Exclusive Video Premiere: Umphrey’s McGee’s Brendan Bayliss Performs Solo Acoustic ‘Upward’

Umphrey’s McGee celebrated their 20th anniversary this year by releasing a new album it’s not us and a surprise follow-up it’s you. The closing track on the latter record is the song “Upward,” and JamBase is pleased to exclusively premiere a video capturing a solo acoustic performance of the original played by guitarist Brendan Bayliss.

Bayliss recorded “Upward” during a session held at IV Lab Studios in Chicago. The facility has frequently been utilized by UM to track their studio albums, including the pair of 2018 releases.

“The original demo for ‘Upward’ was written the day after one St Patrick’s Day in a bit of a haze,” Bayliss said. “The working title was ‘St. Paftermath’ and it was so basic and simple because the hangover I was working through was very much the opposite of a basic and simple feeling. Here we are years later, and while I was at IV Lab recording a few things, the idea came up to tape ‘Upward.’ I really didn’t think much of it … we did two passes and moved on. I guess it turned out better than expected, and we hope you enjoy it.”

Watch Bayliss performing “Upward” below: