My Morning Jacket performs at SxSW on Thursday
Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/ Getty Images

AUSTIN, Texas — In life, there are few sure things. At South by Southwest, there are even fewer. Still, this one was about as sure as sure could get: My Morning Jacket — the nation's leading purveyors of bearded, multifaceted, critically adored, blog-approved rock — were taking their show down to Austin on Thursday night, to the music festival that has become practically synonymous with dudes with beards, rock critics and bloggers. And they were going to be unveiling a batch of songs from their hotly anticipated new album, Evil Urges. Oh, and Yo La Tengo was opening for them.

Yeah, it was pretty safe to say that this show was going to be a big one. From the venue — the cavernous Austin Music Hall, which, though recently renovated, still resembles an authentic Texas honky-tonk (albeit a ginormous one) — to the expectations surging through the thoroughly amped (and vocal) crowd, the show was as huge as you could possibly get at SXSW, rivaling the open-aired, free-wheeling spirit usually associated with fests like Bonnaroo or Coachella. Clearly, only My Morning Jacket could pull this off.

(Check out photos from other great South by Southwest '08 shows here.)

Throughout the course of the nearly near two-hour show, MMJ reared back, summoned up voluminous waves of sound, tossed around guitar solos with reckless abandon, stretched songs (and time signatures) to the breaking point, and squealed and echoed in their own, completely unclassifiable way. But on this night — or most others, as any true Jacket fan can attest — they also drew amazing power from the notes they didn't play, bringing volume to even the most quiet and spacey moments in their set, a strength particularly apparent in those aforementioned new songs.

Taking the stage under the veil of purple light and wisps of fog (organizers clearly blew their entire fog-machine budget on this show), the band launched headlong into the title track from Evil Urges, a twisting and often-ominous number that showcased the soulful side of frontman Jim James' (oft-derided) voice and featured a surprising middle section that was all hard-charging chords and James' wheedling guitar lines.

That was followed by "Off the Record" and "Gideon" from their 2005 album, Z, that packed a wallop but also displayed the power of "loud-quiet-loud" syncopation. Then, it was time for another new song, "Highly Suspicious," which commenced with James pushing his voice to previously unheard-of heights (seriously, it sounded like he could hurt himself), but was quickly tossed into a head-whirling mix of Roboto vocal effects, crunching chords and a driving, machine-like back-end that had kids in the audience doing that hippie shake thing.

There were more songs from Z (a shimmering "Worldless Chorus," a raucous "What a Wonderful Man") and even older fare (a truly massive "One Big Holiday," an excellent take on "The Way He Sings"), but really, the songs from Urges got top billing on this night, and justifiably so.

"I'm Amazed" was a take on a traditional country rocker run through the wringer, thanks to some nifty guitar interplay between James and multi-instrumentalist Carl Broemel. "Thank You Too" was a pretty, mellow number that showed off a newfound sensitive side. "Sec Walkin' " was a twisty, dreamy number, buoyed by Broemel's pedal steel and featuring lyrics about traffic lights, and most noticeably, "Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Part 2," with which MMJ closed their set, featured James strumming away on an Omnichord and some genuinely heart-quickening work by the rhythm section.

As "Touch Me" ended with a yelp from James, MMJ departed. But, in keeping with the whole "massive" theme of the night, they quickly returned to tear though a four-song encore (an unheard of thing at SXSW), before practically having to be dragged off the stage by Music Hall employees, to loud cheers from those still standing after a near two-hours of rock topography.

Much like R.E.M. on Wednesday night, My Morning Jacket's show was great primarily because it didn't feel like your typical SXSW showcase in any way, shape or form. It was loud, soft, loose and tight, often at the same time. And you get the feeling that unlike most bands spending the week in Austin, if they had the opportunity, MMJ would still be playing as you read this. For real.

