On October 14th 2005 The Boston Globe published an interview with Jim James, done by Steve Morse. The original interview can be found here.
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Talk to Jim James for more than five minutes and the word ''positivity" is bound to come up. James fronts the lushly hypnotic, Americana-laced indie band My Morning Jacket -- and he isn't about to let any negativity spoil his party.
The group's new album, ''Z," is an absolute masterwork -- filled with ethereal James vocals that merge the magnetism of Roy Orbison and Radiohead's Thom Yorke. The album also marks the debut of two new members, guitarist Carl Broemel and keyboardist Bo Koster.
''They've really helped us by bringing in a wave of positivity," he says. ''To have two new people come in that are really excited and aren't burnt out and worn down to the ground, it just kind of energizes you and gets you excited again."
''I really feel that way about everything in life," he says. ''If you get in a rut or a routine, you have to switch it up because something is going to happen, whether it's quitting your job or moving to a new town or whatever. That change most of the time is going to bring about some positivity."
Ah, there's that word again -- merely one of many mentions during a phone interview from his home in Louisville, Ky., which he would leave shortly to head north for a date at Avalon tomorrow. The band is also in ''Elizabethtown," the Cameron Crowe film opening today. The members play a local band performing Lynyrd Skynyrd's ''Free Bird."
James is a joy, a total music freak who has known since seventh grade that he wanted to pursue rock 'n' roll as a career. He speaks with a deep intelligence on early influences such as Orbison, Neil Young, the Band, Bob Dylan, Etta James, and Pink Floyd. And he explains that My Morning Jacket's new producer, John Leckie, was chosen not only because he had worked with Radiohead and Pink Floyd, but because he was a tape operator on George Harrison's record ''All Things Must Pass."
''That just set off a special signal in my heart because that was one of the greatest records ever made," says James. And his assessment of Leckie's work with My Morning Jacket is, well, positive.
''He did a good job of reading us. I admire people who can come in and work for the benefit of the project and not for their own ego or designs," says James. ''John came in and listened to what we said and he really helped us make the best record we could. He didn't do anything for himself. There's wasn't one selfish motive."
The new album has some celestial songs about empowerment, along with a couple of sad ones in ''Dondante" and ''What a Wonderful Man," which James wrote for two friends of his who passed away. But the music in these songs is transformational. James's high-pitched, floating voice in ''Dondante," combined with his delicate guitar bends, carries the listener to a new place. And there's even a modified Harrison quote in the verse, ''Now I'm learning, learning that this will pass."
James is modest -- and deflects attention to other artists he enjoys -- such as Sufjan Stevens, Conor Oberst, M. Ward, and Joanna Newsom.
''I feel lucky and proud to be part of that wave that is now hopefully making a positive step," he says.
Would you expect him to say anything less?
