My Morning Jacket singer, guitarist and songwriter Jim James took the Park City Song Summit lab “Regions of Light” to heart as he talked about his pre-concert ritual.
“I try to kneel down and pray before we go on stage, and I try to imagine a big golden dome of light that surrounds the whole place that we’re playing,” he said. “I try to imagine the golden light surrounding all of our crew members, and then I picture each of the guys in the band and I surround them with gold light. Then I surround myself with gold light and pray to the universe and the spirits who are there that (the show) will be a healing experience for everybody and that it will be a beautiful night.”
James also prays that he will surrender to whatever happens that night.
“Sometimes what the universe wants it to be is a very difficult night for some reason,” he said.
The “Regions of Light” lab discussion was held Friday, Aug. 16, at the Pendry Park City’s Pendry Room, and was moderated by renowned rock photographer Danny Clinch, who, over the years, has become a good friend of James and his bandmates.
In addition to the pre-performance practice, the two discussed songwriting, sobriety and the future.
During the lab, Clinch, who is known for his iconic photos of My Morning Jacket, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Patti Smith, said he not only admires James as a friend and person, he also admires how the singer crafts the band’s protest songs.
“I don’t hear too many people making protest songs these days, (and) he does them so subtly and not so subtly,” Clinch said referring specifically to the My Morning Jacket tracks “I’m Amazed” and “It’s the Same Old Lie.”
James said songwriting is an esoteric process.
“I feel a lot of songwriters would agree with me that so much of it is out of my control of what comes in and what doesn’t,” he said. “But one theme that I feel hits me a lot is that we’re missing this opportunity to love each other as people.”
James is tired of the “divide-and-conquer” philosophy that many politicians and religions have taken to heart, especially during these past few election seasons.
“That’s the oldest trick in the book, and that’s how they try to keep us separated,” he said. “So, I think it’s kind of our job as loving humans to say, ‘I’ve had enough. I want to no part of it.’”
James feels music like My Morning Jacket’s work is a way to remind people to start building bridges, according to James.
“I want to try as best as I can to remind people to (not) forget about love and (not) forget about peace,” he said.
James also wants everyone to remember that they can find 20 things in common with people they hate or disagree with.
“You can sit down at dinner and talk to each other and say, ‘We don’t agree about A, B and C, but we agree about X, Y and Z, so let’s share that harmony and understand each other,’” he said. “‘While we don’t agree with this, we can agree that we all want our loved ones to be safe and try to find some common ground with understanding.’”
As the rest of the election season goes, James believes it’s important for people to not only speak their truths, but to speak them with love.
“I think that comes up in my music over and over again — how can we keep reminding each other of love?” he said.
James confessed that it has taken a few years for him to come to this point.
“I haven’t enjoyed life most of the time, and most of the time I have not wanted to be here and I’ve spent most of my time trying to escape,” he said. “Music is one of the few places I’ve been doing to be present. But even music is some kind of wild form of escape because you’re in this altered state.”
Two years ago, James made some life adjustments so he could try to fully be present in the moment.
“I found a really good therapist, and I quit drinking a couple of years ago,” he said. “I meditate and I do a little 15-minute yoga amp in the morning to wake myself up, and I feel the more present you can get, the more everything becomes sweeter and sweeter.”
James also wants to break down the stigma of therapy.
“I feel like everyone should be in therapy, but there’s some resistance to therapy, and I think a lot of it is leftover from outdated ways of thinking,” he said. “But there’s no shame in being depressed. There’s no shame in being suicidal. We need to talk about it and get more people the help they need so they’re not ashamed to feel some way that society’s told them that they should feel ashamed.”
James said sobriety has enhanced his artistry, and has allowed him to express himself more truthfully.
“The healthier I feel, the more it comes in,” he said. “The music comes from somewhere you don’t understand, and then you put yourself — your life, your own story — into it.”
James also feels like his truths can also enhance his fans’ perceptions of life.
“You think about all the music that’s floating through the air and whoever hears it gets this thing where their own personal lives go into it,” he said. “It’s like abstract art. You go to a museum and see abstract art, it’s not clear what it’s saying, but it says something to you. And it says something different to someone else.”
While addressing his sobriety, James made it clear that he doesn’t judge anyone else’s struggles with substance abuse.
“I think everybody deserves mercy,” he said. “I have no judgment of other people’s drinking or drug use because that’s (their) business. Everybody’s take is different. I think with a lot of artists, there is a lot of difficulty going on (in their head) for a reason, and (those things) are all part of the pie.”
James hopes his music, which includes the band’s soon-to-be-released new album, will help his fans find the beauty in life.
“I hope (they see it) as a reminder of love,” he said. “I hope it helps them laugh, and I hope it helps you get through the day. Because that’s what it does for me.”
For information about the 2024 Park City Song Summit, visit parkcitysongsummit.com.