http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002155417
BILLBOARD
MMJ Roars Back With DVD, Live CD, Pearl Jam Tour
March 09, 2006, 12:00 AM ET
Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.
Last fall, My Morning Jacket had just finished a sold-out tour in support of its latest ATO/RCA album, "Z," which ranked No. 1 on Billboard's annual year-end Critics' Choice poll. But shortly after returning to his Louisville-area home, frontman Jim James woke up one morning with chest pains so intense he was convinced he was suffering a heart attack.
"Fortunately, I didn't -- it was pneumonia that had sat in my lungs next to my heart, and made my heart swell up," he tells Billboard.com. "I don't think there will be long-term damage. But it took me out of commission for a good couple of months there, where all I could do was sit around the house."
Now fully healthy, James and MMJ are roaring back to life this spring as the support act on the first leg of Pearl Jam's North American tour. A number of high-profile festival appearances are also confirmed, including Coachella, Bonnaroo and High Sierra. In late summer or early fall, MMJ plans to make up dates it was forced to cancel in Europe after James took ill, to hopefully be followed by a North American headlining run.
"The stress that led to the whole thing in the first place was the ruthless touring schedule we've been keeping," James says. "Even though it is fun and rewarding, there's so much stress you don't even think about that mounts and mounts on your body. So, in the coming year, we want to pace it smarter and have some months off in between."
MMJ will get its sea legs back during the Pearl Jam dates, which kick off May 9 in Toronto. "It might be a little easier because it will be a shorter set, if nothing else. It will be a great way to get back into the swing of things," James says, adding that he and his bandmates have been inspired by Pearl Jam's longevity. "They're a really good example of what you can do if you set your mind to doing what you want to do and not what people think you're supposed to do."
And while James says not to expect MMJ back in the studio until the spring of 2007, there will be new product to savor this fall. The band is finishing up work on a double-disc live album as well as a DVD, which will be released separately. Eschewing the straight-up "film the show" approach, the DVD follows a storyline that transports fans to an MMJ show in the middle of a forest (oddly enough, the "Z" track "Into the Woods" is not included).
"We want to make this a watchable movie that is an hour-and-a-half or an hour-and-45 minutes, so you can hopefully sit down and watch the whole thing as an experience, rather than it being three hours long with every single song we've ever played," James says, adding that more filming is scheduled in Louisville.
The as-yet-untitled project was assembled with the help of Sam Erickson, who previously worked on DVDs for John Mayer and Bruce Hornsby. "Everything is killer," James says. "The shoot turned out great."
In addition, on June 13, Darla Records will release the collection "Tennessee Fire & At Dawn Demos," featuring early versions of songs from those albums.
That's fun news...
haven't they overlooked a little continent called europe in this message? ;)
please remove the message on the shows page that says "that the band hopes to reschedule the european tour as soon as bla bla bla"
We're no priority
can't wait for the dvd & demos though
Mr T, read again ;)
I thought Europe was in...Europe. ???
:-[oh man :-X
that's so embarrassing
gonna hide in a deep dark pit for a while...
PS: those europe-plans are still unofficial rumours right ;)
Quotethe DVD follows a storyline that transports fans to an MMJ show in the middle of a forest (oddly enough, the "Z" track "Into the Woods" is not included).
That kinda stinks! That means we will miss the Viking Chorus which included Johnny Quaid, right?
huh?
SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know that this is all kind of old news, but seeing it all summed up like that in one big juicey article is nice! The live double disc is news to me! I wonder if this will be the filmore shows as well? Headlining NA tour! Bring that shit on!
On a somber note, no new album until 2008 is kind of sobering but you can't have everthing and it will be here before you know it.
And the DVD. Ooooh the DVD. I really need this soon. If I watch the 5 songs on ASL one more time my wife is going to leave me. I have over 60 concert DVD's and Dondante is the greatest performance on any of them. Easily.
Quotework on a double-disc live album
Fuck yeah!!! A double-live album? Best news of the day.
i'll take apologies from the person who jumped my shit when i said i heard MMJ was going to Europe in the Fall...
Quotei'll take apologies from the person who jumped my shit when i said i heard MMJ was going to Europe in the Fall...
sweetheart, just take a second and think about how come that all came up. (said with the nicest of voices, truly)
This is WONDERFUL NEWS!!! Yipeee - a double live album? Wait did i read that right? Hold on.
Yes I did. Oh boy. :)
i know i know...just a little turned off how the person handle it!
anyway...this is great news...so much going on with MMJ in the next 2 years!!!
HELL YES!!!!!!
so glad Jimmy James is doing better now!!!
Quotehuh?
http://www.mymorningjacket.com/cgi-local/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=theshows;action=display;num=1131787018
...about halfway down the page. ;)
excellent news!!!
dunno why you europeans are always getting testy about not getting included in dates etc - australia never even gets MENTIONED!!! ;)
still, i can wait.... the dvd will help!
"there will be new product to savor this fall. The band is finishing up work on a double-disc live album as well as a DVD, which will be released separately. Eschewing the straight-up "film the show" approach, the DVD follows a storyline that transports fans to an MMJ show in the middle of a forest (oddly enough, the "Z" track "Into the Woods" is not included). "
Exceeeeeellent! (quivers with even mor heightened antcipation)
it's official, i just peed my pants! i've been saying it's gonna happen and now, it did!
double live cd, show dvd, demos disc... what more can a fan ask for? i'm so excited!!!!!!!
EC... if you see this post, i have a double disc of a 2004 toronto show where they introduced oxen to the audience. were you there? do i have your joyful screams on cd? cool...
yey jacket stuff!
Just read this in the shows section.
DVD + Live CD = Fuckin' A!!! ;D ;D ;D
QuoteEC... if you see this post, i have a double disc of a 2004 toronto show where they introduced oxen to the audience. were you there? do i have your joyful screams on cd? cool...
I was not there. Incredibly, there was a time in my life when I didn't know about My Morning Jacket. ;)
I do know a lot of people who saw that show, and the majority feel that it was an evening of pure magic. PURE magic. Mark talks about it quite a lot in the context of gear, and realizing the possibilities that he hadn't thought of before. Plus, at Soundscapes, (was it solo or full band), there was a little show. I think it was just Jim. I have heard people say that that experience changed their life. That was the day Johnny Cash died.
And these people aren't just bein' dramatic, they're totally serious.
I've heard parts of that show, wellfleet - she's a good one, hey? I was probably screaming in Toronto that night, just not at the Opera House. ;) (or maybe that was lee's palace... nope, i think it was the opera house. best sound in the city.)
hopefully DARLA will really release those demo's. They have been saying they were going to do that for about a year now.
i've always prefered something like "My Morning Jacket Live at..." to a compilation.. but we still dont know the exact format
Quotei've always prefered something like "My Morning Jacket Live at..." to a compilation.. but we still dont know the exact format
I know what you mean. Live at one show, one venue is cool but with a compilation you get all the best songs from the best shows. Can't wait to hear it :)
as long as it's mmj they cant go wrong so compilation or not its bound to be great ;D
Wow. I actually just read this whole thing a few minutes ago. Very, very cool. They're about to explode I tells ya.