Tucson, don't forget My Morning Jacket
By Kevin W. Smith
KSMITH@AZSTARNET.COM
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 09.18.2008
"You have to see them live."
That's usually the response to those who are tepid about My Morning Jacket's records.
From a tour break at home in Nashville, guitarist Carl Broemel said he doesn't know what exactly gives that impression to concertgoers.
"We try to give out as much energy as we can," he said on the phone. "We feel drained at the end of the show, so hopefully that went somewhere."
Curious Tucson fans can see for themselves when My Morning Jacket plays the Rialto Theatre on Wednesday.
The group formed in Louisville, Ky., 10 years ago. Following the departure of two of the group's founding members,Broemel and keyboardist Bo Koster joined in 2004.
Since then, My Morning Jacket has been gaining notoriety, first for 2005's excellent "Z," and now with this year's divisive yet successful "Evil Urges."
My Morning Jacket's music is a melodic, spacey journey through elements of classic rock, folk, R&B and reggae, led by the powerful voice of Jim James.
This has been a good year for the band, landing on the cover of both Spin and Paste magazines while playing some of the biggest venues of its career, such as a high-profile spot at Bonnaroo. The band has also performed with the likes of R&B icon Erykah Badu.
"From our perspective, it feels like a gradual thing," Broemel said of the band's recent success, "whereas from the outside it maybe looks all of a sudden."
Here's more from of our conversation with Broemel:
While you guys are probably gaining a bunch of new fans with the new album, you also have some serious longtime devotees. What do you say to the die-hards who didn't dig "Evil Urges?"
"I think it's a blessing and a curse to have more people interested in your band, because it makes it harder and harder to please everybody, if that's your goal. I don't have an answer. I don't think about it too much because there's just no point. We're making the record we're going to make, and sometimes it feels like, as much as we try to make a certain record, that record comes out the way it's coming out anyway. It's like your dreams and reality collide and it becomes reality at the end of the day. And that's as good as you can do it."
Do you have fans yet who follow you from city to city?
"I know people who come to shows and travel, but I haven't noticed one person who's going to go to every show. God bless them if they want to travel and see the band."
So it's not like a Phish-type following yet?
"I don't know. I don't know what that is, exactly."
Just people like caravaning to the shows and hanging out in the parking lot beforehand.
"You know 10 people are going to be at the two shows in the one region, but you know there's going to be 3,000 people new every night. So what do you try to do? Do you try to make sure the 3,000 people have a good time or 10 of the 3,000 people get B-sides and weird songs. It's kind of a hard thing: How can you please everybody and follow our gut and try to make the show fit the day we're having?"
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