Hawaii Surf 69

As James belted out, "Why's it so strange when they say that the world's movin' upwards?" from "The Way That He Sings", the band exhibited why seeing them in concert is a must. From their on stage presence, to the small ways they tweaked their songs, MMJ does all but buy your ticket to their next concert in your area.


Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of attending the "Monsters of Folk" show in San Diego. I went expecting the night to be soured by Conor Oberst's whiney voice and nauseating music. It turned out to be one of the best concerts I've ever been to. Granted, emo mice were scurrying around me, not to mention crying, the whole night; the concert still turned out to be mind-blowing. Not only did I have the opportunity to see Jim James in his element, but I also picked up a new musical interest, M. Ward. Never fully realizing the expansiveness of Jim James' voice, I was quite delighted. After the show, it occurred to me that the "Monsters of Folk" collaboration could have done justice to the first, critically acclaimed, album The Tennessee Fire. So, I e-mailed James to ask him why he declined to play the majority of the album. His reply shows his constantly evolving insight into music.
Photo courtesy of My Morning Jacket
Photo courtesy of My Morning Jacket
hEARTBREAKIN MAn
2o times i wish you'd understand,
that you're breakin the
heart of this heartbreakin man.
20 times i wish you'd use the door, cause
you're makin this heart want some more. Oooooo!

"Hi Dave, thanks for the kind words. I think sometimes people change and grow and get into a place where they feel like doing other things. i like a lot of those songs too and I kind of go thru phases. We've been playing them for so long and the band has changed so many times, certain eras do better with certain songs, and we've been touring a lot. I think after we get a break for a while some of those songs may come back. Take care and be good."

That night, the Speckles Theatre provided perfect acoustics for his voice. Even though it was an enclosed theatre, his voice flew straight through the ceiling, and at the same time echoed perfectly off all of the walls as if the theatre were designed for him. The second Jim James' voice escaped his body the crowd went dead silent. Adults stopped talking, teenagers stopped yelling, all side conversations were put on hold, and even the emo kids stopped crying. Proving to the world that MMJ is great, but Jim James doesn't need the band behind him to sound dynamic.


By the end of the night, every soul in that theatre had been turned on to Jim James. Even though most of the crowd was there to see Bright Eyes, Jim James took the show and ran off with it. I even overheard someone say that they had completely forgotten they were there to see Bright Eyes. That, my friends, is the power of music and Jim James and MMJ have effectively harnessed it.
I will sing to you of greater things...
money, gold, and diamond rings
just don't make it last any longer than it has to
stories of the greater years...
what's in here won't disappear
just don't make it last any longer than it has to

Many people ask me where I think MMJ is going. Where they will be in 5-10 years from now. I'd like to think that they'd be on top of the world, the biggest rock band ever. And who knows? Maybe with the many transitions the band is in (Danny Cash and Johnny Quaid departing) and the transitions that are still to come, MMJ could evolve into something that not only music enthusiasts, but the common person can fall in love with, and "make them millionaires."

Hopefully these Kentucky boys' time will come and, "on heaven's golden shores" they'll lay their heads.