Morningbell (Myspace)

Hometown: Gainesville, Florida
Album: Sincerely, Severely (Buy)
Label: Orange Records
Morningbell – Marching Off To War

Tristeza (Myspace)

Hometown: San Diego, California
Album: Fate Unfold (Buy)
Label: Beter Looking /Wildlife Vinyl
Tristeza – Manitas

Images By Carlton Beener

Vic Chesnutt

Vic Chesnutt (l) & Guy Picciotto (r)

Images By Carlton Beener

Jenny Lee Lindberg (l) and Stella Mozgawa (r)

Theresa Wayman (l) and Jenny Lee Lindberg (r)

From Athens Soundies

Amoeba Records – Hollywood

1.) Lady Gaga – Fame Monster
2.) Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked Vultures
3.) Blakroc – Blakroc
4.) Adam Lambert – For Your Entertainment
5.) Tom Waits – Glitter & Doom
6.) Shakira – She Wolf
7.) Rihanna – Rated R
8.) The xx – xx
9.) Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Live Anthology
10.) Pirate Radio Soundtrack
Week Ending – 11/23/2009

Here are our top 10 EP’s of 2009.

1.) Warpaint – Exquisite Corpse (Buy)

Label: Manimal Vinyl
Warpaint – Stars

2.) The Middle East – The Recordings of the Middle East (Buy)

Label: Spunk Aus/Zoom
The Middle East – Blood

3.) Ben Nichols – The Last Pale Light In The West (Buy)

Label: Rebel Group
Ben Nichols – Tobin

Jim James and Mike Barker – Image Rollo & Grady

In several hours My Morning Jacket will make their prime-time television debut on American Dad. I recently caught up with the show’s co-creator Mike Barker, who penned the episode titled “My Morning Straitjacket,” to discuss his inspiration for writing the script.

R&G: How did you first discover My Morning Jacket?

MB: One of my writers, Matt Fusfeld, turned me onto them. He played “Bermuda Highway” for me in the office one day and I was instantly transfixed.

R&G: Tell me about your experience at Bonnaroo 2008?

MB: At Bonnaroo, I’m watching these guys create this lush, intense sound as the rain is washing over them… and as the sheet of rain attacks the stage, the raindrops are being illuminated by the multi-colored stage lights, and it was just… biblical. (note: Mike was not on mushrooms or acid). And it was one of those moments — and by moment I don’t mean during a certain chorus or something, I mean the ENTIRE time the guys are playing — it was one of those moments where everyone in attendance realized they were witnessing something really special. No one’s worried about getting wet, or getting their shoes muddy, or needing to sit down after standing shoulder to shoulder with wet strangers for four straight hours. And I actually remember having the thought, “If lightening strikes these guys dead, there’s not a thing tragic about that.” Seriously, can you tell me a better way for a musician to go? Because I can’t think of it.

But during the show, I start to become aware of how intensely I loved this music, and by extension, these guys for playing it. And I thought to myself, “What if I try to SHARE this experience through the characters in American Dad? Is it possible to translate how much I love this music to a large portion of American Dad’s audience that presently has no idea that this band even exits?” That would be my way of giving back, I suppose. My Morning Jacket is one of the greatest bands of all time, so why wouldn’t I try to share that fact?

The Oscillation – Liquid Memoryman
Nightmares On Wax – Da Mess Sticks
K.I.A. – Scatter (downtempo)