nasal, Blue Oyster Cult mixed with Drivin’ and Cryin’ vocalist.

On the song “Disconnected” as well as many others, guitarist Yorg Kerisiotis always plays melodic lines that compliment the rest of the group perfectly and avoids ever being over the top, the sign of a musician concerned with well crafted songs rather than stroking his own ego.

Keyboards, occasional forays into rock and jazz, Beatle-esque chord changes and multiple layers are all a part of Bump’s sound. They have tight, well written songs with creative lyrics.

Fans of the Alan Yates Band or Lake Trout will enjoy “Forward;” just like Lake Trout, Bump opts for a jam approach to their songs when performing live. That being said, “Forward” is a great record, but one shouldn’t miss an opportunity to the this band live.

For more on the band, visit myspace.com/bumpband.

Detroit Music Award Performance Announced!

2009-03-23T19:22:00.001-04:00

We are very privileged and excited to have been asked to perform at the Detroit Music Awards at The Fillmore on Friday April 17th. We are set to close the show and will be joined by a slew of our Detroit music scene friends for a big collaboration.

We are also nominated for the following awards:

Outstanding Rock/Pop Instrumentalist
* Yorg Kerasiotis, Clint Carpenter, Bryce Caroll-Coe, and Chris Sterr

Outstanding Rock/Pop Recording
* Forward

Outstanding Rock/Pop Songwriter
* Yorg Kerasiotis, Chris Sterr, and Clint Carpenter

Outstanding Rock/Pop Vocalist
* Yorg Kerasiotis and Chris Sterr

Outstanding Rock/Pop Group

Please visit DETROIT MUSIC AWARDS to vote.

You can also purchase tickets to the show at PURCHASE TICKETS

No-frills approach to album making

2009-03-06T13:26:00.001-05:00

Written by Megan Broyles - Argonaut
Thursday, 05 March 2009
Moscow, ID

Bump, a mellow four-piece from the home of Motown and the Detroit Pistons, has been a work in the making for the past seven years.
Through numerous changes in band members and musical themes, the band has released its newest album, “Forward.”

Bryce Carroll-Coe, Bump’s bassist and newest addition, said the band has had many positive influences that led to the creation of “Forward.” “(This) album is about progression,” he said. “To literally move forward. The focus isn’t on production, but songs to begin with.”

The instrumentals on “Forward” certainly create a stage for the lyrics, which don’t, in some cases, stand out against the ambient sounds. Not by any means unpleasant, the listener can get lost in his or her own head with the aid of these introspective pieces of music.

One of Bump’s interesting features is almost every band member sings. The two “brainchildren” of the band, Chris Sterr and Yorg Kerisiotis, do the majority of the songwriting, Carroll-Coe said, but everyone has an equal voice and contribution.

“Clint Carpenter, our drummer, wrote ‘Tricks’ on this album,” he said. “Clint will come to us with complete songs. He’s very meticulous in the songs he writes.”

Outside influences come to the band to diversify sound as well. Josh Epstein, a fellow songwriter, came together with Kerisiotis for the last track on “Forward.” Epstein has a heavy Beatles influence, Carroll-Coe said. Listeners should be able to hear a Beatles-esque sound in the song, bringing a different dimension to the album.

“There aren’t a whole lot of thrills on this album,” Carroll-Coe said. “We couldn’t be picky for the sake of being picky when we were recording. We just let the music happen.”

Bump was forced to cut the completion deadline for the album to five-and-a-half weeks to allow for the start of a cross-country tour, which started Feb. 5. Bump is a band on the move, Carroll-Coe said. Prior to his joining, the band has played 600 shows in 43 states. No matter where they play, though, Carroll-Coe said the experience is almost always the same.

“The stage is always in the same place,” he said. “No matter where we are in the country, when the music starts, it’s like home.”

Bump’s voyage around the U.S. started in Grand Rapids, Mich., and will close in Indianapolis April 11. Sweeping through the Northwest, the band will make stops in two Idaho locations — John’s Alley Tavern in Moscow and in Boise the day before. Carroll-Coe said the band has become accustomed to playing an average of six days per week and the crowds, no matter how big or small, have begun to affect the band’s performance or outlook.

“It’s all about the music, man,” he said. “It’s corny but true.”

Carroll-Coe said something is beginning to happen with Bump’s latest album, which seems to be true. The tracks are clearly thought out and placed with intent. Mistakes don’t seem to have a place on “Forward,” and the band makes an effort to show it is a legitimate musical act on its way in the industry.

It is only beginning. The band isn’t there yet. Something is starting, and the world will soon see if Bump is going to be a player in whatever that is.

Detroit Bump City: Tales of prog rock, artful pop and paint huffing from across the country

2009-03-06T11:01:00.001-05:00

The Source Weekly, Bend OR
Written by Mike Bookey
Wednesday, 04 March 2009

Chris Sterr and his band, Bump, are based out of Detroit. He says the city isn’t as bad as the death-and-despair rap it often gets, but the former automotive capital of the world has definitely provided the prog-rockers with a few stories.

This is just one of those:

“We used to play these gigs downtown at this old venue called Fifth Avenue,” Sterr recalls. “It was a house gig every Tuesday and every night we’d be loading out and these homeless guys would flock around us and they’d be grabbing our gear to help us so we’d pay ‘em. A couple of these guys would have silver or gold on their lips and face because they’d been huffing paint. It was crazy.”

Maybe it’s these sort of instances that keeps the band on the road for several months of hard-driving touring each year, like the band’s current excursion that takes them to the Silver Moon on Tuesday and then to Southern California before finally ending in Florida in early April. Sterr says that isn’t so and that the Bump has a warm place in its heart for the Motor City.

“When you travel, you see how unique Detroit really is. You don’t see that when you live there your entire life,” Sterr says. He then goes into the current state of Detroit’s music scene, an environment that currently fosters quality acts ranging from hardcore to blues and jazz. He never mentions Eminem once during our conversation on an afternoon where Bump is preparing to play part of a two-night stand in Denver.

Bump’s current cross-country quest is in support of the band’s recently released album, Forward, a disc that Sterr believes builds on the band’s ability to write solid songs and is their most “focused” effort to date. Sterr describes Bump as having graduated from the jam band scene in recent years, shifting more to a style that showcases their songwriting skills.

“When we started playing we were sort of a jammy Grateful Dead, Phish sort of thing but we slowly began to realize that A: you need to forge your own path and B: you need to find your own sound and that’s what we’ve been doing for the past five years,” Sterr says of the quartet’s gradual stylistic evolution.

Bump offers up a sound that isn’t directly akin to Detroit’s most known sounds, Motown or garage rock, but they do pay homage to their city’s roots. In fact, in 2004, the band released a now-out-of-print EP entitled The Heart of Cadillac Square, which was a tribute to the band’s Motown heroes.

But Motown isn’t the aim of Bump these days as they have built a style that’s essentially a melodic take on prog rock that can be both spacey and poppy yet manages to showcase the band’s instrumental prowess – something they kept from their jammier days. The idea of Midwest progressive rockers with jam roots might bring to mind Chicago prog heroes Umphrey’s McGee, and sometimes Bump shares some of that live technical vibe, but for the most part Bump is in a different class. Perhaps the main difference being that, at least with their new material, Bump seems concerned with creating a solid pop rock song. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

After all, you can’t blame a band for leaning a bit toward pop after having to deal with paint-huffing volunteer roadies.

Bump
8pm Tuesday, March 10. Silver Moon Brewing Co. 24 NW Greenwood Ave.

Tour Diary: Sterr from Denver, CO

2009-03-01T12:46:00.003-05:00

2/27/09 - Denver, Colorado

As the first leg of this tour winds down, I feel the need to take stock in the last 3 weeks and reflect. So far, I've only lost my camera once.... but it was quickly located at the Library in ....Laramie, WY, and is hopefully being shipped as I write this. I've misplaced my phone once, but was quickly found as well shortly before the bus left....

