About Kris Myers

Born on the glorious spring morning of April 5th ’77, Kris Myers was put in this world to drum. Indeed, he was given his first trap kit at the tender age of 8, preferring to wake up and “rock out” in the early mornings as opposed to watching cartoons like the rest of us. Well, it paid off. After he received his master’s degree in jazz drumming from DePaul University, he went on to destroy progressive fusion in Chicago with his band Kick the Cat. When Mike Mirro left Umphrey’s McGee in late 2002, Kris’ audition video showed up 1st out of what became a pile of 150 or so applicants. Though he was leagues above the other submissions, that was the last time he would arrive first.

But arrive he did, taking the music of Umphrey’s McGee into musical areas previously not possible. As Kris begins his 10th year in the band (now twice as long as Mirro’s tenure), his identity as a major contributor to the band’s overall sound is undeniable. Kris’ mixture of power and grace, spaces & frenzies and cross-rhythms & pocket help define progressive rock sound of Umphrey’s McGee. In recent years, Kris has also added an array of electronic sounds to his arsenal that have allowed the band to expand their sound even further. No matter what Kris is doing behind the kit, he makes a statement with every note he plays.

When he’s not melting faces, Kris likes to take a breather on the golf course, listen to complicated jazz, and when the weather cooperates, spend a day at the beach playing jarts. He is considered by many to be a man of mystery, but his drumming may also make him a man of history.