Hungry Hungry Hipsters, The Fest Is Back

Howdy doo doo, lovers!

Well, it’s that time again. Time for the New Orleans Indie Rock Collective to swoop in with sample sounds from the scene’s newest sensations!

Last year, around this time, we performed at the first NOIR Fest, and they have been gracious enough to ask us back. And believe you me, we are jumping at the chance. Positively leaping! This is a great way to witness what’s going on in the New Orleans indie rock scene. The collective (with the help of their sponsors, of course) puts on a hell of a party, and the sampler CDs they give away (this edition entitled “Hipper Than Thou”) are always a great snapshot of what’s buzzing in the Big Easy.

Some come out, come out! November 20-21, One Eyed Jack’s and Blue Nile, for all the festivities. Good friends, good times, and loads of talent, including the likes of Loren Murrell, Gamma Ringo, GIVERS, and…ahem….MNIJM. Looking at the flyer above, you may also notice that our very own Leo DeJesus (flying under his new banner Vox and the Hound) will also be playing a solo set. You gotta be kidding me!!!!

Don’t miss it!

Much love

MNIJM

Weekend Warriors: Monsters & Block Parties

Well, lovers, as you may have already guessed, we have a busy weekend ahead of us. And nothing makes us happier than a busy weekend (nothing, except Tina Fey, of course).

First up is our big Austin show that we announced last week. To refresh: indie-super-group Monsters Of Folk will be playing the Stubb’s BBQ outdoor stage Friday evening (11.13.09), and we will follow that up with our own brand of super-ness on the indoor stage immediately after (’round 11ish). Tickets for the MOF show are $36, but our show is FREE! So come and get some slow-cooked, tasty tunes, Austin!

After that, we head to Houston for the all-too-snazzy Westheimer Block Party. This shindig will be going on all weekend, but our set is for 5:50 pm on Saturday (11.14.09) at Helio’s. This should be alotta fun, and we are looking forward to hanging out as much as we are to playing. Also, this just happens to fall on Eric’s (aka Baby Boy’s) birthday, so you owe it to him! Come on out for all the festivities, wish Eric a happy sweet 16, and don’t forget to not miss our show.

Texas, here we come!

Much love

MNIJM

Announcement: Monsters Kept You In Suspense!

Guess what, lovers! We’re heading to Austin!

That’s right Tejas, grab a hold of yer spurs and saddles, cuz MNIJM is swinging back into town, and this time we’re tagging along with some pretty monstrous companions!

Earlier today, we mentioned we were wrapping up the details on an exciting announcement. Well consider those deets wrapped up tight, we’re hitting Stubb’s BBQ in Austin, TX right after indie-super-group Monsters Of Folk! No, that doesn’t mean they are opening for us (keeeeeep dreamin’), what that means is: on Friday, November 13th, Monsters Of Folk will play the big outdoor stage, and after that, we will play the after show on the indoor stage (and then we meet Liz Lemon and Tracy Jordan for the afta afta afta afta party, right after we drop our kids off at soccer practice).

Obviously, we are really excited about this show. Not only do we get to make an all too long overdue return to Austin, but we get to do it alongside Conor Oberst, Jim James, M. Ward and Mike Mogis. None too shabby at all!

If you’re in the area, the Monsters of Folk show is $36 and our after show is FREE, so come out and have a good time. It promises to be a crazy night, and we wouldn’t want you to miss it!

Monster love

MNIJM

Nothing Yesterday, But More Today

Hello lovers. Our sincerest apologies for not blogging yesterday, but we’re coming back today with a healthy double dose (that is, if you count this teaser post as one).

We are wrapping up the details on something exciting, something that we will announce later this afternoon. But right now, it’s still a secret, so sssshhhhh! Here’s what we want ya to do. Go ahead, get curious now, think about it today, fidgit with nervous anticipation, and then check back later and smile about what you read. Sound like a plan? Good!

We do feel that this will make up for the lack of reading material yesterday, but just in case you’re still feeling jipped, here’s something cool for Pulp Fiction fans.

See ya later today!

Much love

MNIJM

Voodoo Snapshots!!

How do, lovers?

Well, as we mentioned yesterday, we had a wonderful time at Voodoo this past weekend. The only way we could express this to you better is by showing you photos.

Oh look! Photos! What luck!

Majorium Kudosium to the lovely Julia Pretus for snapping some kickass shots of our Voodoo set and slapping them up on Flickr. You can peruse all of her shots from Voodoo Fest – Friday October 30th, or just scan a few of our favorites below.

And my personal favorite….

Say cheese!

Much love

MNIJM

Come Rain Or Shine, You Are The Best!

Hello, lovers. And what fantastic lovers you are!

Fresh off the Voodoo weekend, we just wanted to say how we touched we are by the determination of our fans. For those of you who weren’t at Voodoo on Friday for our performance, let me catch you up on what happened. The impending cold front/rain that was approaching had held off for most of the day, but couldn’t seem to hold off any longer. Right as we were setting up to play, the day went from warm and clear to cold and rainy in a matter of minutes. The stage was covered with Visquine-shrouded gear, a garbage-bag clad stage crew and 6 concerned expressions from the faces of MNIJM.

