My Morning Jacket...

[Kim Bodnia]

Right now hearing "Golden" on WXPN. Nice.

[parisisstale]

NYE with Preservation Hall Jazz Band sweet!!!

 

3 nights in Port Chester, NY a nice surprise as well....I hope Gutter doesn't come with a MMJ t-shirt on

[Shug]

I'm going to all 3 of the MMJ shows at the Wiltern this week in LA. I read that they just announce no repeats in the setlist over the course of the 3 night run. That's pretty cool.

 

Anyone else going to these shows?

 

I went to all three. Aside from how they are doing on studio recordings, the second half of 2012 has been incredible for their live show. The Spontaneous Curation series (online voting for openers, twitter for encore requests, and a general approach of fewer repeats and digging deep in the song list for rarities to please the hardcore fans) has resulted in some great great shows, but more than that, they are just on fire performance-wise, playing with tons of passion and energy, which is really what makes them so great live.

 

As for the covers, they did many of the same ones in LA as they did at Red Rocks. Rocket Man had just absolutely sublime and perfect backing vocals from Carl and Bo as well as Carl's killer pedal steel playing. It Makes No Difference was again brilliant, too. Jim James's high voice is really suited to covering Rick Danko and he's got the reverent soulfulness to really pull it off, just beautiful. Last night of LA they were in a funky mood, playing lots of electro-funk from Evil Urges and they busted out Lionel Richie's All Night Long and I'm tellin' ya, people freakin' LOVED IT!!!! Whether its inteded to be tongue-in-cheek or sincere (my guess is the later), they played it straight and had a good horn section sitting in for it and it was super-fun to revel in such a guilty pleasure. They also did Oh Sweet Nuthin' and Curtis Mayfield's Move On Up and Itsn't It A Pity with Iron and Wine sitting in on another night.

 

They also announced no repeats for 3 nights at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, so those shows should be excellent, as well.

[Muzzle of Dan]

I went to all three. Aside from how they are doing on studio recordings, the second half of 2012 has been incredible for their live show. The Spontaneous Curation series (online voting for openers, twitter for encore requests, and a general approach of fewer repeats and digging deep in the song list for rarities to please the hardcore fans) has resulted in some great great shows, but more than that, they are just on fire performance-wise, playing with tons of passion and energy, which is really what makes them so great live.

 

As for the covers, they did many of the same ones in LA as they did at Red Rocks. Rocket Man had just absolutely sublime and perfect backing vocals from Carl and Bo as well as Carl's killer pedal steel playing. It Makes No Difference was again brilliant, too. Jim James's high voice is really suited to covering Rick Danko and he's got the reverent soulfulness to really pull it off, just beautiful. Last night of LA they were in a funky mood, playing lots of electro-funk from Evil Urges and they busted out Lionel Richie's All Night Long and I'm tellin' ya, people freakin' LOVED IT!!!! Whether its inteded to be tongue-in-cheek or sincere (my guess is the later), they played it straight and had a good horn section sitting in for it and it was super-fun to revel in such a guilty pleasure. They also did Oh Sweet Nuthin' and Curtis Mayfield's Move On Up and Itsn't It A Pity with Iron and Wine sitting in on another night.

 

They also announced no repeats for 3 nights at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, so those shows should be excellent, as well.

 

It was such a blast to see these three shows. It was my first experience seeing them as well as my girlfriends' first. We were more than pleased. They really have a ridiculous live show; and they do know how to rock 'n roll.

 

All Night Long was so good. So much fun. So much dancing.

[choo-choo-charlie]

New Jim James record out in February. First track available for free download. Interesting stuff.

 

http://www.prefixmag.com/news/my-morning-jackets-jim-james-announces-solo-debut-/71848/

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

sweet. he's been teasing that full solo album for a few years now. really diggin' that song.

[choo-choo-charlie]

First listen made me go, huh. Second listen made me go, hmmm. Third listen made me go I gotta get some new headphones before this thing comes out.

