Will Johnson, Jay Farrar, Jim James, Anders Parker

Jim James, Jay Farrar, Will Johnson (who previously collabroated with Jim James in Monsters of Folk), and Anders Parker (who previously collaborated with Jay Farrar in Gob Iron), have teamed up to record an album titled New Multitudes, which comes out February 28 via Rounder Records. The album features twelve tracks, all of which were written lyrically by Woody Guthrie but never recorded, and Jim, Jay, Will, and Anders have written original music to accompany the lyrics.

"Under the invitation of Nora Guthrie, Woody's daughter, to tour the Guthrie archives, each of the four songwriters were offered the chance to plumb and mine the plethora of notebooks, scratch pads, napkins, etc. for anything that might inspire them to lend their voices and give the words new life. "These guys worked on an amazing group of lyrics, much of it culled from Woody's times in LA. Lyric wise, it's a part of the story that is still mostly unknown. From Woody's experiences on LA's skid row to his later years in Topanga Canyon, they are uniquely intimate, and relate two distinctly emotional periods in his life.""

A limited edition will be available with twelve additional tracks written by Jay Farrar and Anders Parker and it also includes Woody Guthrie's original lyric sheets. Check out album track, "Old LA," which is streaming below, along with the album artwork and tracklist.

The four folkies will head out on a short US tour together in support of the album this March. That tour hits NYC on March 14 at Webster Hall. Tickets go on sale Friday, 1/20 at noon, with an AmEx presale starting two days earlier. All dates are listed below.

Jim James was just in town to help pay tribute (and perform with) Preservation Hall Jazz Band...

"At Carnegie Hall the Blind Boys of Alabama, the Del McCoury Band, My Morning Jacket, Steve Earle, Merrill Garbus of Tune-Yards, and Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) were on hand. So were the New Orleans-born musicians Trombone Shorty and Allen Toussaint, who sang a tribute to the band for putting "pride in your stride."

While it's a paradox that welcoming outsiders and trying out hybrids is a survival tactic for a deeply local tradition, that's a fact of life for present-day New Orleans." [NY Times]

My Morning Jacket also apparently played a secret show of some kind while they were in town.

All Guthrie tribute tour dates, stream, album art and tracklist below...

Continue reading "Jim James, Will Johnson, Jay Farrar & Anders Parker team for Guthrie project album & tour (dates & song stream)"

Land of Talk @ Masonic Temple in 2008 (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

tonight in NYC
* Jello Biafra on a boat
* Michale Graves @ Europa
* Grant Hart, The Octagon @ 92YTribeca
* Peter Wolf, Kenny White @ The Bell House
* Holy Fuck, Nice Nice @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* Rooftop Films w/ Braids @ Open Road Rooftop
* Ken Mode, My America, Engineer, Rosetta @ Union Pool
* The Needy Visions, Mmoss, Andy & Zeus @ Party Expo
* Curren$y, Vado, Rich Hil, Sean Price @ Public Assembly
* Twin Sister, Lost Boy, Data Dog @ Glasslands
* Fitz & The Tantrums, Cheap Seats @ Mercury Lounge
* Beige, Translations, Rewards, Picture Picture @ The Cameo
* The Besnard Lakes, Land of Talk, Holopaw @ Bowery Ballroom
* Chrome Cranks, K-Holes, Electroputas, Hollerado @ Cake Shop
* Reverend Horton Heat, Cracker, Miss Derringer @ Highline Ballroom
* The So So Glos, Grooms, Yvette, Fiasco, Ava Luna @ Monster Island Basement
* Junk Science, Tone Tank & Scott Thorough, Das Racist, Cavalier @ Knitting Factory
* Ninjasonik, Liquor Store, Unstoppable Death Machines, Fuck School, Ghost Mall @ Don Pedro
* Streetlab, Will Tendy, Free Blood, Psychobuildings, Warm Ghost @ The Studio at Webster Hall
* The Tony Castles, Darlings, Boogie Boarder, Snakes Say Hiss, Tough Knuckles @ Death By Audio
* Blissed Out, Prince Rama, Quiet Hooves, Total Slacker, Bubbly Mommy Gun, Perfect Bitch @ Silent Barn

The Whitney is open till midnight.