Other Highlights From a Terrific Thursday in Austin, From Our Intrepid (and Tired) MTV News Team

John Norris:

I began my day with a sidewalk encounter with the name that, let's be honest, is on more lips than any other this SXSW '08: Vampire Weekend. Surely it must be just a tad embarrassing for them to come to Austin this week and mix it up with the rank and file, while riding a ridiculous wave of national attention, the cover of a little magazine called Spin and an appearance on a little show called "Saturday Night Live." So what do they do? They stick to the VW party line: This is not gonna change who we are or what we do; we can't control it, and we're just happy to be here. Vampire Weekend are doing everything in overdrive, and I think they are officially post-caring about the haters. Besides, hating on them is frankly pointless, they made a great great pop record. More power to 'em. (Read more about Vampire Weekend in the Newsroom Blog.)

Power? Dean and Randy of No Age embody that every time they take the stage, even when playing in the afternoon sun of an outdoor show sponsored by Rhapsody. I watched from a roof patio as L.A.'s noise-art duo powered through Weirdo Rippers favorites, as well as songs from the upcoming album, Nouns, including "Eraser" and the amazing "Teen Creeps."

My producer, Christopher "CJ" Smith, recently got me into Tyvek, a band of lo-fi Midwesterners that he was truly excited to see down here at SXSW, and once again his faith was well placed. After an alleyway interview, in which they explained their dedication to the basic, no-nonsense approach of what some call lo-fi, we watched them tear through a set at Beerland, one squall of ragged, raw rock after another in songs like "Give It Up" and "Stand and Fight."

Keeping it Midwest, why, here are Psychedelic Horsesh--. Every now and then, you just want to talk to a band that calls it as they see it, and PH deliver. Standing in the middle of Sixth Street, shoulder-to-shoulder with drunken fools at 11 p.m., PH opined on how this year's SXSW compares to last year's (answer: They haven't taken any illegal substances with Thurston Moore this year, something they say is necessary to appreciate "the vast majority" of bands at the festival) and spoke about the message behind their song "New Wave Hippies" and the line ("It's about Yeasayer. Bands like that."). Whoa.

And finally, late Thursday night, it seemed that a fair percentage of Austin was either inside — or outside trying to get in — a large, gray cinderblock warehouse at Third and San Jacinto. The occasion? Playboy's "Rock the Rabbit" party, apparently the must-attend event of the night. Was it the bill that featured, among others, French hipster superstar electroniques Justice and Brooklyn's headband-wearing duo MGMT? Maybe. But I'm gonna guess that number one draw was the Bunnies. I had a chat with one named Hiromi, who told me that she was a big MGMT fan and that the glorious single "Time to Pretend" (with its lyrics, "Let's make some music, make some money, find some models for wives") was on her MySpace page. Good choice, Hiromi.

James Montgomery:

Aside from MMJ, I really liked Islands' set at the Cedar Street Courtyard, and not just because I'm a big fan of dudes in pancake makeup, dueling Asian violinists and prog-rock songs about mythological appendages (though all of those things were part of the magic). No, basically, I've been an unapologetic shill for Islands' mastermind Nick Diamonds (he was the one in the pancake makeup on Thursday night) ever since his days in the much-missed bizarre pop outfit Unicorns. The stuff he's doing with Islands is much, much different — strings, Calypso leanings, a heavy dose of goofy mysticism, a whole lot of prog — but it's also pretty great. They played a bunch of songs off their upcoming Arm's Way album, and with their violin stabs, strange, herky-jerky movements, overall length and subject matter (it's a concept album ... about a magical arm), they're all guaranteed to annoy about 98 percent of the American public.

Also: Motörhead at Stubb's, because they're Motörhead and Lemmy will kill you. Eating breakfast at Guero's. Eating lunch at Iron Works BBQ. Talking to the genuinely good dudes from Tapes 'n Tapes about their new album, Walk It Off. Yo La Tengo, opening for MMJ. Going to sleep before 4 a.m. Oh, wait.

