In the series finale, we dive into the track “It’s Not Your Fault,” a song that Brendan Bayliss thought might not be on the album at all. The discussion of this song leads to a conversation about Neil Young and his influence on Bayliss. We want to thank everyone for listening to the series, and please leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts, and share with those you think should hear it. Talking Circles is a production of Osiris Media and Umphrey’s McGee. Audio production by M...
Oct 27, 2022•11 min•Ep 14•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome back to Talking Circles - a production of Osiris Media and Umphrey’s McGee. This is a podcast about the making of Asking For A Friend with the members of Umphrey’s McGee. In Episode Thirteen, we hear Brendan Bayliss talk about “Fenced In,” which was a reaction to the protests of the Summer of 2020, and to the ongoing pandemic. As with a lot of songs, the concept existed for a while, but was brought together by a unique set of circumstances. Jams which featured early hints of ...
Oct 13, 2022•17 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome back to Talking Circles - a production of Osiris Media and Umphrey’s McGee. This is a podcast about the making of Asking For A Friend with the members of Umphrey’s McGee. In Episode Twelve, we focus on “Work Sauce,” a song that came together through a unique combination of serendipity, collaboration, and reflection on these truly unique times. Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger lead the discussion of this track. Talking Circles is a production of Osiris Media and Umphrey’s McGee. A...
Sep 29, 2022•17 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome back to Talking Circles - a production of Osiris Media and Umphrey’s McGee. This is a podcast about the making of Asking For A Friend with the members of Umphrey’s McGee. In Episode Eleven we focus on the quiet ballad, buried deep in the second half of Asking For A Friend , “How About Now.” A simple acoustic song recorded in a single take, it showcases Brendan Bayliss’s lyrical brilliance, and the simple approach the band took on their latest album. Highlighting his own sense of do...
Sep 15, 2022•18 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome back to Talking Circles—a production of Osiris Media and Umphrey’s McGee. This is a podcast about the making of Asking For A Friend with the members of Umphrey’s McGee. In Episode Ten we turn our attention to “Always October.” This song was inspired by Bayliss’s experience with parenthood—and the pros and cons of being a professional musician with a family at home—especially in October, when leaving for Fall Tours. Jake and Brendan talk about the use of major and minor keys, and ho...
Sep 01, 2022•21 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome back to Talking Circles - a production of Osiris Media and Umphrey’s McGee. This is a podcast about the making of Asking For A Friend with the members of Umphrey’s McGee. In Episode Nine we begin to focus on the deep cuts of the album, with “Hiccup” up first. A song that showcases the unique differences between Cinninger and Bayliss’s songwriting approach, it also displays the band’s dedication to keeping things simple on the album. Finally we discuss the importance of a properly t...
Aug 18, 2022•18 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome back to Talking Circles - a production of Osiris Media and Umphrey’s McGee. This is a podcast about the making of Asking For A Friend with the members of Umphrey’s McGee. In Episode Eight we wrap up our backstage interview with Umphrey’s McGee from Red Rocks. Talking in a circle with the band, we discuss the origins of the song “Escape Goat,” and how it blossomed immediately on stage. We chat about the pressures of the studio, the brilliance of Jake Cinninger nailing guitar solos, ...
Aug 05, 2022•17 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome back to Talking Circles - a production of Osiris Media and Umphrey’s McGee. This is a podcast about the making of Asking For A Friend with the members of Umphrey’s McGee. In Episode Seven we continue our backstage interview with Umphrey’s McGee from Red Rocks. Talking in a circle with the band, we discuss the inside joke nature of “Ordinary Times” as well as the impact of Andy Farag on the band’s songwriting. In addition, we continue discussing the impact of influences on their son...
Jul 20, 2022•14 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome back to Talking Circles - a production of Osiris Media and Umphrey’s McGee. This is a podcast about the making of Asking For A Friend with the members of Umphrey’s McGee. In Episode Six we begin a three-part series stemming from our live interview with Umphrey’s McGee from backstage at Red Rocks. Talking in a circle with the band, we dive deep into Asking For A Friend, tying together larger themes from the series, while also getting a full back perspective on the songwriting and re...
Jul 12, 2022•16 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome back to Talking Circles - a production of Osiris Media and Umphrey’s McGee. This is a podcast about the making of Asking For A Friend with the members of Umphrey’s McGee. In Episode Five we talk with Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger about the song “New Wings.” Written by Cinninger and then sent to Bayliss for lyrical additions, it represents the “three chords and the truth” approach that defines much of Asking For a Friend . Focusing on the brilliant hook within the song, and the...
Jun 07, 2022•21 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome back to Talking Circles - a production of Osiris Media & Umphrey’s McGee. This is a podcast about the making of Asking For A Friend with the members of Umphrey’s McGee. In Episode Three we talk with Jake Cinninger and Joel Cummins about the song “Dayville Monarchy.” As opposed to the previous songs from Asking For A Friend that we have looked at, Dayville Monarchy was presented to the band as a fully-realized demo created by Cinninger in his studio. Joel Cummins discusses the d...
May 27, 2022•19 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome back to Talking Circles - a production of Osiris Media & Umphrey’s McGee. This is a podcast about the making of Asking For A Friend with the members of Umphrey’s McGee. In Episode Three we talk with Brendan Bayliss about the song “So Much.” Written in the late-aughts as a way to make up for two weeks of procrastination, the song is a three-chords-and-the-truth rarity in the UM catalog. Having been auditioned for a number of previous albums, it finally found its home in the Aski...
Apr 18, 2022•32 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome back to Talking Circles - a production of Osiris Media & Umphrey’s McGee. This is a podcast about the making of Asking For A Friend with the members of Umphrey’s McGee. In Episode Two we’re focusing on the second single from the record, “Small Strides.” Joined again by singer/songwriter Brendan Bayliss and keyboardist Joel Cummins, we dive into the origins of the song from Brendan’s college days, his craftsmanship during the first six months of the pandemic, and how a song can ...
Mar 21, 2022•28 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to Talking Circles - a production of Osiris Media & Umphrey’s McGee. Over the course of the next four months we’ll dive into the making of Asking For A Friend with the members of Umphrey’s McGee. We’ll look at the inspirations behind each song, the songwriting process, the new techniques utilized to craft the songs, and where the band sees each song fitting into their live repertoire. In Episode One we’re focusing on the first single from the record, “I Don’t Know What I Want.” We’re...
Mar 14, 2022•28 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast Talking Circles brings you inside the songwriting and collaborative process of Umphrey’s McGee’s 14th studio album, Asking For A Friend . Through comprehensive interviews with members of the band, we explore the inspirations behind theses songs - many of which were written during lockdown - the manner in which the band developed them & their transition to the live stage. Asking For A Friend comes out July 1st. Episodes will drop monthly in connection with new singles released ahead of the al...
Mar 10, 2022•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
