WXPN & Y-Rock on XPN Welcome Supergroup Monsters of Folk at the Academy of Music, November 9
OCTOBER 15, 2009
"Like [Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young], Monsters of Folk yoke together a quartet of folk-minded rockers...at the top of their game — and both groups create something that's often greater than the sum of its parts."—Rolling Stone
"...A triumph: It's just a few songwriting aces, kicking around ideas and coming up with killer pop tunes." — Kevin O' Donnell, National Public Radio
WXPN & Y-Rock on XPN welcome indie folk-rock supergroup Monsters of Folk on Monday, November 9, 2009 at 8pm at the Academy of Music, presented by AEG Live, R5 Productions and Kimmel Center Presents. The group features "four of the most influential indie musicians of the decade" (Paste Magazine)—Bright Eyes' Mike Mogis and Conor Oberst, singer-songwriter M. Ward and My Morning Jacket's Jim James.
Currently performing together on a 22-date North American tour, Monsters of Folk released their self-titled debut album in September 2009, which was inspired by a joint tour in 2004. The album received four out of five stars from Rolling Stone magazine and the New York Daily News, who called it a "rich bounty" and a "sonic buffet."
Onstage, the four members switch instruments and trade roles throughout the show, maintaining the freewheeling, highly collaborative spirit of their work together. The foursome will perform works from their new album as well as popular songs from their respective catalogues.
"Like a younger, 21st-century version of the Traveling Wilburys they trade verses and share vocal harmonies while they merge their musical fixations, from folk-rock and country to falsetto soul. Together they ponder mortality and the meaning of life."—New York Times
"James', Oberst's and Ward's voices meld beautifully in a variety of styles…But the most striking thing...is the quality and cohesiveness of the material… their signature styles stand out like scents in a Southern Italian kitchen." —Rolling Stone
Monsters of Folk is donating $1 from the sale of every ticket to Art-Reach, a Delaware Valley nonprofit cultural service organization that helps underserved audiences to experience arts and cultural programming, working to increase accessibility to cultural venues and events.
Tickets for Monsters of Folk are $40.50 and $50.50 and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center box office, open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. (Additional fees may apply.) For group sales call 215-790-5883.
A limited number of $10 community rush tickets will be available for this performance. Tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Academy of Music box office beginning at 5:30pm prior to evening curtain time. Limit one ticket per person.
Nebraskan producer/engineer and multi-instrumentalist Mike Mogis founded Presto! Recording Studios in 1995, along with his brother A.J. Mogis. He has engineered, produced and performed on many records on the Saddle Creek label, including those by Bright Eyes, The Faint, Rilo Kiley, Cursive, The Good Life, Tilly and the Wall, among many others. Mogis is a permanent member of Bright Eyes, and was also a member of both Lullaby for the Working Class and We'd Rather Be Flying. He performs on instruments ranging from banjo and mandolin to pedal steel guitar and electric guitar. Mogis recently worked with British artist Lightspeed Champion on his debut album Falling Off the Lavender Bridge (2008).
Omaha, Nebraska native Conor Oberst is best known for his work in Bright Eyes, the indie rock collective with Mike Mogis, Nate Walcott and a rotating lineup of collaborators. He was named the "Best Songwriter of 2008" by Rolling Stone magazine. Oberst has contributed his vocal abilities to such ensembles as Desaparecidos, Norman Bailer, Commander Venus and Park Ave. In 2008, Oberst released his first solo album in 13 years, Conor Oberst, which was recorded in Mexico with a group of musician friends that dubbed themselves the Mystic Valley Band. The band released a second album, Outer South, in May 2009, as well as the documentary DVD One Of My Kind. A final album under the Bright Eyes moniker is planned for release in the fall of 2010 on Saddle Creek Records.
Singer-songwriter M. Ward released his sixth studio album as a solo artist, Hold Time, in February 2009, the follow-up to his 2006 album Post-War and its companion EP To Go Home (2007). The album features guest appearances by Lucinda Williams, Jason Lytle of Grandaddy and Zooey Deschanel. In 2008, Ward released his debut album, Volume One, as part of the duo She & Him with Zooey Deschanel. She & Him's Volume Two is scheduled for release in 2010. An in-demand sideman, Ward has performed as a slide guitarist with members of Calexico in Europe, as an orchestral player for Bright Eyes and at Madison Square Garden with Norah Jones. His other collaborations on the road and in the studio include those with artists Jenny Lewis, Cat Power, Neko Case and the White Stripes, among others.
Singer, songwriter and guitarist for the Louisville, Kentucky-based rock band My Morning Jacket, Jim James was listed among Rolling Stone's "20 New Guitar Gods" in 2007, and Esquire dubbed him "Best Songwriter" in its 2006 Esky Music Awards. My Morning Jacket's most recent studio release, Evil Urges (2008), was nominated for a Grammy® Award for Best Alternative Music Album, alongside Radiohead's In Rainbows. In 2008, his band was invited to headline Madison Square Garden on New Year's Eve. In July 2009, James released a solo EP covering George Harrison songs entitled Tribute To under the moniker Yim Yames. A portion of the proceeds from the album will go to benefit the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. Also in 2009 he contributed vocals on The Decemberists album The Hazards of Love.
Kimmel Center Presents 2009/10 Season is sponsored by Citi. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents.
Free at the Kimmel programming and subsidized tickets offered to the community and social service groups for $10 are made possible through the Wachovia Gateway to the Arts Community Access Program, supported by a generous grant from the Wachovia Foundation.
The Kimmel Center is a recipient of partnership funding through the nationally recognized PNC "Grow Up Great" initiative, a ten-year, $100 million investment preparing children for success in school and life. Funding gives support to the Kimmel Center's early childhood program "Bop and Swing," an arts program for children 1-5 years old, designed to promote an appreciation for American culture.
KIMMEL CENTER PRESENTS SPONSORED BY CITI
Monday, November 9, 2009 | 8pm
Academy of Music
Monsters of Folk
Mike Mogis, vocals and various instruments
Conor Oberst, vocals and various instruments
M. Ward, vocals and various instruments
Jim James, vocals and various instruments
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