Following the 2004 breakup of jam band giant Phish, many wondered who would fill the massive gap left by the touring juggernaut. Although the answer wasn't clear at first, Chicago's Umphrey's McGee has grown into this role and is the current ruler of the jam crown. Like all the bands in their genre, the Grateful Dead, Phish, Widespread Panic, moe., etc, Umphrey's plays a completely different, marathon two set show every night and has developed their own dialect and trademark intricacies. Yet while the crowds may look and act much the same, the music of Umphrey's McGee is more heavily steeped in prog-rock, pop-rock and heavy metal guitar solos than their jam forefathers. Their 2007 studio album The Bottom Half reached #26 on Billboard's "Heatseakers" Chart and 2007's live release Live At The Murat caused Rolling Stone's David Fricke to give them four stars. On tour now (dates available here) and with a massive co-headlining tour with STS9 set for the summer, we catch up with guitarist Brendan Bayliss for a look at life On The Road...              

Name: Brendan Bayliss

Band(s): Umphrey's McGee

Instrument: Guitar/Vocals

Nicknames: Too many to list

Place You Call Home: Chicago

Last album to flip your lid: Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

Album you always take on tour: The Beatles - The White Album

What would someone always find in your van or tour bus?

Tea, Budweiser, CDs galore... 

What supplies don't you leave home without?

The same ones you find in our bus, plus enough boxers to get thru a tour.

What personal rituals do you have to help keep your sanity while on tour?

Read, exercise, and take a nap two hours before we play.  I tend to take a walk around every town and get lost, then try and find my way back without having to call our tour manager.

Speaking of rituals, does the band have a pre-show ritual to help prepare for the stage?

We tend to huddle up and cheers a beer right before we play.

Audiences come in all shapes and sizes.  What's the screwiest fan encounter you've had?

People tend to walk up on the bus if it's unlocked and act as if they should be there. One time, a tour manager from another band walked on and yelled at us for being on his bus... I heard he was fired shortly thereafter.

What's a great, positive fan encounter you've had?

A great encounter would be Sanae from Japan. She flies over to see us frequently and now we have family in Japan.

What's the strangest thing you've seen from the stage while performing?

A group of girls, more than two, making out and progressively getting into it as if there weren't a thousand people around them. It was a challenge to keep playing with focus.

What's the first thing you like to do after a show?

Run to the bus and watch The Daily Show if it's on. If not, The Colbert Report.

Tell us about a great road food stop you've discovered in your travels.

Stubb's in Austin. It's a venue we play at, but as a carnivore it has to be some of the best food you can find on the road.

If I weren't a musician I'd probably be a (fill in the blank) because (fill in the blank).

If I weren't a musician I'd probably be a teacher because you get summers off, Christmas break, and you can be a positive influence.

(Fill In the Blank) are the baddest mothas on the planet.

Bela Fleck and The Flecktones are the baddest mothas on the planet.

Your band mates will often reveal strange things about themselves during a tour. What stuff have your fellow musicians shown you that took you aback or delighted you?

Our percussionist has developed a talent for making weather predictions.  He can tell when the cold/warm fronts are coming and what will happen next, so we call him Doppler.

Name a few things we'd find on your rider.

Budweiser, vodka, tea, fruit, socks, gum.

What was the musical highlight of your last or current tour and why?

Playing in the town where the band formed, South Bend, IL.  My parents watched the whole show from the side of the stage.

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