Check out This Week in Indie

The Primavera Sound Festival is happening in Spain.

Maryland Death Fest kicks off in Maryland.

Party Expo got shut down by the police last night (it was the Street Boners release party). It might be minor, and won't affect future nights, but maybe.

the Bushwick Rooftop Festival kicks off at 3pm on Saturday.

Sodom isn't play tonight since they canceled their US tour.

The Gossip played "Heavy Cross" on some show at Cannes. Video below...

The Juan MacLean's video for "Feel So Good" is below.

New Vampire Weekend video for "Holiday" below...

Yim Yames perormed with John Prine on Letterman on 5/26. Video below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Friday?"

As previously mentioned, My Morning Jacket landed some opening slots on the current Tom Petty tour including August 24th in NJ (though not MSG). Tickets for the tour are currently on sale (some with no service fee).

My Morning Jacket now has new dates that include Canandaigua, NY (outside Rochester) on August 28th (tickets on sale Friday at noon) and Philly on August 29th. On those headlining dates "the guys will be donating $1 from each ticket to a local charity." All dates and the list of charities are below.

Before those, Jim James will be a part of the Appalachain Voices tour with Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore in July. That includes a July 30th show at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tickets are on sale Friday.

You can also catch Yim Yames on May 26th performing with John Prine on Letterman. MMJ is among those who contributed to a new Prine tribute album entitled Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and Gayngs, Deer Tick, Josh Ritter, Conor Oberst, Drive By Truckers, Those Darlins and others have tracks on the CD too.

The full tribute tracklist, a video of J Vernon covering Prine at the Haiti benefit @ MHOW, and all MMJ tour dates, below...

Continue reading "My Morning Jacket announce more tour dates, contribute to John Prine tribute CD"

DOWNLOAD: Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore - Something, Somewhere, Sometime (MP3)

Jim James w/ Monsters of Folk in L.A. 2009 (more by Graeme Flegenheimer)

Yim Yames [Jim James], singer-songwriter Daniel Martin Moore and genre-bending cellist and vocalist Ben Sollee will embark on a nine date Appalachian Voices tour in an effort to raise public awareness of the devastating practice of Mountaintop Removal coal mining throughout Appalachia. A portion of the proceeds from the tour will benefit Appalachian Voices, for which the tour was named, an organization devoted to ending mountaintop removal coal mining together with diverse environmental problems impacting the central and southern Appalachian Mountains. [YimYames.com]

Tickets for the whole tour go on sale starting Friday, May 21st. That includes the NYC show, which happens on Friday, July 30th at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

The tour also includes a stop at Woodstock, NY's Bearsville Theater on July 29th and the Newport Folk Festival on July 31st and August 1st. Preservation Hall Jazz Band will be at the Brooklyn show as well as the Newport Folk Fest. Jim may play with Preservation Hall, and with Ben and Daniel and even perfrom a solo set of his own.

Earlier this year, Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore released a collaborative LP, Dear Companion, which was produced by Jim James. A track from that is above.

"Yim" will also be part of the Blind Boys of Alabama-curated Lincoln Center shows July 12-16.

More info and full dates for the tour date are below...

Continue reading "Jim James, Daniel Martin Moore & Ben Sollee are going on an Appalachian Voices tour (dates) "

The Blind Boys of Alabama will curate a three-night series at Lincoln Center on July 12, 14 & 16. The events start with an opening night concert featuring rock artists Yo La Tengo, Lambchop, Exene Cervenka of X and Yim Yames of My Morning Jacket [plus Marshall Allen and the Sun Ra Horns]. On July 14 the focus shifts to country music, with performances by Yonder Mountain String Band, Ralph Stanley, Alison Moorer and Randy Travis, plus Ray Benson and Jason Roberts of Asleep at the Wheel. The final evening, The Blind Boys' Family Revival, will feature songs from all of the group's Grammy Award-winning albums and includes collaborations with Aaron Neville, Joan Osborne, Hot 8 Brass Band, Dan Zanes, John Hammond, and Charlie Musselwhite, among others.

