RIG TOUR: Rising stars Ume show off their live setup

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The fast-rising Texan trio show us their live gear

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Lauren Larson on stage with her mid-'70s Telecaster Custom
Lauren Larson on stage with her mid-'70s Telecaster Custom(Image credit: Joe Bosso)

RIG TOUR: Rising stars Ume show of their live setup


Here at MusicRadar, we like nothing more than spotlighting rising stars, and recently we've been most impressed with the Austin-based trio Ume (pronounced ooo-may). Their full-length debut, Phantoms, is an explosive, melodic blend of post-alt-rock heaviness (you can stream the record on Soundcloud here and purchase it on iTunes here), and in a few weeks, they're set to record a follow-up with producer Adam Kasper, he of Foo Fighters/Cat Power/Queens Of The Stone Age fame.

We caught up with guitarist-singer Lauren Larson, bassist Eric Larson (yes, the two are married) and drummer Rachel Fuhrer at New York's Webster Hall recently, where they were set to share the stage with The Toadies and Helmet. All three members of Ume ran through their live setups, which you can see in the video above.

Lauren describes herself as "quite the Fender fan" - she plays a mid-'60s Duo-Sonic II and a mid-'70s Telecaster Deluxe. When asked what her dream guitar might be, she answered, "I'd love to have a custom Fender, maybe with a Mustang body. I like the smaller neck on the Duo-Sonic. It's still a full-scale guitar, but it's a bit smaller. I really like dual humbuckers - you get such a fatter, beefier sound with them."

Following a date this weekend (25 August) at the Rock en Seine Festival in Paris, Ume will hit the road in the fall, again with The Toadies and Helmet (click here for the dates). The group will also be featured on the season premiere of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, airing 3 September on the Travel Channel. Catch a glimpse of the episode below. And yes, those are indeed "chicken balls."

Joe Bosso
Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar World, Guitar Player, MusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.