Gil Kaufman:

If you're me at SXSW, when you're not trying to bypass a block-long line by dropping a half dozen names until the right one gets you waved into some inner sanctum of rock, you're in search of that one great discovery. Every year, there's one band that transcends the hype and really does make you stop and take a long, serious listen. Luckily for me, that band was the very first one I saw on Thursday.

It was hard to take your eyes, or ears, off of indie electronica rock duo the Ting Tings, a kind of White Stripes in reverse, with frontwoman/guitarist/percussionist Katie White ruling the stage, backed by drummer Jules De Martino. Mixing up the Go! Team's dance beats and the Gossip's energy with punk guitars and sometimes rappy vocals, the Tings immediately won over the crowd with such English hits as the punchy "That's Not My Name." Remember the name because you're sure to hear it again.

Speaking of names, one of the most important decisions a band makes, London retro-rockers Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong should really have spent a bit more time on theirs. That being said, the band's disheveled "Panic at the Thrift Store" look and their high-energy British Invasion-style performance were compelling. Lean, wearing the tightest trousers in a city awash with them, looked like a tottering doe as he shimmied across the stage in his high-heeled boots and waved his spider-like arms in wide circles during songs like the Beatles-esque "Where Do You Go."

As unthreatening as the Jang Jongs were in their capes and double-breasted three-quarter length jackets, Virginia hip-hop duo the Clipse made up for that softness with a stripped-down, grinding afternoon set heavy on audience favorites like "Momma I'm So Sorry" and "Keys Open Doors." They also reclaimed the Baby song "What Happened to That Boy," saying they wrote it in the first place.

Wearing a gigantic, gleaming Re-Up Gang Records medallion, it wasn't long before Malice peeled off his sweatshirt and stalked the stage in a sweat-drenched white T, inviting Re-Up crew member Ab Liva up to give a hand. Liva, a mountain of a man with a low bass rumble of a voice that's almost as intimidating as his imposing stature, traded verses with Pusha T and Malice on the grimy street tale "Cot Damn" as the audience bounced along and a fragrant smell wafted up to the stage, prompting Malice to proclaim, "It smells good out there."

The afternoon also brought the star-studded Lou Reed tribute — where the Velvet Underground frontman turned the tables on looming photographers — and an equally star-heavy showcase for the Iraq-war documentary "Body of War," paving the way for an evening of chaos. It began with the band that seems to be stalking me at every SXSW, Toronto hard-core punks F---ed Up. Every year, it seems, I find myself face to face with 300-plus pound singer Pink Eyes, who invariably charges, sweaty and shirtless into me and drops me to the ground. At least he didn't pile drive me on the concrete floor like the guy next to me. I waited around for a blitzkrieg of punk thrash from prolific Memphis-based DIY auteur Jay Reatard, who didn't disappoint with a tight set of rapid fire blasts of fury with names like "See/Saw" and "Screaming Hand."

We're all over the bands, BBQ and hipster parties at SXSW '08. Check out the MTV Newsroom Blog and You R Here for more.

• Five Questions At South By Southwest: N.E.R.D., Paramore, Vampire Weekend, More
• 'John TV' At South By Southwest

• Vampire Weekend, Paramore, N.E.R.D., & More Rock SXSW 2008
• 10 Bands To Watch At SXSW

• My Morning Jacket
• Clipse
• Yo La Tengo
• MGMT
• Vampire Weekend

Lupe Fiasco
Photo: MTV News

• Lupe Fiasco
• Ben Harper
• Amy Winehouse
• Juliette & the Licks
• Kings Of Leon

Dave Matthews (file)
Photo: RCA

Dave Matthews, Maroon 5, Kings of Leon and former Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson are among the dozens of artists slated for the three-day Bonnaroo festival.

Part of one of the most eclectic lineups of the summer concert season, they join Bob Dylan, the Dead, Wilco, Damien Rice, Grandaddy, Cut Chemist, David Byrne, the Black Keys, Willie Nelson, moe., Ani DiFranco, Yo La Tengo, My Morning Jacket and String Cheese Incident at the third annual festival, which will again be held on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, 60 miles south of Nashville, on June 11-13.

