Getting to Know You

I had a chance to speak with Carl Broemel about his summer, Price Is Right, and the future of My Morning Jacket. Continue reading below to check out the full article.

So what have you and the band been up to all summer?
We did some rehearsing and working on some songs actually just last month, but we’re going to actually record later this year.

I’m home for the week and then we’ll head up to Chicago on Thursday.

In past years, MMJ was one of the bigger acts at Bonnaroo. Any particular reason why you didn’t play at that festival in 2007? Do you think you’ll play there in the future?

It was kind of a culmination of scheduling and [spending time] working on songs, taking a break. We love playing Bonnaroo. I imagine we’ll be playing many Bonnaroos to come. Some people say it’s not sane for us not to be there, which is flattering, but I think it’s good for that festival to fluctuate and change every year. I think it’s a healthy thing. That’s what’s fun, you never know what you’re going to see, you could have a varying experience from year to year as audience and performer. There’s a pretty good chance we’ll be back there next year.

All set for Lollapalooza? You are performing live with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. How did that happen?

It came together last time we played Chicago. We played the Riviera and somebody from that organization contacted us and I think they may have heard that we did a show with the Boston Philharmonic. So they called us and they actually sat in and did a few songs at the end of that show. It was really fun and we had a great time. It seemed like everyone enjoyed something different, and they really added something new to the show. Playing Lollapalooza we’re trying to do something interesting. We’re going to go up and be a little more organized. Last time we did it with no rehearsals. We’re going to hang out with the orchestra the day before the show. That should be really fun

Does playing with the orchestra change up your set?

Yeah, I mean, sometimes it’s just a sonic and logistical thing with sound systems. Sometimes it seems like a quieter sound works better, some of the bombastic songs work better. I think both can be done. Pretty much anything can be improved—we’re open to breaking the mold with any song that we’ve been playing for a while. We have some tricks up our sleeve for the show, too.

With the success of Z, you probably reached some younger audiences than you’re used to. Have you noticed the average age of your fanbase vary from 2003 until now?

It’s kinda hard to say, I haven’t done any scientific experiments. I’ve been lazy on my polling. But as a general feel there are some younger people in the audience. Some of the venues have gotten bigger so it’s hard to tell unless someone is in the front row. A lot of times we’ll notice certain people at the shows and sometimes I’ll notice an older gentleman or a young kid, and I’ll be like “how did he get into this club?” I think probably by the pure exposure of radio there are younger people than last time, more girls than guys than in the past.

You wrapped up a tour with Pearl Jam last year. How did the tour with Pearl Jam go for the band?

The last two years seemed like they went by in about three months. We got to play a bunch of venues and places that we couldn’t on our own, and then we played Itlay, Spain, places like that.

Any specific impressions or any lessons learned from Eddie Vedder?

Nothing super specific. I think the main thing is they’re very conscious of what it’s like to be an opening band and what are the things that make the tour fun for the opening band—just availability from some of the guys. We collaborated with Eddie a couple times on songs, and it was very endearing and cool that they acknowledged us and asked us to go at all. That’s a good lesson—more often than not, when we’re doing our own shows and we have opening bands, we try to follow Pearl Jam’s example of being cool and considerate of them.

Looking at the schedule, I don’t know if it’s coincidence or not, but you are actually opening for Pearl Jam again—playing before them on the same stage on the last night.

Maybe they changed it because they knew we toured, but I don’t know. There’s a lot of places they could have put us in the schedule, so it’s strange.

You guys have also made a name for yourselves in your performances on various late night television shows—Conan, Letterman, and Craig Ferguson. What is it like being onstage in front of a small group of people face-to-face but millions of people you can’t see?

Haha, well the whole thing ends in like two seconds. Since you’re only playing one song, you have so much energy pent up for one moment, and you hardly notice anything beyond that audience and that kind of weird camera flying around in front of you. I don’t think about it too much. You deserve to be up there for some reason.

The 2-night prom was also an interesting event. Do you guys think you’ll do something like that again? Any stories from those nights?

We had a great time, I’m not sure we would do exactly the same thing, but we love playing at the 40-Watt, just as a general rule. It was really fun to park there for a couple days and hang out with everybody that works there.

