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Jim James - lead vocals, guitar Tom Blankenship - bass Patrick Hallahan - drums Bo Koster - keyboards/piano Carl Broemel - guitar, pedal steel guitar, saxophone
Biography: My Morning Jacket began their career as a very different band. Different from what they are now, anyway. They were more closely aligned with Alt-Country acts and had a slightly different sound and different band arrangement. The group began in 1998 in Louisville, Kentucky with Jim James, Johnny Quaid, Tom Blankenship, and J. Glenn. From this original incarnation only Jim and Tom would remain until present day but the group that started out in Kentucky led the way for the future.
After a couple of notable albums (The Tennessee Fire in 1999, At Dawn in 2001) the band released one of it's essential pieces of work in the 2003 album titled It Still Moves on ATO Records. This was considered their major label debut and included the classic My Morning Jacket songs "One Big Holiday", "Golden", and "Steam Engine", among others. It was around this time that the band began to go through a transitional period with members leaving and new musicians being brought in to replace them.
In 2004 the band My Morning Jacket as we know them today would form their official lineup with Jim, Tom, Carl, Patrick, and Bo. The group would work together on a lot of new material before releasing the critically acclaimed album Z which gave the band a lot more buzz and notoriety considering they took a departure from their earlier sound and came up with a collection of great songs (both on album and especially in the live setting) that featured experimental new techniques and sounds for the band.
The band, known for their energetic and enthusiastic live show, would go on to release the live double album/DVD titled Okonokos which is a top recommendation from anyone who has seen it. It is a collection of songs from the young career of a band that had just found its' feet and was improving upon the songs that had got them to that point.
Since Z was released the band has grown in popularity and fame while releasing the albums Evil Urges (2008) and Circuital (2011) in that time. They have played and headlined a variety of music festivals, hosted their own getaway music festival (One Big Holiday), and also found their way onto many mainstream outlets for TV, Movie, and commerical releases.
The group now has released info about two upcoming albums for release in 2015 and 2016 after taking a long break from touring and playing live shows in 2014. The excitement level is very high for the future of this band.
Major Discography: The Tennessee Fire (1999) At Dawn (2001) It Still Moves (2003) Z (2005) Okonokos (2006) Evil Urges (2008) Circuital (2011)
Sounds Like Genre: Rock, Country Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Alternative Rock Similar Artists: Monsters of Folk, Wilco, Dr. Dog, Drive-By Truckers
Suggested Listening Okonokos - seriously. Just check this out. It's a collection of live songs from their first few albums. Will have better recommendations soon.
Physical Reaction/Live Show This band and I have a special relationship. Both with each other and with the festival Bonnaroo.
When I first was getting excited to attend Bonnaroo for the 2005 festival my good friend (who had convinced us to go and told us about Roo) went and got a "Best of Bonnaroo" album from the CD store at the mall. We got in his car and put it in. This was a musical awakening of sorts for myself and helped introduce me to a lot of bands that I went on to really enjoy (Gov't Mule, My Morning Jacket, The Black Keys, Kings of Leon, Umphrey's McGee).
Anyway, on the album it had a song from My Morning Jacket who were unknown to me. That song was "One Big Holiday" which many people know as a highlight of the My Morning Jacket live show. This particular performance was special and was also captured on DVD which helped my love for them grow. Seeing this band I knew nothing about with long hair and a full crowd just proceeded to tear that song apart was something special. I had to have more. From there I went on to watch more videos online. They had a great sound and I loved that song.
But.......it took a while.
It took a while for me to get into them. I wasn't enthralled by the albums I had listened to and even though I had Z I wasn't hooked yet. I had gone to Bonnaroo but missed them when we were both there on the same years and it wasn't until I discovered Okonokos that I realized what I had been missing. I knew I had to see this band and fate set the date for Bonnaroo 2008 at the Which stage.
