On Friday, Umphreys McGee kicked off the next leg of its extensive fall tour at Portland, ORs Crystal Ballroom. While in town, guitarist Brendan Bayliss took the opportunity to visit with his brother Pat, an Oregon resident who last appeared with Umphreys McGee at its infamous 2004 Halloween performance. The Bayliss brothers collaborated once again this weekend when Brendan invited Pat to contribute guest vocals to a cover of Fugazis Waiting Room. A night later, at Seattle, WAs Showbox, Jake Cinninger received a visit from his pre-Umphreys Ali Baba’s Tahini bandmate Steve Krojinowski. Krojinowski, who was introduced as U2s The Edge, replaced Kris Myers on drums for the Ali Baba’s Tahini number Syncopated Strangers during the groups second set.
Before leaving for tour, Myers appeared with Hack ‘n’ Wheeze at Chicagos Griffin’s Public House Thursday night. Myers sat in for a number of selections including Boogie On Reggae Woman, Bright Lights and Funky Bitch. Umphrey’s McGee will perform tonight at Santa Cruz, CA’s The Catalyst.