Thirty other artists are confirmed thus far, according to a tour spokesperson. Additions are expected to be announced in the coming weeks to bring the total number of acts to more than 60.

Matthews is being billed as "with friends," a crop of pals that will include Trey Anastasio, who's also on board as a solo act. The Phish guitarist played with Matthews on his most recent outing.

More than 80,000 fans came out for last year's festival, 2003's second-highest-grossing concert at a single venue. Its more than $11.5 million was second only to the $38.6 million that Bruce Springsteen raked in from his sold-out 10-show run at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

As in previous years, the show will be filmed for a "Live From Bonnaroo" DVD, expected to drop this fall.

Tickets for the event go on sale February 21.

• Dave Matthews
• Maroon 5
• Bob Dylan
• Wilco
• Damien Rice

Dave Matthews
Photo: Amy V. Cooper

Just a week after a permit flap sent the organizers of Field Day scrambling to find a new venue at the last minute, the producers of the anticipated Bonnaroo Festival NE have pulled the plug on their star-studded show.

The festival was slated to take place at Enterprise Park — the same plot of land in Riverhead, New York, as Field Day — on August 8-10 and feature sets from the Dead, Dave Matthews, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the String Cheese Incident, Ween, moe., Yo La Tengo, Talib Kweli and Kings of Leon.

"We assessed the situation, and based on what we saw Field Day go through and seeing so much uncertainty in terms of being able to avoid the same problems, we felt like it was in everybody's best interest to end it now," said one of the festival's promoters, Ashley Capps of AC Entertainment.

More than 25,000 tickets had been sold so far for the concert, which was ultimately scrubbed because Capps said organizers felt that after several conversations with local officials they could not be guaranteed of getting the permits they needed. The two-day Field Day was scrapped and moved just days before it was scheduled to take place because organizers could not obtain the necessary permits from local officials (see "Field Day Saved — But Not Without Casualties").

Capps said Bonnaroo NE was the latest in a string of festivals that have attempted, and failed, to host events at the grassy New York location.

The jam-heavy Bonnaroo NE was to be a counterpart to last year's successful inaugural Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee, which brought together Phish's Trey Anastasio, String Cheese Incident, Ween, Norah Jones, Jack Johnson, Jurassic 5 and Galactic.

Because of the extensive planning involved with rescheduling such a massive event — as evidenced by the hastily patched-together Field Day which took place in New Jersey over the weekend (see "Radiohead Wail, Beasties Flail, Beck Bails At Field Day") — organizers said they cannot reschedule Bonnaroo NE for a different location this year. All ticket holders will be issued a full refund within the next few weeks. Capps said the festival's promoters have not decided whether they will try to relaunch the event next year.

The sold-out Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, is still scheduled to take place June 13-15 and will feature sets from the Dead, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Flaming Lips, the Roots, Sonic Youth, Liz Phair, O.A.R., Polyphonic Spree, My Morning Jacket, Widespread Panic, the Allman Brothers Band and James Brown.

• Dave Matthews Band
• Dave Matthews
• Bob Dylan
• Yo La Tengo
• Talib Kweli

... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
Photo: Interscope

"The Simpsons" may have rocked with the Stones and Paul McCartney, but when show creator Matt Groening was tapped to curate the upcoming All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Los Angeles, his musical tastes proved more esoteric.

Groening's initial list of bands for the latest in the ongoing series of underground music festivals includes: ... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, the Breeders, Wire, Yo La Tengo, the Fall, Neko Case and the Boredoms, according to an event spokesperson.

The shows are slated for June 18 and 19 at UCLA's Royce Hall and June 20-22 at three other as-yet-unannounced venues. Also scheduled to perform are: the Bangs, Blonde Redhead, DJ Coldcut, the Danielson Famile, Melt-Banana, Jah Wobble and the Melvins. The event will include a tribute to pioneering psychedelic rocker Captain Beefheart, featuring former members of his backing group, the Magic Band.

