I really can't get enough of this stuff.
Thank you everyone for all the kind words last week, you guys kick ass. I hope you enjoyed the downloads!
Max Bonem, staff writer at SpeakEasyMag.com, sent me a great story of his My Morning Jacket intertwined summer of travel and a very cool interview (some really great questions) with Bo Koster. Check it out here!Speakeasy: I saw three of MMJ's shows this summer (Bonnaroo, Paris, Louisville) and it is easy to see that the five of you really feed off the crowd's energy. Have there been any shows from this tour that have particularly stuck out in your mind, and if so, why?
BK: Wow, those were three very different shows. The Louisville show definitely stood out, there was something in the air that day. It was more of a celebration of the city of Louisville I think. Radio City Music Hall was another special one. There were a lot of other good ones, too. I think we've been lucky to have fans that come out ready to participate in the show with us. It's definitely a give and take. I believe that we're all affecting everything all the time. A concert is definitely a place where you can feel that. It's always up to the cosmos. If it were only up to us, we'd want it to be great and magical every time, but unfortunately, or fortunately, we don't have all the power. We're just one small part of a bigger mysterious equation.
Speakeasy: What was your reaction after you found out you were playing Madison Square Garden on New Years Eve?
BK: Humility. Awe. Feeling lucky. That's a pretty mind-bending thing. Carl has a good saying for things like that, which is "Tell THAT to your eleven-year-old self!"
DUE TO THE LARGE FILE SIZES OF 4 OF 5 FILES THIS WILL ONLY BE UPLOADED ONCE!
1. Love And Only Love 
01 Intro
01 I Might Be Wrong
Radiohead - Live on Le Reservoir
photo by Rachel Zahumensky
01-radio introduction
01.Intro
Today is a year since The Steam Engine opened its doors. Everyone that checks this place out: THANK YOU so much. It really has been cool the past year. I'll be posting all sorts of stuff this week so keeps your eyes peeled.
I bet "Clyde the Camel" is a f*ckin creep.
I was wondering what to post the other day and I realized I have not seen any Bon Iver shows available for download anywhere. Last winter I was at Schuba's in Chicago for a Redwalls show. They had 2 openers I had never heard of, Bon Iver and Illinois. Illinois could be good if they wanted to, they need to lose the songs about smoking bowls though. But Bon Iver was f*ckin on that night. Justin Vernon's spooky vocals against their sparse, quietly distorted and feedback laden music was just perfect and it honest to God brought thoughts of camping in the woods of Northern Wisconsin. Well, the next day I find out Bon Iver's record was recorded about 2 hours South of those camping memories. During the set, I turned around and saw a friend from high school, gave him a nod, and he came up to me and told me his cousin is the other guitarist in the band. Kind of cool.
F*ck yes. For all of us at the Waterfront Park show last summer, we are in for an added treat.hello friends. we are proud to announce and release a lil live ep that was recorded right in our very own hometown of louisville, ky. a few songs were taken from our in-store appearence at our beloved and fabled record haven “ear-x-tacy” and a few of them were taken from our concert at the fabled “waterfront park.” see if you can guess which is from which. we are excited to make this a special release that you can only get at your favorite local independent record store, as now more than ever we all need to take the time to celebrate what our favorite local record stores and businesses mean to us - the value of community/human to human non- internet related physical and spiritual contact and supporting the hardworking people in your community who strive everyday to keep it unique and keep it local. we are fortunate in our travels to get to see many wonderful things, but one of the most distressing things is the increasing “normalization” of the world and how all these places are starting to look the same- everywhere you look more and more towns are starting to be filled with the same gigantic corporations, and while some of these huge companies undoubtably provide valuable services, it is so important that we realize that it is our local businesses and people (and natural landscapes, but thats a different letter) that are what make different towns worth coming to…things you can only get in one place, made and sold by people who believe in what they are doing…people who are trying to keep good weirdness alive in this crazy dome. god* bless all of you, and god* bless the world and all that kinda shit.
-yer pals, my morning jacket
p.s.- *the word “god*” is used here meaning anything you want it to mean and is a trademark of globo-chem worldwide.
The EP (in both CD and limited edition double 10″ vinyl) will be available at finer independent retailers beginning on Record Store Day, April 18.
To find the store closer to you, click here.
For those outside these United States, click here.
Track listing:
1. Evil Urges
2. Highly Suspicious
3. Gideon
4. Where To Begin
5. Librarian
6. Phone Went West
7. Dondante
Our friends Jeff and Derek went to the Dan Auerbach Show in Minneapolis the night after I had the good fortune to see him and his band (Hacienda + Patrick Hallahan = AWESOME) in Chicago. The audio is not perfect but it seems to get pretty good after the first couple of tracks. Enjoy!
Jeff Luke is one of my favorite photographers, check out his pictures from the Dan Auerbach concert on the 2009-3-7 in Minneapolis.
From the .com:hello friends, a few months ago i took part in a recorded conversation/interview with world class thinker/author/magic man ken wilber. i have been a fan of his integral theory and approach to life after hearing his 6-disc “Kosmic Consciousness” interview set where he goes really in depth to what he describes as his “map of existence” and all the different elements that make up said existence. He read an interview i had done where i mentioned his work and reached out to me to do a recorded interview for this great new site they are doing called integral life. a good place to start if you want to learn more about all of this is his new book which is basically an introduction to the integral approach called “The Integral Vision.” the website and all of his work and theory are meant to apply and be useful to people of any and all backgrounds/religions/race/creed etc…i think it is a really open and useful way of thinking and re-organizing your mind- trying to take the things that seem to make sense to you from all walks of life, and blend them into your own special set of beliefs and ways of living. although i think anyone could really get something out of ken’s work as well as this website, this is not a sales pitch from them or myself to get anyone to buy or join anything, and i am still learning quite a bit about all of this and don’t pretend for a minute to be any kind of expert in understanding the ways of our most complex human experience…i just wanted to explain a little more of the background behind this interview. i hope you are to enjoy!
-yer pal yim yamesJim James and Ken Wilber discuss the spectacular rise of My Morning Jacket, examining the circumstances and intentions behind each of their albums, tracking the band’s career from their humble beginnings to their latest forays into rock stardom.
"We started to realize that there's some reason that we're lucky enough to do this, so we want to try to put as much good energy into the world as we can, and try to give as much back as we can...."
In the second installation of this discussion, Jim James and Ken Wilber take a look at the personal side of Jim’s career, exploring some of the more difficult aspects of maintaining one’s relationships, sanity, and integrity amidst the mania of the rock and roll lifestyle, and reflecting on how rock music can be the primary source of spiritual experience and connection for a great many people in the world....
11/16/2006 Gypsy Tea Room - Dallas, TX (photo by Jarrod Mizell)
Absolutely f*cking fantastic.
I felt bad leaving you guys with just a FLAC set for the weekend. Here is a lovely Fleet Foxes show courtesy of our friend Abe Lincoln.
I know it seems like I have been starting all my posts with "Sorry for the lack of..." lately but things have been nuts.
