JIM JAMES AND CARL BROEMEL OF THE
GRAMMY-NOMINATED MY MORNING JACKET
TALK ABOUT THEIR TREASURED TAPE ECHO
UNITS, THE MUSICAL MAGIC THAT HAPPENS
WHEN YOU JETTISON LOGIC, AND HOW TRACKING LIVE IN AN OLD GYM HELPED THEM CREATE
THEIR OWN UNIVERSE ON CIRCUITAL.
By Brad Barrett
Over the last decade, My Morning Jacket has proven itself to be per-
haps the contemporary band most adept
at absorbing and mixing country, folk,
rock ’n’ roll, gospel, funk, and soul. So
adept, in fact, that they were invited to
open for Neil Young. And their Coachella
and Bonnaroo performances over the
last few years have been genuinely epic
(their 35-song 2008 Bonnaroo set lasted
four hours and featured guest appear-
ances by Metallica’s Kirk Hammett and
The Hangover’s Zach Galifianakis). Led
by singer/guitarist Jim James’ falsetto hol-
lers and smooth crooning, the Louisville,
Kentucky, outfit has managed to consis-
tently capture and distil the essence of
American musical origins, as evidenced
by everything from the raw, lo-fi ragged-
ness of 1999’s The Tennessee Fire to 2008’s
sultry, Grammy-nominated Evil Urges.
The current lineup—founders James
and bassist Tom Blankenship, along with
guitarist Carl Broemel, drummer Patrick
Hallahan, and keyboardist Bo Koster—has
been together since 2005’s Z, which hap-
pened to be the album when their heavy
Americana leanings really burst forth.
Coinciding with that subtle shift was a
greater affinity for keys, soaring guitar
breaks, and eclectic surprises such as the
single “Highly Suspicious”—which had a
wah-fueled funk riff like something you’d
hear from Prince.