But in all seriousness, so far this tour has been quite fun and successful. The five of us know our roll (for the most part - lol) and make it a point to get the job done night in and night out. Touring is the best because you very quickly become a finely tuned machine... all the parts working together to make the whole a monster of a force to be reckoned with. It’s a great feeling.

Another cool thing about being on tour is when somewhere along the line you realize that you are very, very far from home and there's no way that you are going home anytime soon... this happened to me while driving from Jackson Hole to Laramie, WY. As we crossed the Togwotee Pass, going from a very cold and wooded, snow covered geography to an arid, red rocked, quite warm environment it was like entering into a different world... a world very different from not only the previous, but one that is very unlike the humid, cold, flat confines of Detroit. Going through Lander is always a treat (home of the best second hand clothing store in the country), but as soon as we got through this great little town it quickly became what I would imagine it would be like driving through a lunar mountain range of solitude. Check out the couple pictures that I took while driving... they aren't great being that it was getting dark and they were shot through the windshield as I drove, but they'll give you an idea. So it was at this point where I realized that I was very, very far from home. It was also at that point that I was wrapped with a simultaneous feeling of piecing excitement of the constant movement and being able to professionally do the thing that I love the most, and an overwhelming urge to see my wife, family and dogs... but this catch 22 to me is a metaphor for life and no matter what you do... there is something wrong if you don't wake up everyday and make a sacrifice here or there... whether it be having 2 hard boiled eggs for breakfast instead of a gigantic bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch in order to achieve a "heroin sheik" body for SXSW, or skipping a shower to finish "Top Gun" before load in even though you know that Maverick really is the best of the best (as well as that Kelly MgGillis will never make a movie worth watching again... or Tom Cruise for that matter), and Berlin's "Take My Breath Away" still gives you goose bumps).... Sacrifice... that's the name of the game...."To sing the blues you've got to live the dues... and carry on..." (thanks to my man, Stephan Stills).

So to conclude, as we enter the second leg of tour, I look forward to the continued travel and playing (duh) and meeting/seeing people/fans new and old. Come check us out when we come to your town, and check out the new album, "Forward". It's a little something we threw together last minute so we felt like we had a purpose or reason to go on tour again..... (yawn).... it's available on iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby, available atall of our shows on tour. See ya there!

Chris

Tour Diary: Yorg from Laramie, WY

2009-03-01T12:42:00.000-05:00

Mangy Moose Lodge

I want to give a big shout out to the Mangy Moose in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We played three HUGE shows there starting on Saturday night of last week and they were phenomenal. If you look out the side of the windows while you play you will see skiers gliding down the mountain directly to the back door of the Mangy Moose. I though I was in "Hot Dog the Movie!" We played to a crowd of 500+ people during our Sunday day show from 4pm-6pm. The crowd was filled with skiers who were just finishing up their day. We brought our Detroit swagger to the stage and ripped through some of our most rocking tunes including some highlights from our new album "FORWARD." A big shout out goes to everyone from Marquette, Michigan who attended the show, some of these people hadn't seen us play for 3 years. After we were done there it was straight off to Laramie, Wyoming for a Mardi Gras party at THE LIBRARY. Touring during a recession is damn better than being unemployed during a recession. Keep the dream alive and RAWLK AWLN!!!!!

Yorg

P.S.
Slider, you stink!

Missoula Independent Review

2009-02-23T19:17:00.001-05:00

Bump
Forward

By: Erika Fredrickson
Posted: 02/12/2009

The ’80s synth and angular guitar riffs of Bump’s “Everyone Knows” almost make this Detroit-based band sound something like Oasis meets generic jam band meets Don Henley. Forward overflows with twinkling keyboards, emo lyrics and pop hooks, though it all feels more on the order of a bland CW soundtrack—“One Tree Hill,” or “Gossip Girl”—than anything even ironically engaging.

“Darker Version of Me” proves the quartet can harmonize, but “Back Door” uncovers the bands mostly vapid and clunkily rhymed lyrics as in, “And I don’t mind squeezin’ on your hand so tight, and I wish I could say that it would all turn out alright. Late in the night, lookin’ for your light. Keep it cool, just a fool…” “Disconnected” festers with the same awkward lines, though the idea of being disconnected works well here since you can appreciate the instrumental deftness and still not feel anything.

The musicians clearly know how to play and Yorg Kerasiotis’ warbles with enough prettiness and enough edge to make his vocals gorgeous. Problem is, most of the angst and passion on Forward seems manufactured, or at least doesn’t seep through the overly careful composition, which makes this album destined more for box store-dom than anywhere remotely independent. (Erika Fredrickson)

Bump plays the Girl Talk after party at the Elks Lodge Thursday, Feb. 19, with Delta Function at 9 PM. $5.

Billings, MT Show Review

2009-02-19T17:33:00.003-05:00

Bump at Bones
By Jaci
Feb 19th, 2009 in Music
Tags: Bones Brewery, Bump
Photo by Casey Riffe of the Gazette staff

Five minutes into Bump’s second set Wednesday night at Bones Brewery, the lead vocalist asked the audience if they were up for some space rock. The Detroit rock band had already blown through most of the songs off their new CD “Forward” and now they were digging into 8 years worth of original tunes to fill out the night. They’d already shown us some stellar three-part harmonies and what fine players they are, but this second set was incredible.

Whether it was a mood swing or a reflective moment for Bump, the four-piece band spouted this other-wordly experimental rock that the crowd (I use this term loosely since there were only 25 or 30 people there) pretty much went nuts for. It was an abrupt shift from the melodic pop sound of their new songs and it showed where Bump’s roots are. Eventually the 10-minute jam turned into the Who’s “Baba O’Reilly.” Earlier in the evening, they did an amazing cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times, Bad Times” that fit right in with their jam-band vibe. The band annnounced that Zeppelin is their favorite band to cover — a Herculean task that these guys managed to pull off.

Next stop for Bump: Missoula’s Elk’s Lodge tonight at the after-party for Girl Talk. If you’re up that way, check them out, they’re worth an hour or two of your time.

Forward Tour Video - Part 1

2009-02-19T09:04:00.003-05:00

Revue West Michigan Review

2009-02-18T19:19:00.001-05:00

Take a look at the above video. Anything look familiar? Not only was Bump's video for "Out of Reach" filmed in the wonderful city of Grand Rapids, it was done in one take. Bet you Kanye isn't even that talented.

The "Out of Reach" video is just a representation of this Detroit-based band, whose second full length album "Forward" is available this month. They don't need glitzy special effects, production, or even a myriad of instruments to stand out. Their music is simplistic, focusing on soothing vocals and hypnotic rhythms.

"Everyone Knows," the first track on "Forward," sounds like a perfect spring rain, only upping the intensity during the chorus. "Everyone Knows" segues into "What Was All the Fuss About," with an industrial-sounding melody complete with shades of Bowie-esque glam (a plus in my book).

Bump may reconsider calling "Darker Version Of Me" "The Song Talking Heads Wish They Wrote." The strong ballad focuses on flat vocals during the verse, which works perfectly for the sound Bump is attempting to achieve.

Pop in this CD for a chill atmosphere. It won't put you to sleep, but it's perfect to listen to while you're thumbing through a quirky indie rag.

Bump will be touring America in the next couple months, but make sure to check them out on their May 16 date in Detroit.

High Plains Reader Article

2009-02-17T10:42:00.001-05:00

Bump: Always Moving Forward

Who: Bump

When: Monday, February 16, 2009, 9 pm

Where: The Nestor, Fargo

Michigan pop/rock band Bump will be at the Nestor in Fargo on Monday, Feb. 16, touting their new album, “Forward,” which was released at the end of January. Bump hit the music scene eight years ago, releasing their first studio EP, “The Heart of Cadillac Square,” followed by a five-song demo with selections from that disc and some new reggae-tinged tunes. Their first full-length album, “Incredible Consequences,” was released on Beechwood Records in 2004 and was a fine example of their technical expertise and Jorg Kerasiotis’s skilled voice. It was polished, sometimes moody, and had enough instrument layers to make it interesting. They made an appearance at the 10,000 Lakes Festival in Minnesota and the Bele Chere Music Festival in North Carolina in 2005 and were named by Jambase as one of the top bands to see in 2005.

