Sonos Studio Listening Party Contest

[Penny Lane]

Great report, Walt! Happy you and DanZ got to witness it.

[CHIMMJFAN]

Great report Walter, that must have been a surreal experience!

I'm curious does it generally take a few listens with MMJ albums for you to get into or are they all different like they are for me?

I was hoping the album version of "Only Memories Remain" would live up to the live version and it sounds as if it did!

Did you notice a lot of the same guitar sound Jim was using on the New Basement Tapes and at the end of "Spring Among the Living"?

CHIMMJFAN

[CHIMMJFAN]

Sorry a couple more quick questions.....Did Jim or Bo mention anything in terms of their shows this summer and how they went about do more multi shows per city.

And how is Carl/Jim's guitar work on the album....any true mind blowers?

CHIMMJFAN

[MACKEL]

Thanks for the updates, Walter!

[walterfredo]

Here's the mural in Venice, it's not all the way finished yet though...

[Clarkwork]

Ok, album was great, but still feel like I need to give it several more listens to really make an opinion. Can't say I'm completely in love with it quite yet.

I think Compound Fracture has some serious potential to go places live, and Jim commented that they had actually recorded the song in three very different formats and various speeds and that they couldn't decide which to put on the album, but he said he expects that the song will be played much more rawkn live than on the album.

Like a River is a very slow, melodic tune, Bo said the song just feels like Stinson Beach feels...the moist air, the ocean the stars, just totally reminds him of the whole feel of where they were holed up.

In It's Infancy (The Waterfall) I thought was so-so but others I think really loved it, some pretty cool lyrics, and Jim said that whenever he looks at a waterfall he wants to make it freeze in time and space and make the water just stop in place. He also said that during the recording period he became obsessed with all things waterfalls and started taking photos and buying every old, vintage photo of waterfalls he could find on ebay and elsewhere.

Get the Point is sort of the "Golden" of the album, slow acoustic tune, loved it.

I think among the living will destroy it live!

Tropics- all I could think about was Bon Jovi's Dead or Alive, but in a good way.

Only Memories Remain! Just wow. This song is fucking magic! They saved the best for last on this album, in my opinion. As witnessed in Mexico this song has legs and will be an amazing live staple. Hands down my favorite track and the audience was blown away by the song. Soooo good!

Other things...Jim apparently just worked on (produced?) an album for Ray Lamontagne (sp?)

One person asked "I heard a rumor MMJ will be playing Los Angeles for new years" and Bo immediately responded "No".

I asked..."well my first question, if I promise not to share it with anyone can I please have the test pressing we just listened to" and Jim immediately responds... "Sure" then the audience and myself get a little excited and he says "wait, did you say have? I thought you said hold, I'm gonna have to think about that" spoke to him for a bit after, I could tell he was really torn but said apologetically that he didn't think he could give it to me for leakage reasons. I didn't push it. Thought for a second though I had it!!

I spoke with Jason Bentley and he said the interview will not be aired on KRCW. The thing was filmed and one of the camera guys said it may be incorporated into an upcoming documentary about the band.

Crowd was interesting I'd say, probably around 50-70 people, almost entirely industry folk who were over chatty while the album was being played. Very easy to see who the roll call winners were! Good to see Danz and also meet a couple other hard core fans. Mostly the crowd was textbook Los Angelians.

You are officially my hero.  Thanks for this. Very happy you won it, you seem to be a long time fan that deserved it.

[BH]

Thanks Walter!    Congrats on getting a one of a kind experience!

[ms. yvon]

HELL. YES.  thanks for the skinny, walterfredo!   
looking forward to rollerskating past that venice mural

re: dean wareham:  dean played 2 sets at forecastle the year mmj curated the line-up.  and jim produced one of his solo albums.

[oistheone]

Awesome writeup, thank you so much for posting! Another month seems like such a long time to wait...

[bartel]

appreciate the write up

[Stevie]

yes thanks for the writeup man! 

Great to hear that Only Memories sounds fantastic on the album.  Was wondering about that. 

[Mr. White]

Yes! Thanks for the information Walter! I'm guessing that's you next to Jim in that photo...

