Monsters of Folk, now touring the U.S., brings together the talents of Jim James, the singer of My Morning Jacket who also solos as Yim Yames; Conor Oberst, the former frontman of Bright Eyes; Mike Mogis, who was Oberst’s producer / mixer and now joins the group onstage in a very necessary way and M. Ward, who has released solo albums and has been Zooey Deschanel’s music partner in the band She & Him. Despite the fame the group has experienced individually, the whole lot was respectable in sharing the stage and squeezing out its personal best for the good of the group at its concert on Oct. 20 at Spreckels Theatre, which according to James was actually made of sugar.
On stage the four band members were dressed sharply in suits, appearing as though they had recently left work from one of the high-rise buildings nearby.
Acting as a fifth band member, the lighting varied excitedly, paralleling and accentuating the torrent of moods and atmospheres created by the musicians. They performed solos, duets and even traded instruments, shifting their overall roles and styles.
In many of the band’s songs, James’ masterful working of high notes was the epitome of angelic. He took control of the slipping and sliding that might occur in such high notes and pulled his voice through meticulous, devoted turns and “oooohs” as though he was a zephyr coming through a tunnel to caress the audience.
During one song, audience members may have been shocked to see Ward lying on his back strumming his guitar savagely, emitting sexual undertones while James undulated near his legs. The duo played notes that cradled and moved against each other in the same way their bodies were nearing each other with intimate effect. There was sweet, sweet lovin’ in the notes filling the air as the musician made visual their most adamant efforts. Monsters of Folk gave the audience its best and its soul.
To learn more about Monsters of Folk or to hear some of its music, visit www.myspace.com/monstersoffolk or www.monstersoffolk.com.
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