Several weeks ago, fellow Cityzine writer Jeff Barrick introduced a series known as Another Look, where a previously release album was reviewed and recommended for those who may not know. He asked me to write an entry for the series, but I decided to put a different slant on it. Instead of an album, I’ve written about a concert DVD I feel should be brought to your attention. Well, technically it is an album, a live double album in fact. But the DVD version is all that and more. Ladies and gentlemen, let’s have another look at My Morning Jacket: Okonoko’s.
Some of you may be asking, who is My Morning Jacket? They’ve been around for about a decade. The band has gone through some changes over the years, but their beautiful sound and mix of country, indie rock, and psychedelics remains constant. They formed in 1998, all friends from Louisville, Kentucky. Leader singer and guitarist Jim James, along with bassist Two Tone Tommy, and drummer Patrick Hallahan, lost their life long friends Danny Cash (keyboards) and Johnny Quaid (guitar) in 2004. The two did not want to be in a band heavily on the road. They were replaced by guitarist Carl Broemel and keyboardist Bo Koster.
The original members produced three albums together. The first entitled, The Tennessee Fire (1999), did not feature a keyboardist. Danny Cash did not join until 2000. It was his addition that made At Dawn (2001) a dynamic second album, enabling them to sign with a bigger label. In 2003 they released It Still Moves, where I first heard the band. I was so impressed that I saw them when they came through to play the Avalon. Man, can this band put on a show. Jim James came out bear foot, with a parrot on his shoulder, looking like Cousin It, and tore the roof off.
Okonoko’s was filmed during the band’s 2005 tour of their fourth album, Z. This DVD runs a little over two hours and takes place at the Fillmore in San Francisco, though you would never guess it. The film begins with some sophisticates at some kind of upscale party in the country. The party is boring, but very weird. Some have brought their animals, goats and sheep on leashes. Jim James is in attendance. The main guest takes a walk outside and follows a bright light in the woods. As he gets closer to the light the music gets louder. He stumbles in to a show where My Morning Jacket has already begun to play.
The stage is decorated with hanging vines and brush as if they were playing in the woods. The lights and smoke make for a very pleasing look, and the Jacket was never better. James’ voice is truly one of a kind, and their whaling guitars are some of the best in rock. The songs are all written by James. “I’ve always wanted the music — the rhythms, the strings, the guitar solos, everything — to be just as important as the words. I’ve never wanted one thing to be the most important ingredient. I like to think of the band as something that’s not really about any one person or any one thing. It’s just this weird cloud that is all-encompassing in terms of what we all do to it.”
They have a reputation for great live performance, being the only band invited to the Bonnaroo four straight years. In 2006, the last year at the festival, they played an incredible three and a half hour set and broadcast it on the web cast. Watching Okonoko’s, you can see how the band can extend their sets to such a duration. James’ gets in the zone, with lengthy guitar solos and power riffs that continuously rise and fall, creating a roller coaster of music too impressive for any music lover to deny. It features 8 of the 10 songs on Z, as well as songs from their other studio albums, and EP’s.
They have been invited back to Bonnaroo this year and will also play at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival next month. They have a big slot on the closing Sunday night, right before Roger Waters takes the stage. It should draw one of the largest crowds they’ve ever had, and provide an opportunity for them to impress many that have never heard them. Buy or order Okonoko’s on netflix, and you will not only love the band, but you won’t want to miss them this year in the desert. My Morning Jacket releases their fifth studio album, Evil Urges on June 10.
photo courtesy of wikipedia.com
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4 responses so far ↓
1 Angelo // Mar 5, 2008 at 10:50 am
MMJ are awesome and Okonokos is an amazing concert!
I’m a huge fan
2 christianne // Mar 5, 2008 at 11:00 am
I saw them at Bonnaroo in 2006, and then at HOB last year. They are amazing live, and Okonokos is a killer album.
3 Jeff Barrick // Mar 5, 2008 at 11:38 am
MMJ is crazy man. Z is a truly outstanding album, and the fact Okonokos is filled with a bunch from that is awesome. The guitars dig into you like old school rockers used to make you feel. Great article dude, I say okay.
4 Rick Taylor // Mar 6, 2008 at 9:33 am
They truly are one of those rare bands talented and dedicated enough to sound better live than in the studio recordings. And their albums are excellent, especially the magical “At Dawn”.
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