[ralph]

Jim James & Ray LaMontagne working on an album together? Seriously, Get the fuck out!!! That can only be awesome....

[wheelhousetunes]

Wasn't there talk at one point about this being a double album? or is it (quite possible) my memory is made up of dead brain cells? Beer kills them, y'know.

If there was, I'm surprised no one mentioned this or if there were out takes that might make their way out eventually. Maybe a deluxe edition or something?

[Clarkwork]

Wasn't there talk at one point about this being a double album? or is it (quite possible) my memory is made up of dead brain cells? Beer kills them, y'know.

If there was, I'm surprised no one mentioned this or if there were out takes that might make their way out eventually. Maybe a deluxe edition or something?

Not a double album they are releasing one this year and next year supposedly.

[Stevie]

it's interesting because none of the four extra tracks that are on the deluxe addition came from that original batch of 24.  so they will have at least 14 songs to work with for the second album.  my guess would be that after they go through that process they will put one or two of the leftovers on the deluxe edition for that album and then throw out some kind of EP or something for Record Store Day.

[MOWJO8185]

it's interesting because none of the four extra tracks that are on the deluxe addition came from that original batch of 24.  so they will have at least 14 songs to work with for the second album.  my guess would be that after they go through that process they will put one or two of the leftovers on the deluxe edition for that album and then throw out some kind of EP or something for Record Store Day.

What do we know about Hillside Song that implies itss not from these sessions? I realize two bonus tracks are alternate versions and that I Can't Wait is an older track, but do we know something about Hillside Song?  I must have missed that.

[BH]

I Can't Wait also could have been from those sessions as I don't think it was ever recorded.   

[walterfredo]

re a few of the other questions...

no mention about summer tour dates, multi-city stuff, etc.  Only discussion at all about shows was Bo quickly shooting down the question about NYE in L.A.

I don't think I would necessarily say the album has a Z sound to it, but I will say that it didn't remind my of Evil Urges in any way at all.

Don't think I can really comment on the carl/Jim guitar questions.

Yes, that is me next to Jim in the photo


A couple other things that were said during the Q&A (paraphrased from my memory!)...


Someone asked Jim if they were hoping to license (think they used a different word, can't recall what it was) any new tracks for things like TV shows, movies, commercials etc.  And Jim responded in a jovial fashion..."we will sell our music to absolutely anybody, anytime, anywhere under any circumstance".

I also asked a question that I had intended to ask all day, I said that I can remember as a kid how odd it would sound to hear my voice on a recording, and how I thought it didn't sound like me.  I asked them if it was a weird experience to hear themselves on a recording.  Jim responded saying that he never listens to the recordings at all after they're done.  He also said that he often hates the sound of his voice on older recordings, and on the rare occasion he has to relearn a song and go back and hear old recordings that he just really dislikes the experience and hearing his voice.  In reality they somewhat answered my question with their actions before I could even ask it... the album was played in two sections with Q&A before and after each side was played, and as soon as they began to play the music, both Jim and Bo left the studio immediately.  I was curious before the event if they would just sit there and listen with everyone else...they did not. 

Jim reiterated something I've heard him say before, that he knows music is readily available for free on the internet, and he's not necessarily bothered by that.  He basically said if you can't afford the album, please help yourself to it online for free, but for those that can afford it, please be responsible and buy the album, and if people aren't paying for it that really can, it will cause the whole process to stop. 

Someone asked about the origin of the song Big Decisions, Jim explained how we all know people in our lives that can't or won't make important decisions for themselves, in a relationship they know is toxic but can't seem to break out of it, a job that they hate and want to leave buy are afraid to do so.  And how we all see friends like this and feel like we should be making their decisions for them, since they obviously can't do it themselves, and how the band jokes that they should each make each others decisions for them so they don't have to make them for themselves. 

So much more interesting stuff was said that I can't possibly recall it all, but if things pop back into my head I'll try to post them. 

[sb_gli]

here's something someone else posted up on facebook

http://showbams.com/2015/04/01/i-heard-the-new-my-morning-jacket-album-and-its-amazing/