I think the craziest thing that happened was the second night when we crowned the prom king and queen, and we learned our lesson about bringing people on stage. The first night it worked really well. We crowned them arbitrarily, and they came up and danced and we played “Wonderful Tonight.” But the second night, I think the crowd was a little bit more unruly, and the prom king was shirtless. He did a somersault onto the stage and he was subsequently pulled off. He had to watch his date dance with somebody else. (laughs)

Did you ever have a high school prom? Did actually playing one bring back any memories from it?

The theme of my high school prom was “Wonderful Tonight,” but I think I stayed at my prom for about 15 minutes and left. This one lasted over two hours. And it was two days. They were not like each other.

I know “Mahgeetah” was originally used in a Coors beer commercial a while ago, and the band was upset about how it was used. Do you think the band will allow any new material to appear in commercials?

I don’t really have an answer for that, it just depends. We haven’t made a blanket statement, but I think we’re pretty careful and sensitive to use a song for something other than our record and our shows. The music industry has changed a lot in the last five, ten years in terms of getting exposure for a band. Whether it’s good or bad that you learn about Nick Drake from the Volkswagen commercials is a discussion.

But to be always associated with a product for the rest of your career—we would prefer not to happen to us. It’s a long detailed, case by case discussion. It is frustrating for people we know to try to get their music seen and heard as far as distribution. I don’t feel like we’re a radio band. We would love to have that exposure on the radio, but I feel like people are getting exposed to us from us going out and touring. But it’s a strange world we live in right now, getting your music out there other than through the internet.

I’m pretty sure I have heard some of the singles in sports highlight packages and other non-commercial TV programs. What do you think when you hear “Gideon,” “What a Wonderful Man,” or “One Big Holiday” in a commercial?

Actually, I haven’t heard it really. I think I heard that they used something on SportsCenter. I love how on NPR they do musical segues and I’ve heard a couple of our songs, just instrumentally, on that format. Stuff just happens, and I think that’s an example of good under the radar exposure—kind of like how it really seems to fit to have songs in movies at appropriate points. That to me seems like it’s serving a collaborative purpose—like a visual image and the music combining to become more poignant or intense.

I want to do some rapid fire questions because I feel like America doesn’t know enough about Carl Broemel…
So,favorite movie?

Favorite movie of this moment is Sicko. I thought it was amazing.

Least favorite movie?

I thought the Transformers movie was terrible. It was hilarious. It was so bad it was really fun to watch.

What is one thing you do that you wish you did less of?

Watch less television.

What is one thing you do that you wish you did more often?

Golf. You gotta think about the future when you’re going to be sixty—some skills for the golf course so you can make a little money from your friends.

What is with the band’s obsession with Ted Nugent?

I have no soul connection to Ted Nugent. I cannot speak for anyone but myself.

What is the best part about being from Indiana?

I don’t know, I guess one of the best things is being able to be hot and miserable in the summer.

If you could be a contestant on a game show, which one would you pick and why?

Definitely the Price Is Right before Bob Barker left. That’s just the ultimate game show. The most fun and the most fun to watch consistently. I recently went to the Craig Ferguson studio, and you can actually spin the wheel. It’s in the hallway of the studios. The mystery was that the Price Is Right was like a mini-Vegas with so many bright lights and bells like slot machines going off. So if you actually go to the set of pretty much any show, the carpet smells a little weird, everything looks kind of small and dingy and old. But on TV they make it look like this magical world.

Do any of the presidential candidates stand out as the best choice for you in 2008?

In the last month or two, things are starting to heat up. I had a commission to not paying attention at all, but it’s certainly going to be interesting. It’s wide open right now.

What is the best part about being a member of My Morning Jacket?

The best part is… (everything I’m thinking of sounds really cheesy). Getting to play music everyday for a month is fantastic. The last month, it was just awesome to hang with the guys and just get to play with no distractions, and that makes me pretty thankful.

If there is a musician from the past that you could have a conversation with, who would you pick and what would you want to talk about?

I’ll see Ted Nugent in my dreams now. But one of my favorite guitar players is Clarence White, he’s one of my absolute favorite guitarists. I don’t think he’s much of a talker, I’ve never seen any interviews with him. But I would love to just play guitar with him.

What is one thing about Carl Broemel that most people don’t know?

Most people don’t even recognize me first of all. They think I’m the sound man, or they think our sound man is me.