Their new CD is quite remarkable, considering how often sophomore efforts are plagued by overconfidence and second-choice material. Bump, however, has overcome that by creating an album of strong writing, tight vocals, and commanding instrumental backup. But more importantly, Bump has something to say. “I think that if you listen to “Incredible Consequence,” it was good,” Yorg said in an interview this week, “but there was a lot of standard stuff in it.” It was the kind of writing that many young songwriters go to, mainly concentrating on love songs.

But a lot of life has happened in between that first effort and today. “Being on the road, the hard times, all of the stuff you have to put up with, life in general, all of the stuff that’s been going on—just flew out of us,” Yorg explained. Some of that “stuff” was the normal road weariness that happens with a touring band, but in their case it was heightened a bit more. Right after that first album came out,
guitarist Chris Sterr was bedridden for two months with a ruptured spleen at the beginning of their tour, and they had $40,000 worth of equipment and belongings stolen from their home while they were on the road. Though nothing so catastrophic has happened since, the band, needless to say, has matured.

Most of the writing for “Forward” was done by Yorg and Sterr. “But, everyone in the band is encouraged to write,” Yorg said. “Once the songs are brought in, we’re very selfless; we just want the songs to take on the right feel. We both know that maybe it will take someone else to make the song better than it was intended.” But even then, there could be some glitches. “Obviously, once the song is there, you can go in any direction. We say sometimes that we have ‘option anxiety.’”

To smooth out those kinds of difficulties, Bump enlisted producer Dan Curry. “He let us do a bunch of stuff and when we did the right thing, he would tell us what it was and that we should go with that,” Yorg added. “We concentrated more on making sure each part breathed like it had its own place but it fit together. We were meticulous when it came to trying to fit a vocal melody and not clutter it.”

Though their work has a pop sound, there are reggae influences, rock influences, some funk, and lots of jazz. They’ll do dance music and will even stretch into an extended jam once in a while. There is a faint reggae delivery in some of the vocals, such as “Darker Version of Me,” and a British invasion sound with “Everyone Knows.” They are trying to pack in a wide spectrum of musical styles. “It’s hard,” Yorg admitted, “and, be true to yourself, too.”

The lead singing is spot-on, with great harmonies and sometimes with overlapping vocals. Yorg, Sterr, and new bassist Bryce Carroll-Coe share vocal duties. Instrumentation is provided by Yorg on keys and guitar, Chris Sterre on guitar and lap steel, Bryce Carroll-Coe on bass, and Clint Carpenter on drums and sequencer.

Bump always delivers a fine stage show, so come on down to the Nestor on Monday night.

Posted 3 days, 11 hours ago by Janie Franz | Email Janie Franz | View Janie Franz's profile.

Tour Diary: Yorg from Aberdeen, SD

2009-02-16T16:54:00.001-05:00

Valetine's Day in Aberdeen, SD

Congratulations Aberdeen, SD. For the rest of my life I will praise Aberdeen as one of the coolest towns we've ever played. Zack, our promoter, filled up an the Aberdeen Eagles Hall with a huge amount of insanely enthusiastic music fans and party animals. After our second encore and an endless amount of applause from the audience, one of Aberdeen's own invites us to a HUGE after party along with everyone else at the show. Ted, the bouncer, offered to help us load out and ride with us to the party. By the end of the night I was having flashbacks of the parties from "Uncle Buck", "Almost Famous" and "Dazed and Confused." We sold a ton of new albums and hope to keep in touch with everyone we met. I can't get into just how crazy the party got but I think I started getting freaked out when I suddenly realized I was trapped in a small weird bedroom with 60 other people singing the theme songs to "Family Ties" and "Full House."

This is only the second week of our 3 month tour so there's a lot more to come!

yorg, BUMP

Forward Available Online!

2009-02-12T19:23:00.000-05:00

You can now purchase our new album "Forward" at CD Baby and Digstation. The album will also be available on iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon, and a bunch of other sites, as well as our own website and myspace in the coming weeks. Pick up a copy and let us know what you think!

BUY FORWARD:

CD BABY

Fargo, ND Article

2009-01-28T14:09:00.003-05:00

New Album, Listening Party, and Spring Tour

2009-01-28T09:19:00.001-05:00

For the last two months we've kept a low profile. With the exception of some nice time with family and some vacations up north and to Philly, we've been locked in "The Bunker" recording our second full length album. This album means a lot to us; it's a culmination of three years of insesent touring, heart ache, a whole lot of joy, and a ton of maturing as both individuals and as a band. For the first time we brought in an outside voice of reason, Dan Currie, to come in and not only record and mix the album, but also produce it. Dan brings years of experience from both running live sound and from working as a studio engineer at the famous Rustbelt Studios (Kid Rock, Uncle Kracker, and Sponge). It's also the first time we've had a chance to jump into the writing process with our new bass player and dear and old friend Bryce Caroll-Coe.

The goal of this album was to layer and compose an album that is both complex, yet accessible. A lot of the emotion from the last two years comes out in some of the most introspective and emotional writing we've done in our careers. We feel strongly that this is an album that will continue to help pave the way up that long winding road known as our careers. We're pretty proud of the end result, the initial responses have been strong from those both within and outside of our organization. Yesterday evening 107one FM in Ann Arbor debuted three songs in support of our show at the Blind Pig this weekend. Without further adieu....FORWARD!

FORWARD

1. Everyone Knows

2. What Was All the Fuss About?

3. All Out War

4. Disconnected

5. Out of Reach

6. Darker Version of Me

7. Tricks

8. Back Door

9. Wrong, Right

FORWARD LISTENING PARTY - THIS SATURDAY - OLD POINTE BAR

This Saturday January 31st we'd love for all you Metro Detroiters to join us at one of our favorite local hang outs, Old Pointe Bar, for the official "Forward" debut and listening party. As a bit of a sweetner we will offer all you can drink Coors Light from 11 PM - Midnight for just $8.00. That's right! For the duration of the album you can enjoy the best deal in town! For those of you who aren't into participating in the Coors Light binge, admission is only $3.00. We're very excited to have our good friends The Back Off immediately after.

Saturday January 31, 2009
"FORWARD" Listening Party
Old Pointe Bar, Grosse Pointe Park MI
9:00 PM Doors
$3.00 / $8.00 (all you can drink from 11 PM - Midnight)

MAP TO OLD POINTE BAR

FRIDAY NIGHT IN ANN ARBOR W/ GREAT DIVIDE

As a bit of a tour warm up we're playing at The Blind Pig on Friday January 30th. We're playing with new friends Great Divide. This will be the first opportunity to hear some of the new material live! We go on at 10:15 PM and will play until around 11:40 PM, so don't be late!

Friday January 30, 2009
The Blind Pig, Ann Arbor MI
w/ Great Divide
9:30 PM Doors
$7 / Under 21 $10. 18+

BIG SPRING TOUR

With any album release, you have to head out on the road! We're excited to embark in a 9 week tour that will bring us back to some of our favorite places around the country, plus some never before played markets! It's a big one so if you know anyone in any of these towns be sure to tell them we're coming to town armed with the new album and an all new exciting live show!

