ear-x-tacy show report by the Courier Journal

[antoniostrohs]

[size=14]MMJ ecstasy to the ears[/size]
Band, new album praised at show

 

As My Morning Jacket climbed on stage at ear X-tacy records last night in the Highlands, more than 500 fans, sticky with sweat from standing in line for as long as two hours, welcomed home the band that's keeping Louisville music in the national press these days.
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My Morning Jacket was tucked into a corner of ear X-tacy where the local music section normally resides.

The crowd filled the front half of the store and spilled onto the sidewalk and parking lot, where those who didn't score one of the limited tickets hung out and listened.

Fans began lining up at 3 p.m. to secure choice standing room and were treated to a blistering, 90-minute show that was the perfect coming-out party for the band's new album, "Evil Urges," the record that may take My Morning Jacket to the next level.

The band, which was on "Saturday Night Live" last month, already is too big for shows in record stores, but this was a special occasion.

"We just wanted to do something for our hometown," singer Jim James said. "We've never played here, and we feel like someone's got to do something to keep people's eyes on the independent record stores. I've loved ear X-tacy since I was a kid, and it just seemed natural to do this."

Eric Francke, 23, drove from Lyndon to stand on the sidewalk in front of a huge picture window along Bardstown Road, where he listened and took photos.

"It's worth it," he said. "It's almost as good as being inside."

"Evil Urges," the band's fifth studio album, has been reviewed in every major music publication, including the coveted lead review in the new Rolling Stone magazine, and the band was on the cover of last month's Spin.

The nearly unanimous praise has been overwhelming, with Rolling Stone critic Will Hermes placing MMJ in the ranks of Radiohead and Wilco in his four-star review. Shannon Zimmerman in Spin called it the band's "most accomplished and ambitious record."

My Morning Jacket is a headliner at this weekend's Bonnaroo Festival in Tennessee, one of the summer's biggest concert events.

A summer tour will take them to Europe, including England's famed Glastonbury Festival on June 29, and to Waterfront Park on Aug. 16 for their only other Louisville performance.

The band has had a buzz around it for years, but not like this. Tom Sladek, a representative of the band's label, ATO Records, flew in from New York for the show.

"They've delivered a record that's leaps and bounds beyond anything we expected," he said. "It's the culmination of a 10-year career. They made the right record at the right time of their career and people are ready to embrace them."

"It's awesome," James said of the excitement surrounding "Evil Urges." "At the same time it's hard for me because every time we put out a record, some people like it and some people hate it, which is kind of weird. But as long as our family and friends like it, we're happy."

No one there last night hated it. Many already knew the lyrics and sang along as MMJ performed "Evil Urges" in its entirety, then threw in a bonus five-song encore, ending with longtime fan favorite "One Big Holiday."

Fans went home with the new record, which they had pre-bought two weeks ago to get a ticket.

"There won't be another in-store that will have this kind of impact," said owner John Timmons. "It's release day, it's going to be a huge record, and it's a great record."

Reporter Jeffrey Lee Puckett can be reached at (502) 582-4160.
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[Coltrane]

"...every time we put out a record, some people like it and some people hate it, which is kind of weird. But as long as our family and friends like it, we're happy."






well, Jim....i LOVE it......


haters be damned!!!!