Look past My Morning Jacket's mangled hair and Skynrd-like appearance. Ignore that four-fifths of its band members have names that end in the letter "Y" (Danny, Tommy, Johnny and Jimmy). Forget that they're from Kentucky.
It's exciting times for My Morning Jacket. They're fresh off their network television debut on Conan O'Brien, newly inked record deal, and a "favorite band" endorsement from Dave Grohl.
The diverse crowd at the 9:30 club on Friday reflected the way Morning Jacket transcends a specific genre. There were young and old, both Converse-clad hipsters and Birkenstock-sporting hippies, long-haired youth and clean-cut thirty-somethings.
Front man Jimmy James said little during the 70-minute set other than the obligatory "it's great to be here" or "thank you for having us." The barefoot, bearded James hid behind his mangled hair throughout the show. He chose instead to communicate through his natural stained, vintage Gibson Flying V guitar.
The highlight of the evening was the encore. James performed a solo acoustic version of "I Will Be There When You Die" followed by "Mahgeetah," the first track off My Morning Jacket's most recent release, "It Still Moves." As James' forlorn, drawn-out croon permeated throughout the 9:30 club, comparisons to Sigur R¢s and Neil Young were inevitable.
As the encore drew to a close, Johnny Quaid strummed through the monumental "Phone Went West," and the crowd was quickly reminded how versatile the band is during its ska en route of alt-country ballad.
Morning Jacket also converted any disbelievers or nay-sayers regarding its new major label status with ATO Records. The band's stellar performance proved just what ATO has to offer: the opportunity for My Morning Jacket to continue to record and support timeless records without compromising creative control.