2.5.09 | Billy's Lounge, Grand Rapids, MI

2.6.09 | Bell's Brewery, Kalamazoo, MI

2.7.09 | Martyrs, Chicago, IL

2.8.09 | Mr. Roberts, Madison, WI

2.11.09 | Stone Cellar, Appleton, WI

2.13.09 | Downtime, Minneapolis, MN

2.14.09 | Eagle's Club, Aberdeen, SD

2.16.09 | Nestor Tavern, Fargo ND

2.18.09 | Bone's Brewing, Billings, MT

2.19.09 | Top Hat, Missoula, MT

2.20.09 | Zebra Cocktail Lounge, Bozeman, MT

2.21.09 | Mangy Moose, Teton Village, WY (9:30 PM)

2.22.09 | Mangy Moose, Teton Village, WY (4:00 PM Apre Ski Set)

2.22.09 | Mangy Moose, Teton Village, WY (9:30 PM)

2.24.09 | The Library, Laramie, WY

2.25.09 | Conor O'Neills, Boulder, CO

2.26.09 | Dulcinea's 100th Monkey, Denver, CO

2.27.09 | Dulcinea's 100th Monkey, Denver, CO

2.28.09 | Private Event, Denver, CO

3.1.09 | Old Town Pub, Steamboat Springs, CO

3.2.09 | Weaver's Tavern, Grand Junction, CO

3.4.09 | Terrapin Station, Boise, ID

3.5.09 | John's Alley, Moscow ID

3.6.09 | Wild Buffalo, Bellingham WA

3.7.09 | Luckey's, Eugune, OR

3.8.09| Ash Street, Portland, OR

***MANY MORE TO COME! VISIT WWW.MYSPACE.COM/BUMPBAND FOR MORE DATES

Out of Reach VIdeo

2008-11-19T08:38:00.000-05:00

Out of Reach from Bump on Vimeo.

Real Detroit Feature - Thanksgiving Eve @ Majestic

2008-11-19T08:36:00.002-05:00

Bump
By Travis R. Wright | photos by Joe Gall
Nov 18, 2008, 11:29

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Bump
Evolution & Ascension

It’s no secret: Bump’s been around the block … a couple times. They’ve seen a small handful of members come and go, they’ve seen four corners of this great nation and they’ve certainly seen some of the highest highs and lowest lows a band might come across on the myriad adventures a touring, festival-friendly band like Bump surely journeys into. And now, after six years of steadily chipping away at both the local and national music scene, Bump stands as one of Detroit’s hardest working bands, a group that clearly isn’t going away any time soon.

Like the times, Bump is a band that embraces evolution with open arms and open minds — case in point is their new, highly addictive and interestingly different (for them) single, “Out Of Reach.” Are you Googling yet?

These dapper and dashing musicians throw a now-infamous Thanksgiving Eve bash every year and this year they’re doing so with none other than The Hard Lessons at the Majestic Theatre. In lieu of Bump’s new single, new bass player and Thanksgiving Eve concert, RDW caught up with Bump’s Clint Carpenter and Yorg Kerasiotis for a chat … you know … before they get too big for local mags.

You’ve always been known as a very hard working band, what advice do you have for up-and-coming musicians who want to make music their life?
Yorg: Some days, you’re going to be at your wit's end, every band has those days, and you have to be able to draw the line between being optimistic and being realistic, but ultimately you have be aware of the progress you’ve made and the steps you should take to get to the next level. Analyze what’s going on.

Your live show is always quite impressive, I hear you have a secret weapon.
Clint: Wow, it's helped us out in so many ways. We now have a consistent sound engineer night after night. We fully utilize an in-ear monitor system that allows us to stay consistent no matter the size of the room we play. Plus, he's just a great guy who helps provide an honest and outside perspective — that's invaluable for a band on the road.

Also impressive was the video for “Out of Reach.” It’s one unedited take?
Yorg: We worked hard with the production company, FulVew, to make an impacting and professional music video … on a budget. We want to record as many videos as possible for songs on the new record. The “Out of Reach” video has been entered into numerous competitions where judges are seeking proof of the lack of editing, one-shot-wonder it is, but we have a 60-minute documentary on the making of the video, so it’s all good.

What, in music, inspires Bump?
Yorg: In music, we like artists who put everything on the line, that would put their lives on the line. That’s the mindset we have — music is everything. | RDW

Bump w/ The Hard Lessons • 11/26 Majestic Theatre

Silent But Deadly, Thanksgiving Eve

2008-11-13T16:42:00.000-05:00

Silent But Deadly, Thanksgiving Eve from Bump on Vimeo.

Quad Cities Article

2008-11-10T16:22:00.000-05:00

By David Burke | Wednesday, November 5, 2008 1:20 PM CST | (
0
) comments

The suburban Detroit band Bump prides itself in never being pinned down by a label or a genre.

But with its upcoming release, Bump is trying for something the band hasn’t had in its seven-year history: commercial success.

The single “Out of Reach” will officially be released in a few weeks, but the video has already sneaked its way onto several Web sites — including a sequence showing all three members repeatedly in a city landscape, even though there never appears to be an edit cut on the video.

“We finally got a really good video made for this single. It’s very cool, very well-made,” said Bump’s lead singer, who is identified only by the name Yorg. “It’s a definite hit, but it’s very different. It’s not your normal run-of-the-mill radio song, but it is a radio song in every aspect.”

Bump, which has played the Quad-Cities several times in the past few years, including as an opening act for The Samples, returns Friday with a gig at Bent River Brewing Company in Moline.

The ballad “Out of Reach” is off one of the three albums the band has nearly completed and has in a holding pattern until early 2009.

Bump’s music has evolved constantly, Yorg said in a telephone interview from Boulder, Colo.

He says the band’s influences run the gamut from death metal to classical to new age.

“If you listen to our music, we take parts of all the great genres and try to make our own thing with it,” he said.

The band’s first three albums have shown that variety, he said, and have even differed greatly among themselves.

“It’s always been about progressing. The sound evolved from kind of a funky Motown sound with a little bit of jazz influence into this pop-progressive sound,” he said. “Now it’s an indie sound, and the next album is a prog (progressive rock) album.”

Yorg looks at bands such as Flaming Lips, Yes and Radiohead for examples of complete makeovers from one release to the next.

“They always reinvent themselves and take chances. They don’t always do the same thing over and over again,” he said.

If Bump does make more of a pop record, he said, the band members do so unapologetically.

“We enjoy the commercial stuff when it’s really well done,” Yorg said. “Seventy to 75 percent of commercial stuff is produced well, but produced for a certain purpose — and that’s not the purpose of art.”

David Burke can be contacted at (563) 383-2400 or dburke@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.

11.8 Mousetrap Video

2008-11-10T14:07:00.000-05:00

Tour Photos!

2008-11-10T14:02:00.007-05:00

Just a little teaser!

Hanson Show Revisited

2008-11-05T15:17:00.003-05:00

We opened for Hanson a couple of years ago, if you didn't know. Let us recap the story, it's amusing. Our lighting director and booking agent signed us up for a contest that Hanson was hosting for their upcoming tour with Pat McGee Band. Unbeknown to us we won the contest! So, guess the joke was on us, right? No, actually it was a great show, Hanson is a pretty tight band, and one of their fan sites just revisited our appearance with Hanson...

Craziest party ever!

2008-11-03T09:49:00.002-05:00

Detroit-based Bump will play the Sandbar in West Vail Tuesday night

2008-10-27T09:29:00.001-04:00

WEST VAIL, Colorado — When Bump’s road warrior — a Dodge Ram 3500 white van — broke down in June, it marked the end of an era for the Detroit-based band. The three-member band was headed to the Wakarusa Music Festival in Lawrence, Kan., when their beloved transportation died after logging an astounding 260,000 miles. It was in the small town of Hays that band members Yorg (guitar, vocals and keys), Clint Carpenter (drums), and Chris Steel (guitar, lap steel and vocals), said goodbye to their companion.

Marking the beginning of a new era and a new album, the boys will bring their “new motown sound” to Vail via a new-to-them Dodge Ram 3500 van. They perform Tuesday night at the Sandbar in West Vail.

Dick Dime, talent buyer for the Sandbar, said he is looking forward to an evening of Bump’s irresistible grooves.

“There are bands that are for thinking and there are bands that are for drinking,” he said. “Every once in awhile a band comes along who is a little bit of both. In this case, its Bump.”

