the tonight show with conan o'brien

It's been a project several years in the making, but the supergroup consisting of M. Ward, My Morning Jacket's Jim James, and Bright Eyes' Mike Mogis and Conor Oberst has finally come to fruition under the deplorable name, Monsters Of Folk. The release of their eponymous debut album came yesterday, which also prompted the start of their interminable promotions blitz. Making their late-night debut, Monsters Of Folk brought their first single, "Say Please" to the newly-designed stage on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. The short song finds Ward, James and Oberst trading off vocal duties, while Mogis handles the ripping guitar solo midway through. Going into this, I didn't understand how four guitarists were going to start a band together, but with James on bass and Ward on keys backed by an unexpected sit-in from Centro-matic's Will Johnson on drums, it really comes together to create a pleasing sound. Give it a watch:

They are hitting several major markets on their fall tour, including a string of dates on Europe, but so far no Texas dates have been confirmed. Hopefully they'll make a special stop at Austin's Stubb's, or even better, Houston's House of Blues or Warehouse Live. If I could only be so lucky!

High on the heels of their stellar two-hour set at Bonnaroo, Chicago alt-rockers Wilco are now on a media blitz, promoting their eighth studio album – second with the current line-up. A follow-up to 2007's Sky Blue Sky, the aptly-titled Wilco (The Album) is set for release next Tuesday (June 30 via Nonesuch), and features a nice mix of songs that are influenced by many different periods in the Wilco timeline. For their first television appearance in conjunction with their latest album, Wilco brought the single "You Never Know" to the shiny new Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. Known for their suave fashion sense, they also brought along a new set of colorful suits, even supplying guest guitarist Jimmy Vivino with an extra.

So good. So under-appreciated.