After 17-plus years of performing more than 100 concerts annually, releasing eight studio albums and selling more than 3.5 million tracks online, Umphrey’s McGee might be forgiven if they chose to rest on their laurels. But then that wouldn’t be consistent with the work ethic demonstrated by the band, which consistently attempts to raise the bar, setting and achieving new goals since forming on the Notre Dame campus in South Bend in 1997.

After releasing their eighth studio album, Similar Skin, the first for their own indie label, Nothing Too Fancy (N2F) Music (distributed by RED), the group continue to push the envelope and test the limits. Their brand-new studio album, The London Session, was a dream come true for the members having been recorded at the legendary Studio Two at historic Abbey Road. The stealth recording session yielded 10 tracks in a single day, proving once again, the prolific UM waits for no one.

Last year’s Similar Skin saw Umphrey’s McGee aim to strut their rock and progressive roots, with touchstones ranging from the Police and U2 (“The Linear”), the Beatles (“No Diablo”), Nirvana (“Loose Ends”) and Led Zeppelin (“Hindsight”) to Metallica, Soundgarden and Pantera (“Puppet String”) and even the symphonic rock of Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Yes or Genesis (the closing nine-minute live staple, “Bridgeless,” finally committed to record). “Every night, we have the opportunity to play whatever and however long we want,” says singer/guitarist Brendan Bayliss. Going into the studio, the challenge was to be as concise as possible, to trim all the fat we could.”

“You’re looking at 17 years of change,” says Bayliss. “We managed to capture a good representation of our spectrum.”

Umphrey’s McGee are more than just a rock band – through nearly two decades, they have proven to be on the cutting-edge of both music and technology, super-serving their fans through a community that stretches from the campus of Notre Dame to the hallowed halls of Abbey Road.

Umphrey’s McGee will play the Farm Bureau Lawn at White River State Park in Indianapolis on Saturday, Aug. 8. Opening will be upbeat southern rocker J. Roddy Walston and the Business. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, April 3. Visit http://ticketing.umphreys.com/, the Old National Centre or a Ticketmaster outlet.