On Monday night, November 9th, a couple thousand eager music fans were stacked in the 19th century orchestra hall, The Academy of Music, in Philadelphia to witness the super group, Monsters of Folk.
Super is understated when describing the musicianship of Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), M. Ward (solo and She and Him), and Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes). All four musicians are vastly different in their writing style, musical diversity, vocal style, and attitude which resulted in a diverse collection of fifteen very devoted songs that barely classify their satirical band name, Monsters of FOLK. Their self titled album dabbles into various classic rock genres that show influences from The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Neil Young, The Clash, and even 1970s soul.
Jim James, who's been front man for the southern rock band, My Morning Jacket, since the mid 1990s, is certainly the most popular member of the group. My Morning Jacket is at the top of the indie scene, nearly considered a main stream act. Their songs are both hard rock anthems and melodic ballads, all complimented by James' echoing, angelic voice.
Conor Oberst from Omaha, Nebraska has often been considered the best song writer of our generation, blending heavy metaphors with melancholy images of loss and love that toil down into a dramatic song delivered by Conor's quivering voice and light guitar strumming. Over the past few years he's stepped out of his Bright Eyes comfort zone to make Americana Rock n' Roll with The Mystic Valley Band to prove that his music capacity is ever expanding.
M. Ward is as gruff as Oberst but as soulful as James, combining folkie images with an unusual voice that can easily fill any orchestra hall. Perhaps his best asset is his underrated guitar skills that mix a variety of slaps and pull offs, making his solo effort appear like a series of layered guitars.
Ward is as interested in touring with other musicians, complimenting their styles with his folk prowess, as he is in making his own solo records or records with Zoey Deschannel as the duo, She and Him.
Last but certainly not least is the Dr. Dre of the Indie Music Scene, Mike Mogis. Mogis is a tenured musician, bred by the Omaha music scene just like Oberst, but more profoundly, one of the industry's most inventive producers. He started by performing and producing Bright Eyes in the mid 90s and expanded his career from there.
He recently helped produce Strokes front man, Julian Casablancas' solo record. Mogis is also a multi instrumentalist and an amazing slide guitarist.
These four incredible musicians came crashing together beautifully at the Monday, November 9th performance in Philly. Dressed in 70s suites and ties, they started with the fast paced harmonic, Beatles-esque, "Say Please". Monsters of Folk wasted little time as they went from one song to the next for nearly two hours and thirty minutes straight. They played their own songs, songs from past bands, and Monsters of Folk songs from their recently released album.
The band constantly traded instruments, and being the huge Conor Oberst fan that I am, it was very odd to see him playing bass. Often times two or three band members would exit stage and Oberst, James, and Ward would play alone under spotlight to the quiet whispers of an entranced crowd.
The Bright Eyes song, "We are Nowhere and its Now," the My Morning Jacket song, "Look at You," and the M. Ward song, "Poison Cup," were all examples of this and were a few highlights from a night of amazing music.
Monsters of Folk exited stage at nearly 10:30 to come back only five minutes later to play a twenty minute encore, which ended with the beautifully melodic "Master's Voice," which ends the album. James' falsetto range filled every inch of The Academy of Music and left me and my two friends and me speechless as we exited the venue.
The Monsters of Folk experience, there's no other way to describe it, is more than just one band. Monsters of Folk, just as misleading as the name, is a classic example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
The contrasting style of four bands came colliding together beautifully on Monday night. Seeing these four wonderful musicians come together in Monsters of Folk makes me truly appreciate their music individually. And as profound as they are, I'm realizing that my exposure to them is probably short and sweet, as they will soon return to their projects that turned them into monsters in their own right.
Be the first to comment on this article!