 

Plus it's not a "Yim Yames" album, but a full-fledged *Jim James* album. It shouldn't, but the whole YY thing bothered me...

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

i always kinda assumed his real solo debut would go deeper into spacey prince-y territory, so this was about what i expected. as someone who loves mmj's continuing voyage into weird r&b sounds, im very excited to hear the rest of this. only 9 songs, so it should have a few longer songs like this single.

 

the yim yames thing was weird but i never quite understood why it bothered so many people. its not like is the only example of jim being an odd dude.

[rareair]

New Jim James record out in February. First track available for free download. Interesting stuff.

 

http://www.prefixmag...o-debut-/71848/

 

thanks! I like it.

[choo-choo-charlie]

i always kinda assumed his real solo debut would go deeper into spacey prince-y territory, so this was about what i expected. as someone who loves mmj's continuing voyage into weird r&b sounds, im very excited to hear the rest of this. only 9 songs, so it should have a few longer songs like this single.

 

the yim yames thing was weird but i never quite understood why it bothered so many people. its not like is the only example of jim being an odd dude.

 

I thought the same thing (with nine tracks there must be some long tunes) and also like MMJ's weirder, spacy stuff. I'll always dig the reverb-drenched, lonesome-sounding early records, but these guys continue to grow year after year.

[marino13]

i always kinda assumed his real solo debut would go deeper into spacey prince-y territory, so this was about what i expected. as someone who loves mmj's continuing voyage into weird r&b sounds, im very excited to hear the rest of this. only 9 songs, so it should have a few longer songs like this single.

 

the yim yames thing was weird but i never quite understood why it bothered so many people. its not like is the only example of jim being an odd dude.

 

An odd dude he most certainly is :

 

"I wanted the album to sound like it came from a different place in time. Perhaps sounding as if it were the past of the future, if that makes any sense—like a hazy dream that a fully-realized android or humanoid capable of thought might have when it reminisces about the good old days of just being a simple robot." (discussing this solo album)

 

WTF???!!!

[Wild Frank]

Loving this new track. Better than 90% of the tracks off the last two MMJ records.

[lamradio]

Although my love for MMJ has dwindled in recent years, I'm looking forward to a Jim solo record. I have not cared at all for what Jim has done with MMJ on the last two records, although I'm excited to see what he can do solo.

 

I also hope it will be a success, and perhaps our friend Mr. Tweedy will notice this success (I would say MMJ and Wilco are on a similar level of popularity) and do one of his own.

[rareair]

I like the new single streaming "new life."

 

http://jimjames.com/news/119581

[Wendy]

woah ... definitely one big holiday!

 

http://mmjonebigholiday.com/

 

[lamradio]

Wow.  That makes Solid Sound look lame... They had me at "tequila tastings".  

[Muzzle of Dan]

Wow.  That makes Solid Sound look lame... They had me at "tequila tastings".  

 

Certainly not as cost friendly as Solid Sound.

[Wendy]

Yeah, you add the beach, ocean, pools, resort accommodations, plus all-inclusive, this is a different level of rock vacation/tourism and definitely different than Solid Sound. If one could swing doing both of them, June in the Birkshires, and January in Mexico, you'd be one lucky music fan.

[RaspberryJam]

That would be a cool weekend.  I can't tell from the website if there will be any other bands, though.    

[lamradio]

Yeah I was mostly joking.  But they sure are going all out.. 

[Magnetized]

I am pretty new to My Morning Jacket, having just seen them 2 nights in a row at Merriweather Post and Virginia Beach on the Americanarama tour. I had listened to a fair amount of their music prior to the shows to try to get more familiar with them so I'd enjoy it. My impression was that they're a solid jamband with a hell of a frontman with the voice of an angel. However, I just didn't love it, and I honestly tried.