The tribute will mark the first time Magic Band members Mark "Rockette" Morton Boston (bass), John "Drumbo" French (drums), Gary "Mantis" Lucas (guitar) and Denny "Feelers Reebo" Walley (guitar) have performed Beefheart's music together in more than 20 years.

The Los Angeles event will be preceded by a U.K. edition April 4-6 in Camber Sands, England, curated by techno act Autechre. The Magic Band and the Fall will also perform at that event, along with Public Enemy, El-P, Aphex Twin, Carl Craig, Kool Keith, Jim O'Rourke, LFO and several dozen other artists.

• ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
• The Breeders
• Wire
• Yo La Tengo

Yo La Tengo
Photo: Matador

He wrote the soundtrack for the 1985 film "Return to Waterloo" and released the 1998 live album The Storyteller, yet Kinks frontman Ray Davies has never released a solo studio album. That's soon to change.

Over the last 18 months, Davies has finished a batch of songs he's been working on for five years and demoed a bunch of newly written material. At present, his publicist said, Davies has about 40 songs to pick from for an upcoming record, which is tentatively scheduled for release by next winter. The disc is still untitled, though the publicist said Davies is considering Why Suddenly Now?

Last August, Davies showcased a handful of the new songs with indie rockers Yo La Tengo during three shows at New York's Jane Street Theater. Although the relationship took over eight more months to develop into something substantial, in July Davies invited the group to lay down tracks with him at Konk Studios, where the Kinks recorded.

Davies and Yo La Tengo recorded four new songs: "Next-Door Neighbor" (which "rocks like vintage Kinks," according to Yo La Tengo frontman Ira Kaplan), the uptempo rocker "The Morning After," the poppy "Vietnam Cowboys" and the ballad "Creatures of Little Faith," said Davies' publicist. They also recorded a version of the Kinks' "This Is Where I Belong," which Yo La Tengo had previously covered. The track will likely appear as a B-side.

In addition to Yo La Tengo, Davies' touring guitarist Pete Matheson will play on the album. Other guest musicians are likely to appear on the disc, the publicist added.

On September 18 in Philadelphia, Davies will launch a 23-date U.S. tour, which wraps up in Seattle October 25. Along the way, he will make stops in Chicago, Minneapolis, Houston, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

When he gets off the road, the publicist said, Davies will enter a New York studio with Yo La Tengo to work on more new material.

The Ray Davies tour, according to his publicist:

• 9/18 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
• 9/19 - Plainview, NY @ The Vanderbilt
• 9/21 - Portland, ME @ State Theatre
• 9/22 - Cambridge, MA @ Sanders Theatre
• 9/23 - Concord, NH @ Capitol Center
• 9/24 - Buffalo, NY @ The Tralf Music Hall
• 9/26 - Falls Church, VA @ State Theatre
• 9/28 - Cleveland, OH @ Odeon Concert Club
• 9/30 - Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room
• 10/2 - Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
• 10/3 - Madison, WI @ Barrymore Theatre
• 10/5 - Minneapolis, MN @ Women's Club Theater
• 10/6 - St. Louis, MO @ American Theatre
• 10/7 - Kansas City, KS @ Memorial Hall
• 10/10 - Houston, TX @ Aerial Theatre at Bayou Palace
• 10/12 - Austin, TX @ La Zona Rosa
• 10/14 - Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater
• 10/16 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
• 10/17 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
• 10/19 - Los Angeles, CA @ John Anson Ford Theatre
• 10/20 - Los Angeles, CA @ John Anson Ford Theatre
• 10/24 - Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theatre
• 10/25 - Seattle, WA @ King Cat Theatre

• Ray Davies
• The Kinks
• Yo La Tengo

K-tel's <i>Gimme Indie Rock</i> LP

K-tel, the compilation specialist whose catalog includes Masters of Metal, Neon Nights and The Magic of ABBA, has closed its U.S. branch and filed for bankruptcy.

