| Monsters of Folk | |
| Background: | group_or_band |
| Origin: | United States |
| Genre: | Folk, folk rock, indie folk |
| Years Active: | 2004–2010 |
| Label: | Rough Trade Shangri-La Music |
| Associated Acts: | Bright Eyes My Morning Jacket M. Ward She & Him Centro-matic South San Gabriel |
Monsters of Folk was an American supergroup, consisting of Jim James from My Morning Jacket, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes, Will Johnson from Centro-matic and M. Ward, solo artist and half of She & Him.[1] The band was formed in 2004 when the members were on tour with their respective bands and solo projects. After playing together both on-stage and backstage, they started working together on various material. Due to the members' main projects, Monsters of Folk did not finish their first album until 2009, and the self-titled album was released on September 22 on Rough Trade.It debuted at No. 143 on the Billboard 200 and peaked at 15.[2] It also reached No. 3 on Top Independent Albums, No. 8 on Top Rock Albums, No. 7 on Top Digital Albums, and No. 6 on Top Alternative Albums.[3]
The group recorded their self-titled album in sessions in Omaha, Nebraska and Malibu, California, before embarking on a tour in support of the album.[4]
Their song "Baby Boomer" was chosen as the Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week for October 27, 2009.[5]
On October 23 and 24, 2009, they performed at Neil Young's 23rd annual Bridge School Benefit held in Mountain View, California, at the Shoreline Amphitheater.
During live performances, Will Johnson is the performing drummer. In the band's appearance on Austin City Limits, James declared him as "the fifth Monster".
M. Ward has stated that there is more to come after Monsters of Folk's first album.[6]
"His Master's Voice”, the closing track of their self-titled album, is featured in the soundtrack in the film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Other appearances in media include “Map of the World”, the thirteenth track of the aforementioned album, which was featured in the CW teen drama Gossip Girl.
| Details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [7] | US Alt [8] | US Folk [9] | US Heat [10] | US Indie [11] | US Rock [12] | AUS [13] | |||
| Monsters of Folk |
| 15 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 91 | |
| Single | Album | |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Say Please" | Monsters of Folk |
| 2010 | "Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.)" |
Touring