Joe Choma, the band’s publicist of five years, says the album the group’s currently working on features a more stripped down sound than the electronic-infused 2006 album, “Incredible Consequences.” Bump’s new sound has been dubbed “progressive low-fi rock.”

“I’ve heard their sound being compared to The Flaming Lips and Band of Horses,” Choma said. “Their new stuff is more accessible than some of the previous tunes and really shows a maturation of their sound. They’ve always had a little bit of that indie or pop element, and its really grown.”

Vocalist and guitarist Yorg said that while their music has progressed since their first album, their basic influences remain the same.

“It’s still what we call our brand of music,” he said. “We feel like every album progresses to something different. Now we have some pretty songs, a kind of different take on production, but there’s still some electronic themes going on.”

From electronic to hip hop to ’60s jazz and reggae, Yorg said that the band draws their inspiration from an eclectic combination of music.

“I can’t even begin to name all of our influences,” he said. “If you looked at our music collections, you’d be surprised at some of the albums we have.”

Blending medias
The band’s MySpace page features a song entitled “Remember to Forget,” a track that has yet to be released and will not be included on their next album, set for release this winter. Instead, the song is a part of a 20-song “sci-fi conspiracy” double album that has been in the works for a while now. The plan is for the album release to coincide with a black and white graphic novel. Each song corresponds to a chapter in the book.

“The graphic novel really looks like a progressive comic book,” Choma said. “We really want to release it at some point, probably in 2009. We had to push it to the back burner because it’s such a huge undertaking. The idea is to start to blend media outlets because album sales in general are down.”

The double album has been put off because Bump wants to release it at the right time, Yorg said.

“We want to do it right,” he said. “We want to wait until we have the right amount of money and support.”

Bump’s upcoming album, which isn’t titled yet, is due out this winter. Attendees at Tuesday night’s show can expect a few tracks from that release, including “Out of Reach” and “Darker Version of Me,” which are both on their Web site, www.bumpgroove.com.

The album, co-produced by Dan Currie (who’s worked with Eminem and the White Stripes) and Josh Epstein of the Silent Years, fuses elements of minimalist rock and indie electro-pop with the band’s “new Motown sound.”

“They really just pull the ideas out of you,” Yorg said about Currie and Epstein. “We finish a song and they just come up with the best way to present it.”

Bump plans to tour in the spring of 2009 to promote the new album. The tour will include a stop at the South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas in March.
They play to make a few stops in Colorado on their spring tour as well. The band has a large Colorado fan base thanks to all the mid-western transplants living here.
“The guys love Colorado,” Choma said. “This is probably the eighth time we’ve been out there and we have so many friends. The atmosphere and overall attitude is so laid back and very similar to the midwest.”

Yorg said that this tour is all about getting fans excited about the upcoming album, and playing tracks that aren’t on the original album.

“It’s going to be an insane set,” he said.

Dime agreed.

“Bump can move your soul, your mind and most importantly your feet. Their spirit and groove will move you.”

Nicole Inglis can be reached at ninglis@vaildaily.com.

If you go ...
What: Bump
Where: Sandbar Sports Grill, West Vail.
When: Tuesday, 10 p.m.
Cost: $5.
More information: Call 970-476-4314.

Thanksgiving Eve Tickets On Sale Now! Majestic Theatre w/ The Hard Lessons

2008-10-21T10:26:00.001-04:00

Tickets are on sale, they're going to go go go!

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS HERE!

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 26th
Majestic Theatre, Detroit MI
w/ The Hard Lessons
9 PM
All Ages
$10 ADV / $15 DOS

Tour Starts Today!

2008-10-16T10:07:00.001-04:00

Western Herald Article - Western Michigan University

2008-10-16T10:04:00.001-04:00

Bump at Bell’s Eccentric Cafe

By Alyssa Herter
Western Herald

Bump, an electronic rock band native to Detroit, will play at Bell’s Eccentric Café located at 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave in downtown Kalamazoo Friday at 9:30 p.m. The show is 21 and up and cover is $6.

Bump’s music is a mesh of classic motown sound and modern electronic currents; they claim the genre “electronic science-fiction rock.” The band’s influences include motown artists, The Mars Volta, Pink Floyd, The Flaming Lips, Yes, and Eric Clapton; just to name a few.

“I think the people who see us for the first time are just taken back by just all the genres we cover and the overall energy we have. We go all over the place. A lot of people say we just cover the whole history of rock and roll from motown to R & B to techno … that’s something to shoot for,” said front man Yorg Kerasiotis.

“I like them a lot … they have a unique sound … I have never seen them before, but I would definitely be interested in seeing them in concert,” Bethany Alia said, a student at Western Michigan University.

Bump features Yorg Kerasiotis on vocals, guitar, and keys; Clint Carpenter on drums and sequencer; and Chris Sterr on guitar, lap steel and vocals. All three are original members and have been playing together since they started the band in 2001. Bryce Carroll-Coe has joined the band just for this tour, playing bass.
Since their first EP, “The Heart of Cadillac Square,” was released in 2004, the band has steadily continued to produce their music independently. They recently recorded a new album, “Astronomica,” which will be released in early 2009. They recently shot a music video for the single “Out of Reach” in Grand Rapids. The video was shot using a steady-cam that allowed for ultra straight shooting: the entire video was shot in a single take.

“It was awesome … every time I’m not on camera, I’m running behind the camera to set up in a different place,” Kerasiotis said.

Bump’s music has grown substantially in the years they’ve been together, said Kerasiotis.

“We don’t sound like the same band [from album to] album, but you can tell it’s Bump … it’s just a growth constantly,” said Kerasiotis.

Bump has played in Kalamazoo at the now defunct Club Soda as well as at Bell’s Eccentric Café. Their crowds at Bell’s have exceeded 300 people.

“It’s just something about Bell’s. There will be lulls in our careers, but at Bell’s that never really happens and they always treat us well … its just one of those places where it’s never really a miss,” said Kerasiotis.

The band has toured in 35 states and played over 600 shows. Their music has been met by much praise in Kalamazoo, Detroit, and beyond.

“Bump is unlike any other band I’ve come across in the city, and while they might not tuck into one of the handful of genre scenes more prevalent in Detroit, they’ve crafted a fan base that stretches from the state line across the country,” wrote Travis Wright of Real Detroit Weekly.

Kerasiotis has no problem with not conforming to one genre.

“I like it because it allows us to do something totally different all the time and not have to be caged in … I don’t necessarily want to make the same music on every album …We go for something totally different on every album, then live we kinda just incorporate the best of all that,” Kerasiotis said.

Bump plans to kick off their next year of touring with a show at the South by Southwest Music and Media Convention in Austin, Texas this March.

To find out more information about Bump, visit their Web site at http://www.bumpgroove.com.
For more information about Bell’s Eccentric Café call (269) 382-2332 or go to their Web site at www.bellsbeer.com.

Music Video Thank You!

2008-10-15T10:50:00.003-04:00

We set out to record a one shot video for "Out of Reach," the new single off our untitled album due out later this winter. The idea is to utilize one continuous shot with ZERO edits. It's a very difficult process and the littlest things can ruin the shot. Fulvew Productions absolutely killed it! Keith and Chris did an amazing job with the shoot, the choreography, and managing the entire day. The shoot went off without a hitch, except for a little disturbance from an idiot in the Circle who didn't want to cooperate and was eventually arrested by GRPD.

We really appreciate all the help everyone gave us during the shoot for "Out of Reach." From the production assistants, to the extras, and all the "randoms" who happened to walk by and participate in their own special way. A big thank you goes out to the Grand Rapids Police Department and the City of Grand Rapids for letting us take over Rosa Parks Circle for the entire day.

FOX 17 came by and ran a news feature on the filming of the video. You can check out the video by visiting: HERE and finding "MUSIC VIDEO" on 10/12/08 in the news tab in the player.

Also, a big thank you goes out to Angie and Incognito of Royal Oak for providing the awesome fashions for the video! We never looked so good.

