Jim James "A New Life (tUnE-yArDs remix)

In the pop and rap and dance world, artists are very open to remixes, to invigorate a song, and perhaps extend the its life in the public eye.

Wonder why artists from the mvyradio world aren't as open?

It doesn't have to be a dance remix.  Do like Peter Gabriel did, and reimagine a tune with strings or a choir or a Latin feel.  It might actually work for some of the singer-songwriters we know an love.

At least you can count on Jim James for some adventure . . .

Check it out here . . .

Laura Veirs "Sun Song"

Add this one to the list of dorky reactions to meeting famous people.

We got the word a week or so before Newport Folk, that Laura Veirs was going to be on the scene.

She wasn't on the Festival bill, but our Record Promotion friend Jen Daunt, who's working Viers new record, let us know that Laura had a nearby gig the day before, and she wanted to come down to the festival to see some of her Portland friends like Colin Meloy and Black Prairie.

Barbara was pretty excited to interview Laura, and talk about her new record "Warp And Weft" which features Jim James, KD Lang and Neko Case.  And it's produced by her husband Tucker Martine, who has made a slew of great records for artists like The Decemberists and Tift Merritt.

I was headed back to the mvyradio backstage tent at some point during the Festival weekend, and just coming out of the tent was Barbara and Laura.  They'd just finished recording the interview, and Laura had suggested that they go over to the beer tent to get a drink and meet up with Tucker and their new baby.  They invited me along.

I'm not one to say no to free beer.  Plus, I had a camera so I could take a picture of Barbara with Laura and Tucker.

After getting a beer and locating Tucker, and some chit chat (Tucker and I talked about these particular muslin baby blankets that they had for their baby, that my wife and I also used for our kids), someone suggested taking that picture.

I pulled out my camera, and motioned for the 3 of them to get together.

"Do you want to get in the picture?" Laura asked.

I looked from side to side to see if there was someone I could ask to take our picture.  There was . . .

"I can ask Jim to take it," Laura said, motioning toward Jim.

Standing next to me, chatting with someone, was Jim James of My Morning Jacket.  His set on the main stage had ended not long before, and now he was just hanging out in the hospitality tent.

I looked at Barbara.  I looked at Laura.  I looked at Jim.  I thought about it for a second.

When I'm backstage at a concert/festival, I'm pretty conscious of the artists' space.  The whole reason they have a backstage area, is to give the artists somewhere where they can just hang out without fan-boys interrupting their meals or their conversations with friends or their quiet moments.

I won't say I never engage an artist backstage, but I try be respect the space and gauge whether they are up for an interruption or a picture or not.

But I wasn't actually going to ask Jim James if I could get a picture with him.  I was going to ask Jim James if he could take a picture of me and Barbara with his friends Laura and Tucker.

Somehow that seemed like an even weirder, more intrusive thing to do.

Really, would Jim James have minded?  He's just a regular guy.  Any time I have seen him around the grounds of Newport, he has giving off nothing but a pleasant, generous air.  He's friends with Laura and Tucker.  I'm sure it wouldn't have been a big deal.

But all these thoughts are flying through my mind in the split second between Laura saying "I can ask Jim to take it," and the time I should unfreeze my body and do something.

So I just said "Nah, that's alright."  And I snapped the photo.

Here is the picture that Jim James did not take.

Hear "Sun Song" on Youtube.

Jim James "A New Life"

On the Saturday night of this year's Newport Folk Festival, the mvyradio crew and some of our friends were hanging out in the house were we stay, finally getting to a meal (it was well after 10pm), and talking about our highlights for the day.

One of our station-friends asked me about My Morning Jacket.  Jim James and company was the reason he'd come to the show in the first place.  And he was a little surprised that I was not a bigger fan of the band.

In starting to explain why, I realized that I had a number of accumulated thoughts on the subject, that I hadn't really voiced before.  But they were coming out of me in a surprisingly coherent fashion.

