My Morning Jacket
Biography
Although they first emerged in 1998 as devotees of Neil Young's country-tinged classic rock, My Morning Jacket steadily widened their sound throughout the following decade, embracing everything from neo-psychedelia to Americana, funk, prog, and reggae. By the time Evil Urges arrived in mid-2008, they had successfully molded themselves into Kentucky's answer to Wilco, with unexpected detours and sonic experiments adding complexity to the band's alt-country roots.
My Morning Jacket's de facto leader is vocalist/guitarist Jim James (birth name: James Olliges), who founded the band in 1998 alongside his cousin Johnny Quaid (guitar), Two-Tone Tommy (bass), and J. Glenn (drums). Headquartered in James' hometown of Louisville, KY, the young group released its debut on Darla Records in 1999, with keyboardist Danny Cash joining the lineup one year later. Although The Tennessee Fire only found modest success in the U.S., the debut effort became a genuine smash overseas, particularly in the Netherlands. My Morning Jacket responded by launching a tour in Europe, where they were featured in a Dutch documentary film and received accolades from the Dutch music press. A Christmas EP was released in 2000, but it was My Morning Jacket's follow-up effort -- 2001's At Dawn -- that helped exponentially expand their audience at home. Jim James recorded his vocals in a grain silo, and the resulting reverb-heavy sound became a hallmark of the band's early work. Upon the album's stateside release, James' best friend from childhood, Patrick Hallahan, was enlisted as the band's new drummer.
My Morning Jacket maintained a grueling tour schedule throughout the early 2000s, hitting the road with such acts as Guided by Voices, the Doves, and the Foo Fighters. They also made the jump to a major label (RCA/ATO Records) for the 2003 release of It Still Moves, but the frantic pace had already taken an irreparable toll on Quaid and Cash. Tired and burnt out, the members announced their departure in January 2004. Keyboardist Bo Koster and guitarist Carl Broemel joined soon after, and the group continued to tour as a unified five-piece. My Morning Jacket's energy remained, and their sound took an experimental turn on 2005's Z. Produced by John Leckie, the album did away with the heavy reverb that blanketed the band's earlier efforts, while the addition of synthesizers and reggae influences introduced audiences to My Morning Jacket's experimental side. Tracks from Z were also present on Okonokos, a live album released in 2006, and the band's sonic experimentations continued with Evil Urges. Arriving in June 2008, the album showcased James' expanding vocal range, his bandmates' fascination with Prince, and My Morning Jacket's eagerness to challenge the boundaries of alternative country-rock. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
Selected Discography

Evil Urges
2008

At Dawn/Tennessee Fire Demos Package
2007

Okonokos
2006

Z
2005

Acoustic Citsuoca: Live! At The Startime Pavilion October 31st
2004
i know i've heard them before, but where? what other movies have they been featured in other than elizabethtow n ?
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MMJ is tied w/ a few others for my fave band, I love these guys. I love all their albums, but I have a special place in my heart for The Tennessee Fire. One of my good buds had it on vinyl and it sounds amazing that way, really raw and real. MMJ is a powerful band even though their music is not hard and heavy. Golden is one of my fave songs they do.
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I'm from Louisville, KY, where this band is from. We are proud to have them. If you have never heard them in concert, give yourself a treat and see them when they start touring again. They haven't been called the "best live band in the world" by LA Weekly for nothing. They ROCK!!
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They made an appearance in the movie Elizabeth town and do a cover of "Free Bird" and totally made the whole movie. They are amazing, I love everything this band does...
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I discovered this band just by buying the album Z for it's artwork for my album-cover collage, and it grew on me. I wasn't taken in automaticall y , but I go back and listen now and love it! Evil Urges, MMJ's new one, is absolutely fantastic also! I heard so much about Urge's that I thought it would be overblown and overhyped, but it delivered. Haven't got to see the band live yet, but amazing band. I'm a lover of all genre's and this band crosses just about EVERY genre, deeply fulfilling..
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if you have ever watched the band during that concert and then listened to "it makes no difference" it sounds like the band...but not the same. MMJ just rocks
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Z and At Dawn are by far their best CDs. There live shows are the best I have have ever seen! Especially when they are in their hometown of Louisville! THE BEST BAND EVER!!!!!!!
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This is the BEST live band I have ever seen. Don't believe me? Buy the Okonokos DVD and you will be convinced. This is by far my favorite group and they just get better and better. If you don't like Evil Urges, listen to it a few more times and you will begin to appreciate the different sounds mixed with the familiar ones. I was the same way and now it is one of my favorites.
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Scientifical l y speaking the lyrical content does not mesh well with the chemical make-up of the melodic stratosphere of the personified concept of big word..... also, generally speaking of another big word, i have nothing more to say on the matter... bigger word. ta ta
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I have been considering acknowledgin g MMJ in my MS thesis because I have listened solely to them throughout writing it. Needless to say, I like.
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I didn't like Evil Urges to begin with. I thought the ranges of genres didn't mesh well. But after listening more and more, I began to like it.
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It's not in my nature to pull peoples' cards, but it seems to me that every post Bromide makes is negative and demeaning. Quite frankly, even though Evil Urges is not (in my opinion) MMJ's best album, it is still very good. It's just another step in the phenomenal progression that this band has made. At Dawn was a step in only a slightly new direction from Tennessee Fire, and both Chocolate and Ice and It Still Moves were also steps in new directions, hinting at the once-pegged "alt country" b
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I had first hear the band on Fuse when they played the song One Big Holiday. After buying then listening to the cd, it had to slowly grow on me.
Z was a great album, and you could see a huge difference in what they started from. Okonokos was a great live album (I need to buy the DVD), but I'll admit, Evil Urges, was a bit far to different from Z. But I think they like to continue expanding and refining their sound. I hope the next album will show promise. |
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"Evil Urges" sucks. It gives me the urge to throw the CD across the room. It should have been called "Urges to Make Sucky Songs". God, it sucks. It just sucks. I hate it. It sucks so bad. "Sucky Urges" would be another good name for that album. Or "Crap Urges". Basically pick some negative word and put it in front of the word "urges". So you could pick the word "poopy" Then put it in front of the word "urges". The album would then be called "Poopy Urges".
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Z is such an amazing album, but Evil Urges kind of let me down. There were a couple ok songs, but yeah, just like nedbudge I'm still getting used to it. Although "Highly Suspicious" is honestly one of the worst songs I've ever heard, haha.
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MMJ is awsome. I heard them years ago on Austin City limits. Liked the sound so I checked out 'It Still Moves' from library then went out and purchased all of their music. 'Z' was a fantastic album but I'm still getting used to 'Evil Urges'; there are few songs I very much like others not so much.
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I'm an old lady of 43 and I saw these guys on a PBS special and I really like them. They sound different than the usual crap. I like this kind of music.
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They "like totally" suck. Take away the ethereal echo-y vocals and they still suck. Take away the pretentious fans and they will continue to suck. I'm sure they are" totally cool" duuudes but they "like totally" make boring beard rock for people who are "like totally into music" in college and then turn into Republican voters once the mionorities move into the neighborhood .
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Evil Urges, erskychuck. I on the other hand thought it was an awesome album. It displays MMJ's talent to branch out to different styles.
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Recently found MMJ - love them! Love Pandora.com, too!!
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