Portland Pre-Show Press

[LaurieBlue]

http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/Content?oid=100044&category=22153

Irrepressible Authenticity
My Morning Jacket Is the Best Band in the World
BY SCOTT MOORE

THE LAST TIME My Morning Jacket played Portland, the front of the Aladdin Theater stage was crammed with fans, none of whom were about to let rows and rows of obstructive seats get in the way of totally flippin' rocking out.

Seriously—just to get to the bathroom, I had to scale a five-foot railing and practically climb over a sea of people all transfixed by the majestic and gloriously bearded Jim James, who had the crowd's unwavering attention as soon as he stepped onto the stage.

This time, MMJ is playing at the Crystal Ballroom, which is far more accommodating to the masses of people the band will undoubtedly draw.

The weird thing, though, is just how much of an anomaly My Morning Jacket is in the current indierock scene. Amid the crowd of genre-jocking pretenders, all of whom obviously spend more time with fashion consultants than writing compelling songs, MMJ stands out for its sheer authenticity. James & Co.'s collectively unassuming, longhaired persona is a massive relief from the style-obsessed, emotionally bereft jackasses shitting up the musical landscape.

(I recognize that this makes me sound like a very old man. "You goddamn kids don't know what real music is! All you listen to is a bunch of bleeps and bloops!" And I'm okay with that. It's the quiet acceptance that comes with aging. Now get off my lawn.)

Over the course of four proper albums, MMJ has evolved from relatively quiet, stripped-down, acoustic-based songs into full bore, charging Southern rock. But along the way, James' basic delivery has remained unchanged. His fragile, reverb-soaked voice still frames stories of heartbreak and loneliness and love and booze, with crackling words that slowly draw your soul out like a string and then shred it with a multiple lead guitar attack à la Lynyrd Skynyrd.

But as powerful as their recorded material is, MMJ's music seriously comes alive onstage, where, buried in an avalanche of hair, this handful of humble dudes from Kentucky become the greatest band on the planet.

[mageetahNOTcloser]

A more-gooder local rag:
http://localcut.wweek.com/?page_id=185

Tuesday, January 9th
My Morning Jacket, Elvis Perkins
[THE BEST DAMN LIVE ROCK OUT THERE] I honest to god feel that Southern/folk/psych/reggae rockers My Morning Jacket are one of the best touring bands you can possibly see today (if not THE best, though the Hold Steady and Twilight Singers deserve honorable mention). The last time the Louisville, Ky., band came to town, they absolutely blew up the Aladdin Theater (complete with pot smoking and an almost entirely standing audience!), and this year's double live album (and accompanying DVD), Okonokos, put money where my mouth is. Oh, and besides being able to rock your ass all straight-up metal style on a Flying V, frontman Jim James also wails, vocally, like some sort of otherworldy being and is responsible for writing one of the most romantic folk songs you're bound to hear, "Hopefully." Did I mention MMJ recorded an early cover of Erykah Badu's "Tyrone," or that James loves Jim Henson's Muppets? I mean, seriously, when will the awesomeness end? AMY MCCULLOUGH.- Crystal Ballroom. 9 pm. $20 advance, $23 day of show. All ages.

[LaurieBlue]

http://www.blogs.oregonlive.com/oregonian/aenow/default.asp?item=421974

My Morning Jacket: Even if this new Elvis doesn't do it for you, the show may be worth going to. Because MMJ will be there too. In a music environment where genre-bending has become a genre itself, this band seems to step back and focus on playing something refreshingly specific: rock and roll. Their music is known for its reverb. But it's the band members' ability to move from a heavy, driving register to a softer, more heartfelt one, often within the same song, that makes their work so compelling. Lead singer Jim James' voice comes off as that of an offspring of Neil Young and Michael Stipe. But in My Morning Jacket's music it has found a perfect home. 9 p.m. Tuesday, Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W. Burnside St.; $23; 503-225-0047.

[ChiefOKONO]

Thank you!!!

[LaurieBlue]

http://www.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id=116827766746793500

ROCK
My Morning Jacket
It seems impossible to write about My Morning Jacket without referencing Neil Young.

Singer Jim James and company channel the same high-desert howl that somehow manages to merge a devil-may-care casualness with a burning intensity, fusing the parts into an engrossing and mesmerizing whole while unleashing hair and reverb like there's no tomorrow.

Get there early for up-and-coming dusky Americana singer-songwriter Elvis Perkins.

9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9, Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W. Burnside St., 503-225-0047, $23