From Jam Band Roots To DIY Marketing: Umphrey's McGee's Ryan Stasik On Building A Loyal Fanbase

How are we doing? Who do you want to learn from next? Text us with notes and ideas.Come for the bass lines, stay for the blueprint of a modern creative business. We sit with Umphrey’s McGee bassist Ryan Stasik to trace how a college-born jam band built a 27-year career on improvisation, fan collaboration, and unapologetic DIY marketing. If you’ve ever wondered how to grow without giving up control, this conversation shows the moves: own your masters, design experiences your audience can shape, and make your visual identity tell the same story your music does.Ryan walks us through Blueprints, the new album constructed from years of recorded improvisations that fans helped curate into “Legos.” Those ideas were arranged into finished songs in an intimate Chicago session, preserving the edge between precision and chaos the band is known for. We dig into why imperfections matter, how recording has shifted from group rooms to home rigs, and the subtle craft of keeping long-form compositions engaging without sanding off their human touch.We also zoom out to the ecosystem: artwork drawn from real pedalboards, a merch arm that reflects the sound, and a live archive on nugs.net that rewards deep listening. Ryan talks candidly about staying together as a six-piece—honesty, timing, and “yes, and”—and how to balance fan connection with artistic integrity so the setlist doesn’t turn into favors. Along the way, we celebrate Charleston’s collaborative scene, swap faSouth Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) is a public, nonprofit organization that fuels South Carolina’s innovation economy by supporting technology-based startups, academic research, and industry partnerships. Through funding, coaching, and its investment arm SC Launch, SCRA helps early-stage companies grow, commercialize ideas, and scale within the state’s key innovation sectors. King & Columbus is a full-service marketing and advertising agency based in South Carolina that helps brands grow through a mix of creative storytelling and data-driven strategy. They offer everything from branding and content creation to media planning, digital advertising, and PR—focused on delivering measurable results across digital, social, and traditional channels. https://kingandcolumbus.comSupport the showTitle Sponsor: Charleston American Marketing AssociationPresenting Sponsor: Charleston Media SolutionsAnnual Sponsor: ‪SCRA; South Carolina Research AuthorityQuarterly Sponsor: King and ColumbusCAMACast Cohosts: Stephanie Barrow, Mike Compton, Rachel Backal, Tom Keppeler, Amanda Bunting Comen, Silicon Harbor Hot Take Host: Stanfield Gray, https://digsouth.comProduced and edited: RMBO AdvertisingPhotographer | Co-host: Kelli MorseScore by:  The Strawberry Entrée; Jerry Feels Good, CURRYSAUCE, DBLCRWN, DJ DollaMenuStudio Engineer: Brian Cleary and Mathew ChaseYouTube...