So...You wanna be in our music video?

2008-10-10T10:45:00.001-04:00

Come one, come all! We're inviting EVERYONE to come out this Sunday October 12th to be in our music video for "Out of Reach," the new single off our new album due out later this winter.
We're looking for extras and assistants to help us out!

WHO: We're looking for extras to be in the video. It's simple, easy, and a ton of fun! This is going to take a lot of choreography and coordination to pull this video off so we need everyone sober, alert, focused and hitting their marks every time. You will help create a busy street scene during the filming of the video. We're also looking for assistants who will help us coordinate and organize some pretty intensive behind the scenes choreography. We're closing down some streets and will need your help! Please note, if you cannot commit for the entire duration of the filming we cannot use your help. We only need those who can donate a full day.

WHAT: Bump's music video for "Out of Reach."

WHEN: Sunday October 12th

Assistants: 10:30 AM (Must be committed to 10:30 am - roughly 6:30 pm)

Extras: 1:00 PM (Must be committed to 1:00 pm - roughtly 6:30 pm)

WHERE: Downtown Grand Rapids, MI - The sidewalk between the Art Museum and Rosa Park Circle (where the ice skating rink is located during the winter months) You can view a map HERE

If you are interested in being in the video, please email our manager Joe Choma at joe@grandcircusmedia. com.
Please include your full name, cell phone, and which part in the video you are interested in. Feel free to spread the word and get all of your friends involved.
Later in the week we will get back in touch with you regarding some more specific information for the shoot, so if you're interested please respond ASAP!

2008-08-27T10:00:00.001-04:00

MAGIC BAG THIS SATURDAY

Come honor all those laborers and union workers that helped make this country what it is today by coming to our show at the Magic Bag on Saturday August 30th! Hang out, have some drinks, and shake your ass! It's the perfect alternative to $4.00 a gallon gas and the ridiculous constant construction on our Michigan roads. We are joined by eastside shredders Hogan Says and Madis. Tickets are only $10.00 and are available by clicking on the banner ad below or by emailing us HERE.

UPCOMING SHOWS

Thursday September 4th

Sonic Lunch @ Liberty Plaza

Ann Arbor, MI

12:00 pm - 2:00 pm

FREE

All Ages

Friday September 12th

Wuhnurth Music Festival

@ The Water Bowl

Muncie, IN

1:00 am - 3:00 am

Presale Weekend Tickets: $30 / Weekend Pass @ Gate: $40

All Ages

NEW BUMP VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE.COM

We're turning out new videos at a quick rate. Below are some of the new ones, be sure to check them out and leave us a comment with your thoughts.

New Years Eve at the Atheneum Grand Ballroom: This show marked Nadz' last show on stage with the band. There are lots of cameos by our good friends and families, not to mention all you other amazing people. Take a minute, check it out, and see if you made the video!

CHECK IT OUT HERE

Covering Higher and Higher at Casey & Lindsay Lowery's Wedding: This was easily one of the most fun and best dance parties in Bump wedding history. We were honored to perform at our dear friends Casey and Lindsay Lowery's wedding in GR. Casey and his family have been huge fans of ours and best friends for years. First we played his graduation party from Indiana University, and then his wedding! Special thanks goes out to the entire Lowery family for all the hospitality and support!

CHECK IT OUT HERE

Sterr & Yorg Performing Acoustic at WYCE in Grand Rapids, MI: We left Ann Arbor at 9:00 am after a night of partying until the sun came up. Next thing you know, the bus stops and we are at WYCE and this performance ensued.

CHECK IT OUT HERE

CHECK OUT ALL THE BUMP VIDEOS HERE

NEW BUMP MERCHANDISE AVAILABLE ONLINE

It's all very overdue, but we have a new line of Bump merchandise that you can purchase online. We plan on adding to this line regularly so keep your eyes peeled and feel free to shoot us an email with some feedback

BUY ALL YOUR BUMP MERCH HERE

NEW BUMP BLOG

We're going to keep a blog that will share stories, photos, video, and hijinks from the road. Be sure to stay up to date with what's going on when you visit us at http://bumpband.blogspot.com/

BE OUR FRIEND ON FACEBOOK

Did you see who is on Facebook? That's right...BUMP. Swing by and become our friend and be sure to copy and paste our widgets wherever your heart desires! Did you know that we actually get paid by Reverbnation.com from the traffic that our site and widgets generate? It's a great program to help the site and the artist's who utilize it so be proactive and put one of the Bump widgets on your facebook, myspace, bebo, blog, website, or other social networking pages. You can find these widgets HERE.

BUMP IS PROUD TO BE SPONSORED BY THESE GREAT COMPANIES

New Bump Merchandise

2008-08-21T12:48:00.000-04:00

New Bump t-shirts are now available, check out our new online store!

NEW BUMP MERCHANDISE

NYE VIDEO

2008-08-19T16:56:00.002-04:00

Bump New Years Eve 2007 from Bump on Vimeo.

Higher and Higher in GR

2008-08-11T23:57:00.000-04:00

8.30.08 - Magic Bag, Ferndale MI

2008-08-11T23:47:00.002-04:00

We're very excited to headline the Magic Bag on Saturday August 30th. Joining us our good friends Hogan Says and Madis. Tickets are $10 and available at Ticketmaster.com.

BUMP MAIL: Dunegrass Video, AA/Lansing/KZoo/Saugatuck

2008-08-06T09:15:00.002-04:00

Put your hands up for Detroit!

EXCLUSIVE EMAIL LIST BUMP TRACKS FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE

We have two exclusive Bump tracks for you to check out. You can check them out by clicking on the flashing link above. Only members of our mailing list have access to these tracks and they'll only be posted for a short period of time. This gives us the opportunity to share with you some rare live tracks, new demos, or maybe even some unheard recordings from back in the day. We want to thank you for being a part of our mailing list and we hope you enjoy!

Track 1: Tricks Demo: This is a rough recording of one of the newest Bump tunes that was written by Clint Carpenter and Bump. It's a great summer tune!

Track 2: Buenos Tardes Amigos (by Ween): This song was recorded during the Detroit International River Days in the summer of 2007. Our first set of the day was in the GM Wintergarden and there were some issues with the volumn for all the bands who were booked there that day. Rather than just stopping, Yorg and Sterr did a couple of covers "acoustic" with just their electric guitars.

UPCOMING SHOWS

We have some big shows this weekend; it’s a busy week as we take a tour of Michigan that includes a double dip on Thursday. We hope to see all our new friends from Dunegrass out at these big Michigan shows. What could be better than summer time shows in the Great Lake State?

Thursday August 7^th: Sonic Lunch, Ann Arbor MI

(Free / All Ages / Noon - 2:00 pm)

We’re playing a special matinee show for Bump in Liberty Plaza presented by Bank of Ann Arbor and 107one FM. Come on out for a Noon – 2:00 pm show and spend your lunch hour with us!

Thursday August 7^th: Rendezvous on the Grand, Lansing MI

($5.00 / 21+ / 9:30 pm - 1:30 am)

We haven’t played in Lansing in a while, come sparty hard with us at this new venue!

Friday August 8^th: Bell’s Eccentric Café, Kalamazoo MI

($5.00 / 21+ / 9:30 pm - 1:00 am)

We’re joined by our good friends Family Groove Company for a rager outside in the beer garden. Oberon and Bump under the stars, what could be better?

Saturday August 9^th: Private Event, Grand Rapids MI

Sorry, private event, but chances are we’ll be at The Hopcat hanging out afterwards if you’re down for some awesome handcraft beers.

Sunday August 10^th: Red Dock, Saugatuck MI

($5.00 / 21+ / 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm)

One of the BEST places to play…ANYWHERE! This one of a kind venue is right on the water in Saugatuck. Come party outside for an afternoon set (4 pm – 8 pm) and enjoy some fine libations and Tony’s famous hot dogs.

