Morning's Glory

My Morning Jacket’s major-label debut hasn’t even been released yet and Jim James, singer/guitarist for the Louisville, KY, five-piece, is already cynical about dealing with the media, particularly when they take his words out of context.

"The more interviews I do it scares me," he says. "You can never really trust who you’re talking to. It’s a weird game." Or worse, he dislikes when music writers–always looking for a hook–concentrate on the peripheries, namely their look (think Allmans, think Skynyrd, think long hair).

"I think people focus too much on the fashion or something else. It’s like, ‘Oh, it’s five wacky hillbillies,’ or ‘a group of long-haired pot-smoking hippies.’ Not many want to focus on music that can make your head explode, or makes your nose bleed, or makes you fall in love."

Or music carved from pastoral acoustic strumming and adorable melodies that wrap around you like a warm blanket; or music that weaves dreamy pop with spacey and psychedelic moments; or honest-to-goodness rock ‘n’ roll with feedback-laden guitar freak-outs. All of this is My Morning Jacket music. All of it is great music. It’s James’ reverb-heavy tenor that leads the way. Since the band’s beginning, James hasn’t been able to shake that darn Neil Young comparison because, well, it’s a fair one.

"I think he’s a great songwriter," the 24-year-old admits. "But I really don’t want to be compared to anyone."

Or, how about this one: Kentucky Fried Morrissey? (That’s an original, thank you very much.) Granted, their crooning styles are a bit different, but James and Moz share the same plaintive lyrical roadways. From the gorgeously sad "Come Closer":

There’s something left I gotta say/How long can you stay/I been waitin’ all day/I been meltin’ away/just to send off with you.

And who knows? Maybe My Morning Jacket is poised to reach similar cult-like status. They’re already huge in Belgium. No, seriously. A couple years ago a rock writer in the Benelux countries praised their first full-length on Darla Records, Tennessee Fire, which led to a hugely successful tour in 2001 and their becoming the subject of a Dutch documentary.

"I think it’s hilarious that we became really popular there," James says. "It makes sense though, because they’re more willing to be open to something completely new."

Soon, New Musical Express had a crush on the band. The magazine that for more than a year licked the asses of the then-burgeoning Strokes on a weekly basis called My Morning Jacket "the band to fall in love with in 2002."

Pretty good for a group that, when it formed in 1998, didn’t really fit in with the post-rock indie scene in Louisville, most famously the home of Slint. After wading in the calm waters of a backwoods swimming hole for a couple years, My Morning Jacket started making big waves outside the South with their glorious second full-length, At Dawn (2001). That led to growing acclaim and opening slots on tours last year with Guided by Voices, Doves and Beth Orton, among others.

Soon enough, the band started shopping for a major label and settled with ATO Records, which is owned by–this is not a joke–Dave Matthews.

"We wanted to go with a label who could do it without changing what we do. [T]hey gave us everything that we wanted in our contract."

James is not at all interested in questions about the band’s indie cred. "We always wanted to try and reach a broader audience. No one says anything about Bjork or Radiohead or the Flaming Lips doing their work on a major label."

Hopefully reaching part of the "broader audience" won’t include fans in college baseball caps, Birkenstocks and STX lacrosse t-shirts. James, along with Johnny Quaid (guitar), Two-Tone Tommy (bass), Danny Cash (keyboards) and Patrick Hallahan (drums), promises a more band-oriented record to be released this summer. One "that’s straight-ahead rock in a weird way," which also serves nicely as a taut description of their live show.

The mellow acoustic strumming found at the forefront of their albums takes a backseat onstage as James, looking like Ted Nugent, lets his long hair hang and his flying V guitar wail. On stage, their influences show most. "Zeppelin, the Eagles, Pink Floyd. I’m a huge classic rock guy," James says. "That kinda stuff was always in the background when I was growing up."

Besides being a nice break from recording, touring beats the hell out of downtime dead-end jobs like serving bagels or mowing lawns, and if the tongue-wagging from NME and the rest of the European press is followed by a much-deserved big break in the States this year, James might never need a shit job again. And to think–Dave Matthews should be thanked for something.

My Morning Jacket plays Thurs., May 1 at Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St. (betw. Bowery & Chrystie St.), 12-533-2111.