They pushed our set time back, but after the rain subsided, we scrambled to get the show rolling again, and what could’ve then been a flop turned out to be a really great show. And it was mostly thanks to you guys.

I’m not trying to be cheesy, but energy from a crowd can do wonders for a performer, and when we finally hit the mics and asked how the Voodoo crowd was holding up, the amount of cheers we got in response was more than enough to strip away any damage done by cold weather, wet gear or interruption of show flow. We came alive, because you guys never died. You stayed in the cold and wet, and looked like you were having a great time doing it. And for that, we bestow all the gratitude we can muster.

THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!!!!

And again, in case you missed it, Voodoo has been kind enough to post a little video of our performance. Follow this link, and enjoy!

Much love

MNIJM

Let’s Squeeze This Last One In

Howdy lovers. Today’s the day.

Tonight is our big appearance at this year’s Voodoo Music Experience, and we’re as anxious as a chihuahua in a doorbell factory. Now, Voodoo is a pretty big shindig, which leads to a good deal of press, as we’ve already shown you. But we’re gonna squeeze one more in before game time. Ready? Go!

This week’s edition of The Maroon (Loyola University’s student newspaper) ran an article highlighting a handful of local Voodoo artists that contain Loyola alumni. MNIJM being in that category, naturally, we got a mention. Check that out here.

Well, folks. We are off to play what will hopefully be a gloriously maniacal Voodoo set. Hope you’re there to see/hear!

Much love

MNIJM

Regional Promo For A Local Show-mo

Gotta love rhymes!

So lovers, the weekend is almost upon us, and with it, Voodoo Music Experience 2009. And as we prep and promote, we look around us and see that almost everyone is doing the very same, in one way or another. Even our neighbor cities Baton Rouge and Lafayette are getting in on the NOLA action that is Voodoo.

This week in Tigerweekly (an independent, student-run publication out of LSU in Baton Rouge), they highlight some of the artists performing at this year’s fest, and wouldn’t ya know it, MyNameIsJohnMichael is one of ‘em!

“Enjoying shows all over, the band brings an energy-packed sound that seems to be readily digested by listeners of all shapes and sizes.”

Read the rest of the article here.

And it doesn’t stop there. Even our favorite cajun watering hole, Lafayette, Louisiana, gets in on the shout outs. In the Voodoo write-up issued out by The Times, they list us as a “Don’t Miss” for Friday’s line-up. Read that whole piece here.

Mucho thanks to all of Southeast Louisiana, joining hands and coming together to give props to one of the South’s biggest music festivals. It’s gonna be a grand time. Will you be there? We hit at 6pm Friday night. Come get some!

Much love

MNIJM

What To Be, What To Be

Hello, lovers. What to be for Halloween?

So this is the time of year when everyone begins to stress and struggle over that perfect Halloween costume. The pressure of putting together an outfit that will remain memorable, even if only worn for a couple of hours, can be overwhelming. And to be honest, we here at MNIJM are kinda stumped on what looks to don this All Hallow’s Eve. Any suggestions?

Maybe we can just dress as musicians that just played Voodoo Music Experience the day before (or, in the grand tradition of Halloween costumes, we could be sexy, slutty musicians that just played Voodoo Music Experience the sexy, slutty day before).

Speaking of Voodoo Music Experience (brilliant transition, I know), all you avid festers better not forget to come check us out at the Soco/WWOZ Stage at 6pm on Friday night (10.30.09). It’s our first appearance at Voodoo, and we hope to put on a show that will ensure that it won’t be our last. We’d also like to thank Keith Speira for once again giving us pre-festival love in his Voodoo write up for the Times Picayune. He doesn’t exactly talk about us, but our sweet photo does sit proudly alongside the online copy of the article. Go check it out here.

See you this weekend, kiddies. And remember, look both ways when crossing the street, and try to wear a costume with bright colors. Ghosts or clowns are far less likely to get hit by cars than ninjas or Darth Vaders (yes, even sexy, slutty ninjas or Darth Vaders).

Much love

MNIJM

Metro-Sectional

Hey, Lovers! We have plenty to look happy about!

So first off, our humble apologies for taking a week off from updating this site. Shiz has been a whirlwind here at camp MNIJM, and it’s all for the greater good. Trust.

But now we’re back, and first thing’s first. We just got back from another scurry up the East coast, and it was fall-tastically wonderful. Aside from the beautiful Autumn countryside, we had some great shows in NYC for this year’s CMJ, and apparently, we aren’t the only ones who think so.

In addition to getting pre-hyped by SPIN Magazine, it seems we’re getting some post-show love as well from the New York/Boston/Washington D.C. outlet of the Metro International. They mentioned us as one of 5 of their favorite acts from CMJ 2009.

“Playing a Bayou-flavored version of the Arcade Fire’s anthemic indie pop, the six-piece band sing dead-on harmonies and rock out ferociously when the occasion calls for it, but they also have a great understanding of dynamics, and know when to quiet down.”

Read the rest of the write up here. Well kids, its been a great couple of months, and it seems that only greater times are ahead. Most immediately, Voodoo Music Experience! Who’s going?????

Much love

MNIJM