Tickets for all three are on sale now.

More details on the gospel group's Lincoln Center shows, their full upcoming schedule, a video of their performance on Letterman earlier this year with Lou Reed (they also visited Daytrotter in March) and more are below...

Continue reading "Blind Boys of Alabama touring, curated 3 shows @ Lincoln Center w/ many guests (Yo La Tengo, Jim James, more)"

Newport Folk Festival 2009 (more by Jim Brueckner)

Newport Folk Festival will be happening again at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island, on July 31st and August 1st. The fest will also host a Friday night show on July 30th at the International Tennis Hall of Fame at Newport Casino.

The lineup so far includes Levon Helm's Ramble on the Road, John Prine, Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers, Yim Yames of My Morning Jacket, The Swell Season, Andrew Bird, The Avett Brothers, Brandi Carlile, Doc Watson & David Holt, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Calexico, Blitzen Trapper, Richie Havens, Sam Bush, The Low Anthem, Tim O'Brien, The Felice Brothers, Justin Townes Earle, Tao Seeger Band, A.A. Bondy, The Punch Brothers with Chris Thile, Dawes, Nneka, Horse Feathers, Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three, Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore, Sarah Jarosz, Cory Chisel & the Wandering Sons, O'Death and Liz Longley.

Tickets are on sale.

Here are pictures from DAY ONE and DAY TWO of last year's fest. Videos from last year and the list of the artists playing this year, by day, is below...

Continue reading "Newport Folk Fest 2010 - initial lineup, dates & tickets "

DOWNLOAD: Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore - Something, Somewhere, Sometime (MP3)

Dear Companion [out February 16th, 2010 on Sub Pop] is a collaboration between three Kentucky musicians: the songs are written and performed by Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore, produced by and featuring Yim Yames of My Morning Jacket and Monsters of Folk. Recorded in the first half of 2009 in their home state, Dear Companion explores their ties to the place they love and aims to draw attention to the problem of mountaintop removal coal mining and its impact on the people and heritage of central Appalachia.

A portion of the proceeds from Dear Companion will benefit Appalachian Voices, an organization devoted to ending mountaintop removal and finding a better way forward

That's three true talents all bundled together for one potentially kick ass album. The first track, "Something, Somewhere, Sometime", is available for free download above. Think M Ward & Andrew Bird form a bluegrass band. Tracklist below...

Continue reading "Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore (and Yim Yames) team up for new Sub Pop album (MP3)"

photos by Graeme Flegenheimer

DOWNLOAD: Monsters of Folk - Say Please (MP3)

Indie supergroup Monsters of Folk are currently on tour across North America to support their new self-titled debut (the second track of which is above). The tour comes to NYC for two shows, at United Palace on November 6th and Beacon Theater on November 8th. Tickets for both are still available.

The pictures here are from the group's Oct. 18th gig at the Greek Theater in L.A....

Monsters of Folk played a monster-sized set last night at L.A.'s Greek Theatre, running through 35 songs in just under three hours -- with no opener and no intermission -- in support of the indie-rock supergroup's self-titled debut, which came out about a month ago. The Monsters comprise My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James; singer-songwriter (and She & Him guy) M. Ward; and Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis, both of Bright Eyes, and at the Greek the band's set alternated Monsters of Folk cuts with material from each member's respective catalog. Simply put, if you ever wind up in a game of Name That Tune with one of these dudes, come prepared.

Backed up on drums by Will Johnson of Centro-matic, the four musicians traded instrumental duties throughout the concert, with Mogis serving as something of a secret-weapon utility man... [Rolling Stone]

More pictures and the setlist from LA are below...

Continue reading "Monsters of Folk on tour - played LA's Greek Theatre (pics & setlist) ++ Beacon & United Palace shows coming soon"

Tickets are now on presale (password = SAYPLEASE ) for the NYC Monsters of Folk shows. All dates HERE. Video of Conor Oberst, M Ward, Mike Mogis and Yim Yames (pre-MoF MoF) covering Bob Dylan on Austin City Limits, below...