K-tel International USA, a subsidiary of music distribution giant K-tel International, ceased operations at its Maple Plain, Minnesota, headquarters on Monday and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the company said in a statement. The company's other subsidiaries, including Dominion Entertainment, K-tel Entertainment UK and K-tel DVD, will continue operating.

The U.S. branch is the third K-tel International holding to close in recent months, following Dominion Vertriebs GmbH in Germany and K-tel Marketing in England. The three companies combined for 99 percent of the $15.7 million K-tel lost in its last fiscal year.

In its statement, K-tel blamed most of the U.S. branch's losses on one of its largest customers, music retailer Trans World Entertainment, charging that it had not been making payments. A lawsuit filed by K-tel USA against Trans World is before a federal court in St. Paul, Minnesota.

K-tel International also announced Wednesday that it plans to minimize its reliance on licensed material from major record labels by developing new products from its own Dominion catalog, which includes music by the likes of Patsy Cline and Percy Sledge.

The company formed in the late '60s and released its first album, 25 Polka Greats, in 1971. The label mostly focused on pop and classic rock, but also released compilations featuring disco, comedy and other genres.

K-tel reached its heyday in the late '70s, but by 1985, it was forced to file for bankruptcy. However, the label made a strong comeback by becoming part of the American stock exchange and launching subsidiaries, including K-tel USA and Cold Front, a dance and electronic label. K-tel has even reached out to younger listeners with the 2000 release of Gimme Indie Rock Volume One, which included tracks by the Flaming Lips, Yo La Tengo and Dinosaur Jr.

• The Flaming Lips
• ABBA
• Yo La Tengo
• Dinosaur Jr.

Television's <i>Marquee Moon</i> was released in 1977.

Visionary '70s band Television — who are reuniting in England next month for their first show since 1993 — also have scheduled a U.S. show for May at the Noise Pop Chicago festival.

The five-day festival, to be held in the Windy City from May 9 to 13, will feature Guided By Voices, Yo La Tengo and Creeper Lagoon, the festival's publicist said Wednesday (March 21).

Other confirmed performers are Anti-Pop Consortium, Autechre, the BellRays, Couch, Eleventh Dream Day, Goldfrapp, Jah Wobble & Deep Space, Konishi Yasuharu of Pizzicato Five, Luke Vibert, Mike Ladd, Saul Williams, Sonic Sum and Suicide.

More bands will be announced. For updates, fans can check www.noisepop.com.

Yo La Tengo and Eleventh Dream Day will play the opening event, at Metro on May 9.

Television's first scheduled show is set for April 8 at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Camber Sands, England. They also have shows in Gijon, Spain, scheduled for April 12 and in London on April 15.

The band — singer/guitarist Tom Verlaine, guitarist Richard Lloyd, bassist Fred Smith and drummer Billy Ficca — was at the center of New York's CBGB punk scene in the 1970s. Television broke up in 1978, after releasing their second album, Adventure. They regrouped to record 1992's Television but disbanded the following year.

• Television
• Guided By Voices
• Yo La Tengo

azzy-pop trio Yo La Tengo will release its tenth studio album, "And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out," on February 22, and the group has just announced dates for a supporting theater tour beginning on February 25 in Washington, D.C.

• 2/25 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
• 2/26 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
• 2/28 - Cambridge, MA @ Sommerville Theatre
• 2/29 - New York, NY @ Town Hall
• 3/2 - Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Center
• 3/3 - Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre
• 3/4 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
• 3/7 - Seattle, WA @ King Cat Theatre
• 3/8 - Portland, OR @ Alladin Theatre
• 3/10 - San Francisco, CA @ GAMH
• 3/11 - San Francisco, CA @ GAMH
• 3/13 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre

• Yo La Tengo

This season, indie rockers Yo La Tengo will join Sonic Youth and Tito Puente as the only musicians invited to rework the theme song of the "Simpsons" for the show's credits.

• Yo La Tengo