First and foremost, I'm not crazy about Jim James voice.  I don't find it pleasing (though I don't find it intolerable either), and the effects they usually use on his voice on record, make his voice echo-ey and distant and not welcoming.

So there's a disconnect for me in how much I enjoy the band, and how much soooo many folks enjoy My Morning Jacket.  I can see why they are liked.  But I haven't been won over in the way that millions of others have been.

On the other hand, I totally get the appeal of Jim James, as a musical figure.

I have enormous respect of what he and his band are doing, and what he, as a solo artist, bring to the table.

As I've written before, My Morning Jacket could sell a ton of records and sell out big venues, by cranking out very derivative neo-Neil Young-type stuff.

But that's not the path they are taking.

Instead, they are experimenting, challenging, defying expectations.  Making music that makes you wonder, What will they do next?

What a joy to pop this new solo Jim James track in the CD player, and hear "Oh My God, he's got a Paul Simon 'Rhythm Of The Saints' thing going on!  Wait!  Now he's singing like Roy Orbison!"

I've referenced it before, but it is worth sharing again.  What has become one of my favorite movie scenes of all time, is at the conclusion of the Pixar film, "Ratatouille."  The critic, Anton Ego, gives an amazing monologue on the nature of criticism, it's possible lack of value, but it's relevance "in defense of the new."

So even if I'm not fully on board with the gospel of what millions of other James and MMJ fans believe, I am happy to ride the train as a secular supporter of the creative tracks.


Hear the song on Youtube.


Hear the song on Youtube.

New Multitudes "My Revolutionary Mind"

We always joke about how we do a lot with a little, at mvyradio.

This was so true last weekend at Newport Folk, where our backstage production staff---which in past years has been as many as ten people---was just me and Barbara and Jess.

That meant we all wore many hats/traded hats quite a bit.  So at any given time, I might be working as an on-air host, or a technical director communicating with the DJs back at the station, or a social media maven, connecting to the folks following online.

But the most exhilarating and moving moment of my Newport Folk weekend, was when Jess handed me the station camera and asked if I could give her a break from taking pictures.

For most of the acts, they let photographers, even the amateur ones, down to a pit area in front of the stage for the first 3 songs of any performance.  So I was right up front for the New Multitudes set.

New Multitudes is the Woody Guthrie project put together by Jay Farrar, Jim James, Anders Parker and Will Johnson---Woody's lyrics with music by the foursome.

I was intent on not missing this, as I knew it would probably be the only chance ever, to see them.  The short tour was over and it's not like they are going to make a series of albums---this was a one-off project.

Taking advice from my wife, I shot photos at a furious pace, knowing that sometimes it takes 100 shots to get 1 or 2 really memorable keepers.  But I also tried to really enjoy the fact that I was right at the front of the stage, where I could soak up the energy and the joy of this performance.  I held my ground until security gave us the boot.

From there, I retreated out from under the tent, to the side of the stage, where I spied Nora Guthrie.  She was totally focused on the performance, her head bobbing to the music, with just a slight smile on her face.

I was just so moved by this idea of a message from beyond the grave.  The band was singing songs written by her father, who had scribbled these lyrics decades ago.  He had also passed away decades ago, but here were his words, his thoughts, brought to life in 2012.

We could all only hope to have such a message from the people we've lost.  It gave me goosebumps.


Hear "Changing World" followed by "My Revolutionary Mind" on Youtube.

My Morning Jacket "When The Bells Start Ringing"

After wowing folks/freaking people out with their most adventurous album yet, My Morning Jacket ends the year by going in the other direction: Traditional.

They are putting out a 7 song, iTunes-only EP of Christmas songs, recorded during a 14-hour studio session between tour dates in Europe.

This track is one of two that features collaboration with The Head & The Heart, and you can get it for free right now at iTunes!

Get the download.

And here's the other song the two bands collaborate on . . .


Hear it on Youtube.