30db: One Man Show

A new super group with local connections has emerged in the jam band world. Under the name 30 db, guitarist Brendan Bayliss of Umphrey’s McGee has released “One Man Show” with long time friend, fellow Chicago native, and mandolinist extraordinaire Jeff Austin. After years of seeing each other on the jam band circuit, the two struck up a friendship based on shared musical interests and the Chicago Cubs. Subsequent touring and writing sessions built momentum. When both went through painful song birthing break ups at the same time the connection deepened. The resulting tunes needed a home and didn’t quite fit into their existing projects and so 30db was born. They added a roster of talent that included drummer Cody Dickinson from the North Mississippi All Stars, guitarist Nick Forster from Hot Rize, and Open Road bassist Eric Thorin. The all stars ignited, creating what sounds like a band meant to be.

One Man Show is a great debut. It is an easy listen, with a wide range of musically evolved content. The songs don’t seem shlocked together but often seem better developed than some of Umphrey’s work. It’s a dynamic, tight album that somehow effortlessly blends elements of jam, southern rock, pop, folk, bluegrass, country, and soul-searching break up songs into a cohesive and natural sounding whole. It’s melodic and tuneful, rocking and wild, yet laid-back and fun all at the same time. This is an album of musical mood swings in a very good way. There are low-key acoustic moments juxtaposed with stratospheric tunes and interstellar jammed out crescendos. It all seems to work well together and shows just how much exceptional musicianship is present here.

While being impressive, One Man Show does have its limits. The ear friendly catchiness occasionally borders on being overly pop sounding. The vocals work well for the most part, but are less impressive than the other musical elements. That’s not surprising in the jam band world where instrumental musicianship seems to have a higher priority than the development of the vocal instrument does. The vocals harmonize well and provide narrative in typical jam band fashion, but not much more. Maybe one day we will hear a jam band with soul-stirring vocals but this isn’t it. That being said we still have an impressive debut from an exciting new group that seems to have opened up vast possibilities. If you like freewheeling jammed out tunefulness with varied vibes, 30 db has a unique sound worth checking out.