 

Then I started thinking about other artists that some people are passionate about that I respect but don't love, and it struck me that MMJ is like a blend of Phish and the Flaming Lips. I'm sure some of you fans can point out flaws in my comparison, but based on my limited exposure this seems like the perfect description of their music.And just based on brief conversations with MMJ fans, it seemed like many of them were big Phish fans. I enjoy Phish at a concert or even at a party, but I would rarely think to put their music on for private listening. And the Flaming Lips comparison is based mostly on Wayne Coyne/Jim James. I'm interested in MMJ fans' thoughts--do you think I'm off base?

[Analogman]

I don't like The Flaming Lips, so I don't know about that comparison. But - My Morning Jacket are great. I'd say they are nothing like Phish.

 

I'd have to say that I lean toward the first three albums. The last two I did not buy. I stopped at "Z".

[imsjry]

 I'm interested in MMJ fans' thoughts--do you think I'm off base?

 

I really don't think they sound like any other band at all. I couldn't think of one to compare them to at all to be honest. They are obviously "classic rock" (Zeppelin,The Band) influenced, but Jim James does his own thing that I feel is totally unique. I described his solo album as a mash up of Bowie and Hall and Oats but even that is a felling he evokes more then an actual sound.

[choo-choo-charlie]

I would definitely not label MMJ as a jam band. I first learned about them in 2003 around the time "It Still Moves" came out. I bought that and "At Dawn" and was hooked from there. I remember buying "Z" in vinyl in college and making a whole event of playing it for the first time. And "Okonokos," the live record, is also great.

 

Didn't get into their first record after all that - and was pretty disappointed in "Evil Urges" when it came out. Some of it has since grown on me. I enjoyed a lot of "Circuital" as well.

 

All that said, to me, MMJ is more like Wilco than Phish or the Lips. They've got an overall very strong catalog, with their biggest artistic leaps and progress in record-making in their early-to-formative years, i.e. the first four albums. They're still putting out some great songs and they've evolved into a monster live act. And both bands probably have a lot left in them -- I hope both will continue to make records for many years.

[Shug]

wilco me, I think its hard to fully appreciate a band that you just haven't connected with for whatever reason and since you asked, well, I do think your comparisons are a bit off base.  imsrjy and charlie.both put it well.  I don't seem MMJ as a jam band either.  Most MMJ fans aren't hippies nor do they also like Phish.  Based on getting to know many of the hardcore Jacket fans over the past few years, I'd say there are definitely more Flaming Lips fans amongst Jacket fans and I don't consider the Lips to be a jam band either.  MMJ fans do seem to really enjoy festivals like Newport Folk, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage, Forecastle, Hangout, and yes, Bonnaroo, too, but not stuff like Phish, String Cheese, moe and all those kinds of bands (that I don't like at all).  MMJ lyrics are a lot more serious, emotional and philosphical than the goofy silliness that I hear in Phish.

 

MMJ have an extremely broad and to me, more impressive range of influences than many jam bands.  There is a lot of folk music influence in MMJ music, along with the headbanging classic rock, the expansive space-rock, the funky dance music and electronica and the soft pretty ballads.    Jim James is in Monsters of Folk, he did an EP of George Harrison covers, he was involved in the Dylan I'm Not There project, he was also at the Gram Parsons tribute in 2006 or so and  MMJ played one of Levon Helm's Rambles before he passed away and also at his tribute show. They also have a long history of collaborating with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. James was a main player along with John Oates at the Soul Superjam set at Bonnaroo this year.  You don't see Phish or the Lips doing all of that.

 

The main reason I love MMJ so much is that, like charlie mentioned, they are an honest-to-goodness powerhouse live band, just like Wilco is.  They bring all their knowledge and sincere, passionate love of music history and combine it with expert stage-craft and deliver killer shows night after night after night.  Not everyone is gonna get it or like it, but they definitely have a lot more depth and substance than most jam bands do, IMO.