Continue reading "Monsters of Folk pre-sale & live video "

DOWNLOAD: Monsters of Folk - Say Please (MP3)

Monsters of Folk (Mike Mogis, Conor Oberst, M. Ward, and Yim Yames...or Jim James as most know him) will be heading out on tours of North America and Europe this fall. That tour comes to NYC for two nights in November. One will be November 6th at the United Palace (which recently hosted Sonic Youth). The second will November 8th at the Beacon Theater. Tickets for the NYC shows (and all shows) go on general sale Friday, July 31st, and "an exclusive pre-sale for Monsters of Folk fans begins on Tuesday, July 28th".

For the tour...

The four members will be switching instruments and trading roles throughout each show, maintaining the freewheeling and highly collaborative spirit of their work together thus far.

On this inaugural tour, Monsters of Folk is partnering with Air Traffic Control, a resource for musicians' philanthropic and social change work, to donate monies raised from ticket sales. The band will be donating $1 from every ticket sold on the tour to local non-profits.

The group's self-titled debut will be out September 22nd on Shangri-La Music. Check out the second track from that above, as well as the album track list, below.

M. Ward plays his own show at Central Park Summerstage on August 1st. All MoF tour dates and the album track list, below...

Continue reading "Monsters of Folk - 2009 tour dates (Beacon & United Palace)"

DOWNLOAD: Monsters of Folk - Say Please (MP3)

Monsters of Folk - comprised of Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis, My Morning Jacket's Jim James and singer/songwriter M.Ward - have made a track from their forthcoming self-titled debut album available for FREE on their website. http://www.monstersoffolk.com is giving away the song, titled "Say Please", to anyone who visits the site and types "please" into the request form. The.. full length album will be released in the US on Shangri-La Music on September 22nd.

M. Ward plays Central Park Summerstage on August 1st.

DOWNLOAD: Yim Yames - Behind That Locked Door (MP3)

1 of 4 Monsters of Folk @ Battery Park 7/4 (more by Chris La Putt)

Monsters of Folk - comprised of Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis, My Morning Jacket's Jim James and singer/songwriter M.Ward - will be releasing their first collaborative album on September 22nd. The self-titled effort was recorded in Malibu, CA and Omaha, NE, and produced by Mike Mogis. Although these critically acclaimed artists have shared the stage before, this album marks their first recorded output as a band. The record will be released in North America on Shangri-La Music, and internationally on Rough Trade (UK/Europe), Spunk Records (Australia/New Zealand) and P-Vine Records (Japan). All four members play every instrument on the album, supplying everything from drum kills to cascading backing vocals.

Of the group, Conor Oberst is one of the members who's touring this summer. That includes some dates with AA Bondy. As you can see above (and we've mentioned a few times already), Oberst just played 4th of July in NYC's Battery Park. He also played Friday at Toad's Place in CT.

"There's nothing that the road cannot heal," Oberst sang Friday night at Toad's Place in New Haven, leading his backing quintet, the Mystic Valley Band, through a spirited version of "Moab."

Clad in a traditional Mexican shirt, necklace and black sombrero -- a gigantic hat nearly as large as the UFOs often spotted in Tepoztlan -- the singer and guitarist strummed hard and made wild gestures, sometimes pointing off into the distance." [Hartford Courant]

M. Ward is also on the road. His summer stops include XX Merge in July and a free Central Park Summerstage show (with the new Yuka Honda/Dougie Bowne/Nels Cline/Mike Watt band opening) on August 1st.

Jim James Yim Yames and My Morning Jacket are currently taking some time off. This summer James will be releasing a George Harrison tribute EP called Tribute To, which is available now for download and presale through his site. The record is under the name "Yim Yames" and hits stores on August 4th. A portion of the proceeds of this album will go to Woodstock Animal Sanctuary.

A widget to preview Tribute To, with both album tracklists, below...

Continue reading "Monsters of Folk = Oberst, Mogis, M Ward & Jim James aka YIM YAMES (whose George Harrison EP is available now)"