DETROIT SHOW ANNOUNCED

We're happy to announce that we will headline the Magic Bag on Saturday August 30th! This is a special Labor Day show. With gas prices hovering around $4.00 a gallon, forget about going out of town for the holiday and stay home and party with us in Fabulous Ferndale! We will be joined by shredmasters elite, Hogan Says. Tickets are $10 and are available through us or on online at Ticketmaster. It's been a while since we've done the Magic Bag, one of Metro Detroit's best venues and this show is a special 18 and over show so don't miss it!

DUNEGRASS MUSIC FESTIVAL RECAP

What an amazing time we had at Dunegrass! It seems that all you hear about coming out of Michigan is the doom and gloom of the downward spiral of the Big Three, the slumping economy, the Kwame Kilpatrick Scandal, or the electoral vote mess; however, some truly beautiful things are taking place right here in our great state! Quit thinking negatively and "Say Yes to Michigan!" and "Say Yes to Bump!" One of these beautiful things is Dunegrass Music Festival located in Empire, MI.

We cruised into town on Thursday night, after setting up camp in the dark we ventured over to My Dear Disco's set in the Dance Tent. Yorg sat in with MDD on "Michael Jackson Shoes." You can view video of Yorg cutting a rug with MDD HERE.

What followed after was an insane camp site sing-a-long that goes down in history as one of the best night's in recent Bump festival history. Nearly 50 people joined us til the wee hours of the night singing everything from The Cure, Tom Petty, The Flaming Lips, Grateful Dead, and James. It was the perfect way to kick off an amazing weekend!

Our two sets were awesome as our CD's were flying off the shelves post show. It was special to see the response; we travel out of state so much it's sometimes easy to forget how good you have it back home in Michigan. A big thanks to all those new friends we met for the first time, the old friends who we haven't seen in a long time who got to see what we're all about these days, and most importantly those old friends who have been with us from the begining!

We had a blast the entire weekend, it was one of those special weekends that you remember for ever so big thanks goes out to Stephen Volas and the entire Dunegrass Festival staff for having us and showing great hospitality. This festival deserves deep roots here in Northern Michigan so be sure to come out and support Michigan music!

CLICK HERE: A FULL VIDEO RECAP OF THE WEEKEND

ULTIMATE EARS IN EAR ENDORSEMENT AND ARTIST TO WATCH

We were just chosen as an "Ultimate Ear Artist to Watch." Ultimate Ears make some of the best in ear monitor systems around and we've been lucky enough to not only receive the nod as one of their artists to watch, but also will now use Ultimate Ears live on stage! We are proud to joing an impressive list of artists including: Liam Finn, Midlake, Shiny Toy Guns, Rogue Wave, Wolf Parade, Marco Benevento, Ani Difranco, and Mudhoney. A big thank you goes out to Ultimate Ears and Indistr.com for selecting us and helping us save our hearing!

NEW BUMP VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE.COM

We got some new toys and we're finally learning how to use them! Over the last six months we've shot a ton of video from the road, in the studio, and at the festivals we've had the privalege of playing. Some of these are hilarious! We've been uploading videos like mad so check them out! Take a visit to our Youtube.com page or simply click the links below for our individual recommendations.

"Detroit Dan" Summer Camp Slip & Slide Video: Dan undercut the offer given to Chris to run and slide through a muddy cesspool following an 18 hour rain storm at Summer Camp earlier this summer. With a counter offer of $49, Dan took the money and ran...CHECK IT OUT HERE

Recording with Bob Seger's horn section, The Motor City Horns: "The Horns" have been good friends and fans of ours for a couple of years since John Rutherford saw us play up in Petoskey a couple of summers ago. We were privaleged to have them sit in with us on a couple of songs at the Majestic a couple of years ago as well. They graciously invited us to record a couple of tracks for their big upcoming studio album. Here is some footage of us recording Apollonia for them...CHECK IT OUT HERE

NEW BUMP BLOG

We're going to keep a blog that will share stories, photos, video, and hijinks from the road. Be sure to stay up to date with what's going on when you visit us at http://bumpband.blogspot.com/

BE OUR FRIEND ON FACEBOOK

Detroit Dan Summer Camp Slip & Slide Video

2008-07-31T12:23:00.002-04:00

Sterr was offered $50 to run and slide through the massive puddle of mud that accumulated by the bands camp site at Summer Camp Music Festival after 24 hours of steady rain. Out of nowhere, Dan undercuts Sterr by a $1 and the rest is history!

Happy festival!

Recording with Bob Seger's horn section, The Motor City Horns

2008-07-30T16:00:00.002-04:00

We were asked come into the studio and record with Bob Seger's horn section, The Motor City Horns. John Rutherford and gang have been fans and friends of ours for a couple years ever since the first time he saw us at City Park Grill in Petoskey. From the first time he heard "Fat Ass" he was hooked!

We went into the studio on Monday and laid down tracks for "Apollonia" and "Fat Ass" which will hopefully appear on The Motor City Horns new album due out this fall. Here is some video from the recording process....Enjoy!

Video from Ann Arbor Art Fair

2008-07-28T20:48:00.002-04:00

6.30.08....R.I.P. Halen

2008-06-30T17:53:00.005-04:00

Put your hands up for Detroit!

RIP HALEN
Anyone who has enjoyed a vehicle for more than 200,000 miles can relate to the special bond one feels. Your vehicle is more than just a gas thirsty plastic and metal machine that countlessly drains your bank account with $4.00 gas and oil changes what seem like once a month. Whether it was a first date with your future wife, a cross country road trip with friends, or performing over 600 shows in over 30 states, that vehicle represents so much more.

We had a special bond with the 2002 Dodge Ram 3500 van we lovingly named "Halen." Halen crisscrossed this country from Burlington, VT to San Diego, CA to Key West, FL and back again a couple of times over. With over 260,000 miles on our beloved Halen, we were forced to leave her behind in Hays, KS because o f electrical issues on Thursday June 5th while in route to Wakarusa Music Festival following highly successful sets at Summer Camp Music Festival and rousing shows in Denver and Boulder, CO.

This difficult decision kicked off a trying month that included 16 hours of traveling with two members of the band rotating in the back of a rented box truck in 90 degree heat and the irony of killing ourselves to get to Wakarusa to only experience the largest storms in recent history wipe out our Thursday night performance. We persevered through it not missing a single gig and are very excited to announce that we just recently made our maiden voyage in our new 2002 Dodge Ram 3500 van! With 210,000 less miles than Halen, this body double has yet to earn proper naming, but we figure after another couple thousand miles and the forging of new memories a name that seems fitting will present itself!

CHILLAXIN SUMMER PLANS

We're going to take it a little easy on touring this summer to do some recording. We just recorded a four song demo that is the start of our next album. With two albums worth of material to sort through we're excited to put our our first studio work since Incredible Consequence.

BIG SHOWS THIS SUMMER

While we aren't traveling as much this summer the calendar is still filled with some huge shows! We're very excited to perform for the first time at Comerica Cityfest! We will perform on July 2nd on the Pure Detroit Stage from 7:30 pm - 8:15 pm. This all ages and free set is five years in the making and will be our first opportunity since Metro Times Blowout to showcase some new material to the hometown crowd. This should be a special night as some of our good friends will also be performing Wednesday night including: The Silent Years and Nomo. What better way to start your 4th of July weekend off than coming downtown for some beers, food, and some of the best music in the Midwest?

We have an exciting July mini run that will take us through Moline, Chicago, and Grand Rapids. Thursday July 17th marks our first return to the "Quad Cities" since Summer Camp as we play Bent River Brewery. We're excited to see all those new and old fans and share a couple pints of some of the strongest and tastiest beer around! Friday July 18th we return to one of our favorite Chicago venues, Martyrs for a reunion with our good friends Kinetix. Chicago is our home away from home and we can't wait to see all those familiar faces!

