Monsters of Folk ACL Taping = Bubble Baths and Campfire Jams [Show Review]
Whispers flew around the packed ACL Studio as five men in suits as varied as their personalities filed on stage at 8pm. There were the expected four members of Monsters of Folk: Jim James, frontman for My Morning Jacket, M. Ward of She & Him fame, and Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes. (For more background on Monsters of Folk, check out the ACL/Stubbs preview.) But who was the fifth suited man seating himself behind the elegant drum kit?
The anxious audience in studio 6A had to wait as the performers launched into their first song, "Say Please", with James, Ward, and Oberst taking turns singing verses. In between each set of songs, a version of musical chairs took place - electric guitars were switched out for pianos, acoustic guitars, steel guitars, electric banjo, and etc. The drummer remained on his throne, keeping time with the musical maestros.
Admittedly, the supergroup was a bit stiff at first, but as the musicians settled into their surroundings, the atmosphere shifted from an official performance to something more akin to a camp fire jam with good friends. The ice was completely broken approximately five songs in when Oberst quipped that he had a dream where he was surrounded by robots staring at him (referring to the numerous video cameras that whip around the stage to record the performances for the PBS broadcasts). James later riffed on Oberst's comment, saying that he had dreams of robots giving him "luxurious bubble baths" and fanning him...among other things he couldn't mention on public television.
Each of the distinct songs encapsulated the variety of the neo-indie-folk movement, incorporating elements of alt-country, blues, rock, electronica and more. Finally the new, yet familiar, face came down from behind the drum kit and picked up an acoustic guitar. Jim James introduced him as Will Johnson - frontman for local bands Centro-Matic and South San Gabriel - and called Johnson "the fifth monster" while deeming him "Austin's secret gem." The crowd thoroughly approved of this new hometown addition, and clearly the Monsters love Austin, as Oberst and James mentioned it several times, giving a shout out to Toy Joy as well.
While one of the goals of Monsters of Folk was to make sure that none of the musician's individual projects dominated the sound of the new group, Jim James' vocals received the first standing ovation of the evening. At the end of "Map Of The World" it was impossible to tell where James' hauntingly high wails ended and Ward's guitar reverb started, but it became a perfect blend of pitches that brought the crowd to their feet. With such completely different vocal styles - Ward's gravelly, Oberst's clear and bright, James' high and harmonious, and Johnson's gritty - as well as Mogis' multi-instrumental proficiency - the perfect blend rang out over the ACL Studio no matter who was taking the lead.
At the end of the eighteen song set, including a two song encore, everyone left the building knowing that they had taken part of something truly unique. Which is really just another typical night on the stage of Austin City Limits.
This marks the 36th season of Austin City Limits on PBS, which kicked off on October 2nd with reggae legend Jimmy Cliff. The Monsters of Folk set is not yet scheduled for air, but you will find them at Stubbs tonight and at the ACL Festival on Saturday afternoon. You absolutely don't want to miss the experience of jamming with these talented, entertaining Monsters.
