H/T: Walter W.
Before I heard them, the name My Morning Jacket suggested a proper and correct group of gentlemen who sipped tea and perhaps indulged in some nice folk music. I got that one wrong. That proves that it is important to actually listen to a band before judging it. Lesson learned…
My Morning Jacket, as evidenced by the last sentence of the first paragraph of its profile at last.fm, is difficult to categorize. The derivation of the genteel-sounding name also is included:
My Morning Jacket is a rock band which formed in 1998 in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The band consists of Jim James (vocals, guitar), Carl Broemel (guitar), “Two Tone” Tommy Blankenship (bass), Bo Koster (keyboards) and Patrick Hallahan (drums). The band is best known for their reverb-soaked sound and their enthusiastic live shows. My Morning Jacket is signed with ATO Records. The band’s style is a blend of alternative, alt country, folk rock and psychedelic rock.
The band’s moniker comes from a discarded coat James saw while walking through the remains of his favorite bar the morning after it burned down. The coat had the letters “MMJ” embroided on it. The band has released six albums so far: “The Tennessee Fire” (1999), “At Dawn” (2001), “It Still Moves” (2003), “Z” (2005), “Evil Urges” (2008) and “Circuital” (2011). The band’s breakthrough came when their 2003 single “One Big Holiday” became one of the most played songs on college radio that year. 2008’s “I’m Amazed” was also a sizable hit, peaking at #6 on Billboard’s Triple A (adult album alternative) Singles chart. (Continue Reading…)
I admire the band’s hair as well. Here is My Morning Jacket’s website and a piece by Max Blau at Paste that presents his take on the band’s top 20 songs. Here is an interview at Pitchfork in with guitarist and front man Jim James in which at least half the words are not curses. Here is a nice cover of George Harrison’s “Behind That Locked Door” by James.
Above is “Heart Breakin Man” and below is “Off the Record.”
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