We will make our debut at Hoxeyville Music Festival in Cadillac, MI. We perform on Saturday July 26th in what is one of the most fun grassroots/independent festivals in the Midwest. Also performing are our good friends The Ragbirds, My Dear Disco, The Macpodz, and many more!

Dunegrass! Located in beautiful Empire surrounded by the great Sleeping Bear Dunes we head up north for two sets; Friday August 1st and Saturday August 2nd! Other prominent bands at Dunegrass include Leftover Salmon • moe. • Steel Pulse • Arlo Guthrie • the Sparrow Quartet Feat. Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn • Del McCoury Band • Grace Potter & the Nocturnals • Buckethead • Railroad Earth • and others! Help support MICHIGAN based festivals and get your tickets today!!!

5.8.08 - Tour Recap

2008-05-08T19:23:00.003-04:00

MAY 08, 2008:

Put your hands up for Detroit

We're back! After spending two full months out on the road the band has
been back home for a couple of weeks. Some much needed time off
reconnecting with friends and family has been great. You can check out
Sterr's photos from tour on his myspace
page.

Everyone always comes back from tour saying it was "great",
but they are always full of ups and downs. We can honestly say that this
tour was "AMAZING".
Some highlights from the second half of tour included:

Las Vegas, NV

A big shout out has to go out to the Las
Vegas Jamband Society and the Las
Vegas NOISE Project for throwing one of the funnest and craziest
parties! These crazy cats took over the entire The
Aruba Hotel & Spa for their monthly party celebrating First
Friday. Your hospitality was amazing and thanks for welcoming us on
our first time to Las Vegas!

Los Angeles, CA

It was a pleasure and a treat to get to hang out and party with some of
our dearest friends out in LA. West
Indian Girl and Natives of the
New Dawn came out and supported! Big props goes out to Fran,
Mark, and Mariqueen from WIG for all their help that night and for
one crazy jam session late night.

Arizona

We just LOVED our drive through AZ, can't wait to do that again!

SXSW

Wow, two raging sets, and far too many free drinks/food & bands to
remember! The Spin Magazine Party was
once again a highlight. Big shout out goes to Quaff

for his hospitality, baby sitting, and just being an all around good
host! We were once again able to tear up Austin with our good friends 20
Minutes to Park, it's becoming quite the tradition! TEXAS!!!!

St. Pete / Dunedin / Tampa

We might have found our home away from home down south! It all started
when we played host to the official Rusted
Root after party at Jannus
Landing. Then a PACKED show at Dunedin
Brewery. To all our old friends and especially our new friends,
we'll see you guys in September!

Miami FL

Who thought that a daytime gig on a Sunday in a shopping mall could be
so fun? Well, you put on short shorts and a tank top and there you
go...FUN!

Auburn, AL

Once again Katina...Thank you! Every time we come through Auburn you put
up with us and let us crash at your place. The show was a rager and
featured a crazy impromptu encore that featured "Billy Jean,"
"Sweet Child of Mine," and "Under the Bridge;" all
songs we've never played before.

Athens, OH

It's been four years since we played in Athens and it was a blast. The
Jager soaked shot paddle we have is proof of that!

1: Festival Announcements!!!
When the weather gets hot it only means one thing...FESTIVAL SEASON!
It's honestly the best time of the year! Beautiful weather, big raging
sets, seeing amazing bands all day, and drinking obscene amounts of beer

With each summer comes new stories and new and exciting festivals that
we have the pleasure of performing at. This summer will mark debut's at Wakarusa
Music Festival, Comerica
Cityfest, Hoxeyville Music
Festival, and Dunegrass.

We're also very excited to perform two sets at Summer
Camp Music Festival

2: New Website
We just recently launched a new website!
The new design is sleeker, easier to navigate, and is a lot easier to
update. What you see now is just the start, we'll continue adding things
to the site and new and exciting reasons to come back and continue to
check it out.

NEW WEBSITE

3: BUMP Inks Endorsement Deal With GHS Strings!
We are proud to be the proud users of GHS
Strings! Chris, Yorg, and Dan are now officially endorsed by GHS and
join a legendary lineup of endorsers such as: Carlos
Santana, Flea,
Eric
Johnson, and Warren
Haynes just to name a few!

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Thanks for all your support, you guys are the best, and we look forward
to seeing you in a town near you!

Love,

Those Crazy Bump Boys!

2.28.08 - Surprise Show, Colorado, and Metro Times Blowout

2008-02-28T19:09:00.003-05:00

Put your hands up for Detroit

Tour has been going well, with the exception of some nasty weather that curtailed our plans to melt faces in Des Moines, it's been great! Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Chicago! Wow, you guys brought it hard! We cut our gums in Lawrence and Lincoln to some very receptive audiences and can't wait to see you all again this summer at Wakarusa! We send out a huge thank you to all of you who have supported us thus far whether it was offering a floor to sleep on, coming out to the shows, or hanging posters. THANKS!!!! And to the staff of each place we played, your hospitality has been amazing! You've gone beyond the call of duty! THANKS!!!

We're really getting tight with Dan on bass. He's really stepped up and killed each and every night! Grab your first chance to see the band with Dan, you won't be disappointed!

It's been a pleasure and an honor having Jay Minger on the road with us doing our front of house and helping with merch and daily tour manager duties. We can't begin to tell you how amazing the sound has been so far! It's really been a treat and you need to be sure you come out and see how much better Jay makes us sound, who knew we could actually sound good?

1: SURPRISE SHOW TONIGHT IN DENVER!
Our very dear and close friends Ryan Kingsley and sister Katie Nilsson just recently bought a bar! As the proud new owners of Denver's Old Hole they welcome us into their new home for a big surprise show tonight! The show is a free show and starts at 10:00 pm.

Denver’s Old Hole
990 S. Oneida
Denver CO 80224

2: WEEKEND SHOWS IN "RADO"
Tonight's show is the big warm up for two huge shows in Denver and Boulder. Friday night we return to Dulcinea's 100th Monkey for a HUGE Leap Year Party! What better night to get faded with Bump than on Leap Day?

We then head up to Boulder to play with good friends Kinetix at Trilogy Wine Bar on Saturday March 1st. Our first show ever in Boulder was opening for Eric McFadden at Trilogy, we can't wait to get back!

3: METRO TIMES BLOWOUT LAUNCH PARTY HEADLINERS!

For a couple of days we get to feel like Aerosmith, jet setting on planes between gigs! Metro Times has chosen us to headline their big launch party for the Metro Times Blowout at the Majestic Theatre on Wednesday March 5th. We will leave Halen in Denver with Jay and fly home for this big show. This is a slot we're honored to have and we hope you'll come out and share in this big night! We will be joined by Cetan Clawson, Mega Weedge, and our good friends The Silent Years.

4: WEST COAST DATES!!!!
After years, we're making our debut on the west coast! We fly into Denver and have a long drive from Denver to Las Vegas for our debut at The Thunderbird Lounge at the Aruba Hotel. Las Vegas Jamband Society and Noise Project present the show. It should be a rager! Free show that often goes until 5 am!

We'll make our first appearance on Friday March 7th at The Mint in Los Angeles before heading down to San Diego to Winston's, and then on to Phoenix, AZ at Mesa's Goat Head Saloon on Monday March 10th.

5: FESTIVAL HELP NEEDED!
Your help in sending in your requests has helped! We're in discussions with a number of regional and national festivals, so keep up the good work! We're on the verge, but with your help could get pushed over the edge.

Summer Camp Music Festival

Write them a comment on Myspace

Bonnaroo Music Festival

Email the promoter

All Good Music Festival

Request Bump

Blissfest

Email them

10KLF

Email to request Bump

Dunegrass

Email the festival

6: DADA MAIL HELP
We're looking for someone who knows the Dada Mail program well. We're looking to redesign our email list, however are stumped. If you have any knowledge please contact joe at joe@grandcircusmedia.com.

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Thanks for all your support, you guys are the best, and we look forward to seeing you in a town near you!

Love,

Those Crazy Bump Boys!