Monsters of Folk take the Austin City Limits stage, 10/6/10

When the Austin City Limits Studio shifts downtown in 2011, it’ll be great to pack even more fans into what is surely going to remain an acoustically-superior and near-magical venue. Still, there’s something about the original campus location that gives you goosebumps the minute you exit the elevator doors. Perhaps it’s the feeling that you’re walking in the footsteps of hundreds of musical legends, possibly breathing in some of their left-behind molecules of awesome. Maybe it’s that iconic ACL cityscape that, when I was a child, completely fooled me into thinking the studio was in some downtown high-rise with a giant window behind the performers. It is most definitely the intimacy, this tiny room jam-packed with people all reveling in their shared enjoyment of music, swaying gently in their own confined square of space. It’s all a part of the experience, and ACL does it right, giving out free water and other libations, letting people line up earlier in the day and tracking their space with numbers so that they can actually go eat before the show, and generally being laid-back, wonderful and diehard music fans themselves.

This was the setting for the Monsters of Folk taping on Wednesday, Oct. 6. Being the passionate (read: near-obsessive) fan of the band that I am, I lined up super early and was the first in the door when we were let inside, giving me a front-row standing spot (and allowing me to befriend one of the camera operators). When ACL producer Terry Lickona came out to give thanks to all of the sponsors, I felt the pace of my heart quicken. When Mike Mogis, Conor Oberst, M. Ward, Jim James and Will Johnson bounded onto the cozy stage, I turned, wide-eyed, to my friend Melissa and possibly let out a quiet squeal. I’m not embarrassed, though; these five songwriters are legends of my generation (and I am not throwing that term around lightly). Just look at their canons. Will Johnson has done solo work, leads Centro-matic and South San Gabriel, and he’s a Texan to boot. (James dubbed him “Austin’s secret gem.”) M. Ward has released seven solo albums bubbling over with ghosts of AM-radio, plus two albums with Zooey Deschanel for She & Him. Conor Oberst is one of the most prolific young songwriters of our time, with nine albums under the moniker Bright Eyes, two under Commander Venus, one with Desaparecidos, and seven under his own name. Oberst’s music can be politically biting, emotionally transparent, experimental and Americana-tinged — and all within the same song! Mike Mogis has also worked in Bright Eyes, Lullaby for the Working Class and We’d Rather Be Flying, and is the go-to producer for most artists on the Omaha-based label, Saddle Creek Records. Finally, and perhaps fan-favoritey, Jim James is best known as the lead singer for My Morning Jacket, and also recently came out with an EP of George Harrison covers under his moniker Yim Yames. Understanding all of this hopefully gives context for why this band was carved out a two-hour timeslot at the Austin City Limits Music Festival for 2010, and why someone might gasp out loud to be in their presence.

For the ACL taping, the group focused on the collaborative songs from their debut self-titled release. “Say Please” kicked the night off with energy, as the guys sang in-the-round, each tackling his own verse (except Mogis, whose voice comes in the form of his various electric and slide guitars). “The Right Place” followed, and its smoky piano-bar riff and chorus of, “I’ve got the right feeling, I’m in the right place” made for a friendly, warm vibe.

Each artist performed a tune from his own discography. Oberst was even granted two, and his first came in the form of Cassadaga’s “Soul Singer in a Session Band,” which allowed him to tease the crowd, just hinting at his explosive vocal energy. Johnson’s song was one of the most hauntingly beautiful of the evening; he and James were left by themselves onstage with two acoustic guitars as they played “Just to Know What You’ve Been Dreaming.” The crowd response was loving and proud, as Johnson was officially crowned the fifth Monster. James’ “Smokin From Shootin” was probably the biggest crowd-pleaser of the night, though, and climaxed in wild guitar playing, banging heads and a lightning-storm of applause. “To Save Me” allowed Ward to throw it back and boogie down on the piano before the group closed out the night with James blowing everybody’s mind.

“His Master’s Voice” is a standout track on Monsters of Folk, and listening to the record, one wonders how the group produces those eerie, echoing siren calls and God-like bellows. When Jim James is revealed to be behind all of the aforementioned sounds, it is a mind-blowing revelation that can cause tear-streaked faces. The musical experience this song is in a live setting is completely overwhelming, and such a pitch-perfect end to any set.

However, the crowd wasn’t having it. Rabid applause begged the band back onstage, and they (and the kind ACL crew members) obliged. They started their two-song encore with a repeat of “Baby Boomers,” in which Ward had accidentally switched his opening verse to earlier. The group closed out the night with another Oberst original, “At the Bottom of Everything,” and it crashed us all together blissfully into the sea.

Five musical monsters packed one-and-a-half hours with Americana-infused folk ballads and raucous Southern rock romps for an audience of overtly appreciative fans. The gents will play two more times in Austin this weekend, at an ACL Festival after-show on Friday and for a two-hour block at the fest on Saturday.

Full Austin City Limits Taping Set List:
1. Say Please
2. The Right Place
3. Soul Singer in a Session Band
4. Slow Down Joe
5. Man Named Truth
6. Dear God
7. Just to Know What You’ve Been Dreaming
8. Ahead of the Curve
9. Whole Lotta Losin
10. Baby Boomer
11. Smokin’ from Shootin’
12. The Sandman, the Brakeman and Me
13. Map of the World
14. Losin’ Yo’ Head
15. To Save Me
16. His Master’s Voice
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Encore:
17. Baby Boomer (Again)
18. At the Bottom of Everything