This was a unique year for Bonnaroo. Metallica and Kanye West on the lineup had turned some heads but I was determined to have as great a time as I was able to have in previous years (spoiler alert: it was still awesome). I remember waiting for My Morning Jacket to come out. They had a Which Stage late night slot (that didn't get cut short by Kanye West) and they melted peoples' minds that night.
Jim James controlled the weather. The whole night. It was that simple. When they came out and Jim built up the excitement the rain came down. The band took a set break at one point which featured a stoppage in the rain. We felt relieved. When My Morning Jacket came back out and began to play the rain poured down again. This went on for at least 3 hours but it didn't matter. The band was magical and spanned their discography during the show. They also played a few special covers that wowed the audience ("Hot Fun in the Summertime", "Hit It and Quit It", "Tyrone", "Cold Sweat", "Get Down On It", "Across 110th Street"). The whole show climaxed with the image of Zach Galifianakis (fan of the band) dressed as Lil' Orphan Annie and doing a dance routine to the cover song "Home Sweet Home".
It was perfect. The band has returned to Roo since then but so far have not matched the spectacle that was 2008 (or their earlier Roo sets). Hopefully 2015 will be that year.
Interesting Facts If you wish to:
- Jim James controls the weather.
- Carl Broemel is a beast at guitar.
- The cartoon "American Dad" featured the band in an episode where they had multiple songs played and the band got to do their own voices in other segments. This is a direct result of one of the writers being a fan of the band following their 2008 Bonnaroo performance.
Personal Notes The best. I've gone to a variety of multi-night shows for this group and they never fail to amaze me. So fantastic live and always deliver.
Excellent job itrainmonkeys, I missed them at lollapalooza 2011 because it was my 21st birthday that day and i went to go check out Beirut (one of my top bands). I'll be honest I'm at that stage where I can't get into them but I will follow your advice and give OKONOKOS (which if it wasn't for the "S" at the end it would have been a palindrome) a shot.
Killer job! Knocked it out of the park. There's not much I'm more excited for this year than MMJ (especially since I'll be popping my Jacket cherry at Roo)! Going to do my best to get pit and make it a night to remember. I totally feel ya on the "it took time to get into them". When I was first introduced to the band I was a little hesitant too. Something about it didn't click just right. Over time I learned to appreciate their diversity in sound and now they're an act I refuse to miss this year!
Post by dreamingtree on Feb 4, 2015 17:39:06 GMT -5
Awesome write up!! My Morning Jacket is a weird one for me. I don't have them on my ipod or listen to them ever, because I really don't seem to like their music that much..... Having said that, I have seen them live at least 10 times and have loved all of those shows.
My first time was in 2006. I had no idea who they were and they blew my mind. The second time was 2008 and I knew I could not miss their show. I still was not familiar with their music, but again they were amazing. I stood there in the rain and loved every minute! I never miss them when they play Bonnaroo and I've seen them in other venues also.
To this day, I've never made it all the way through any of their albums. No idea why, but their music does not click for me, unless I am seeing them play it live. So even if you don't think you like their music, go see them!!
Great write up! Can't wait to experience them in a proper setting. I saw them on the Americana tour w/ Wilco and Bob Dylan and was underwhelmed because of the audience and it was in an amphitheater so I was seated. They actually upgrated me from the lawn cause they didn't sell that many seat tickets, making Virginia Beach look pretty bad for not selling out a fantastic lineup for less than $30. After that experience, I think seeing them in a crowd such as Roo will be unforgettable. Heck I saw James performing solo stuff at Firefly 2013 and even with that audience it was a great performance especially for being crazy hot that day.
It took a while for me to get into them. I wasn't enthralled by the albums.....I wasn't hooked yet.
I have listened to Okonokos (multiple times actually) and this is still where I'm at. I like them, don't get me wrong, but I don't understand the fandom they seem to bring... Kinda like Radiohead. I like them, but I don't get the obsession their fans seem to have....
Anyways, I will be seeing MMJ for sure this year and hopefully I'll "get it" after that.
