Brendan Bayliss & Jeff Austin Reunite For 30db In Chicago

Martyr’s in Chicago hosted what has turned into a holiday-time tradition on Wednesday night, a performance from 30db. For the third year in a row, mandolinist Jeff Austin and Umphrey’s McGee guitarist Brendan Bayliss came together for a pair of sets filled with songs they wrote together, fun banter and cool covers.

Brendan and Jeff fit many songs from their lone record together, 2010’s One Man Show, into both sets at Martyr’s. The pair also played “We’re Going To Be Friends” by The White Stripes and Wilco’s “Handshake Drugs” within the first frame. Last night’s closing stanza featured a similar gameplan.

At the start of the set, the pair read really mean internet comments about last year’s show ahead of “Fly By” and the beloved “Susanah.” Jeff and Brendan also presented their take on “Used To Love Her” by Guns N’ Roses and the Duane Allman-penned Allman Brothers Band instrumental “Little Martha.” The duo ended the second set with Wilco’s “California Stars” followed by UM’s “Cut The Cable.”

For the encore, Bayliss and Austin said farewell with Modest Mouse’s “The Good Times Are Killing Me” and their own “Always Up.” Umphrey’s McGee debuted their cover of the Modest Mouse song in the same room at the first “Bill GrahUM” show on April 28, 2012.

The pair began the holiday tradition on December 19, 2015 with an early and late show at Chicago’s Tonic Room. Last December, 30db played Schuba’s on December 22. 30db had been mothballed since 2012 before 2015’s gigs.

Here’s video of “The Good Times Are Killing Me”:

Watch a few clips from the show starting with “Little Martha”:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc9BVeiDA_2/

Setlist (Compiled by JCubson)

Set One: Liar, What The Night Brings, Backfire, We’re Going To Be Friends, Backbone, One More, Return Item, Instrumental in D > Handshake drugs, Automatic, Lick #6

Set Two: Fly By > Susanah, One Man Show, Grave, Get in Line, Used To Love Her, East Nashville Easter, California Stars > Cut The Cable

Encore: The Good Times Are Killing Me, Always Up