Awesome write up!! My Morning Jacket is a weird one for me. I don't have them on my ipod or listen to them ever, because I really don't seem to like their music that much..... Having said that, I have seen them live at least 10 times and have loved all of those shows.
My first time was in 2006. I had no idea who they were and they blew my mind. The second time was 2008 and I knew I could not miss their show. I still was not familiar with their music, but again they were amazing. I stood there in the rain and loved every minute! I never miss them when they play Bonnaroo and I've seen them in other venues also.
To this day, I've never made it all the way through any of their albums. No idea why, but their music does not click for me, unless I am seeing them play it live. So even if you don't think you like their music, go see them!!
I can relate to this, except I haven't seen them live yet. Everything people recommend to me is something to do with their live show, which I've been pretty impressed with. But I feel like I can't properly get into them unless I know some of their music before I see their live stuff. That's just the kind of mentality I have. I remember my dad actually went to see them not knowing who they were and he was blown away. But since then he hasn't really listened to any of their CD's at all. I would really like to see MMJ this year to understand what everyone is talking about....but I fear there will most likely be conflicts with other stuff I want to see (Flying Lotus, Run the Jewels, Tears For Fears, Slayer, maybe DeadMau5)
Late last year, I was like "I need to start listening to MMJ because I keep hearing everyone talk about how you dont miss one of their sets at roo, and i have a feeling they will be playing again next year and i should really start getting into them because i want to know the songs before i go to the show..."
Honest question.
At this point I've only listened to "Tennessee Fire" and "At Dawn" and absolutely love both of these albums.
What is the chance that songs from either of these will make the setlist?
"I will be there when you die" is possibly one of the best tracks i have heard in years. and i would kill to see it live. (they apparently just played it with conor oberst, and if i could ever find a recording and/or video of that, i would be a happy happy man). "Phone went west" is also brilliant.
So. am i just wasting my time with these albums that i love, and should quickly progress to the newer stuff if i want to hear things i'll actually see?
It took a while for me to get into them. I wasn't enthralled by the albums.....I wasn't hooked yet.
I have listened to Okonokos (multiple times actually) and this is still where I'm at. I like them, don't get me wrong, but I don't understand the fandom they seem to bring... Kinda like Radiohead. I like them, but I don't get the obsession their fans seem to have....
Anyways, I will be seeing MMJ for sure this year and hopefully I'll "get it" after that.
Yup, I'm in the same place. Though I think I might be one of those minority members who likes Circuital better than any of their other stuff. I like Okonokos well enough, but I don't listen to live albums often because they're so long.
5.5/four tet, daphni b2b floating points, avalon emerson 5.12/neil young 5.19/mannequin pussy 5.21/serpentwithfeet 5.25/hozier 6.12-16/bonnaroo 6.28/goose 6.29/goose 9.17/the national + the war on drugs 9.23/sigur ros 9.27-29/making time 10.17/air
I have listened to Okonokos (multiple times actually) and this is still where I'm at. I like them, don't get me wrong, but I don't understand the fandom they seem to bring... Kinda like Radiohead. I like them, but I don't get the obsession their fans seem to have....
Anyways, I will be seeing MMJ for sure this year and hopefully I'll "get it" after that.
Yup, I'm in the same place. Though I think I might be one of those minority members who likes Circuital better than any of their other stuff. I like Okonokos well enough, but I don't listen to live albums often because they're so long.
It's strange how sometimes a band or album will just "click", often out of nowhere. Its like your brain figures out how to perfectly compartmentalize all of the sounds, and you can start to anticipate what's going to happen next. The music just makes sense and feels right.
I always enjoyed Radiohead, but a few months ago while listening to Kid A the lightbulb went off in my head. I played the album for a week straight, it was one of the most amazing things I had ever heard.
Even with MMJ I'm still not fully entrenched in their discography. I'm just now getting really comfortable with It Still Moves and At Dawn. Their live show truly does take their recorded work to another level though. Once you get a good grasp on the material and see it level you just start to crave it.
<<<<<- I get this now. SO much.