Jim James on his politically-charged new solo record and the post-election blues

Weaving soul-infused keyboards with dark vocal undertones that emulate the best of Neil Young’s protest era, Jim James’ newest solo album, Eternally Even, was released shortly before the U.S. presidential elections on Nov. 4, and it is equal parts a political commentary on the looming governmental sea change and a plea for unity and compassion. The My Morning Jacket frontman is set to perform at the Louisville Palace the day after Thanksgiving, and, before he does, he talked with us about how the themes of the album tie into the current state of things, about how we need to start listening to people in real life instead of yelling at each other on the internet, and about being a “recovering Catholic.”

LEO: Your new solo album, Eternally Even, seems to balance the solitary human experience and the communal experience.

Yes, well, I mean it’s all related, right? Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me. We can’t have peace on Earth without peace in our own hearts. I think that is one of the biggest mistakes of the internet age — so many people are directing their energy outward into this web of illusion, when they should be turning inward, focusing on how they can be a better person for themselves and their community. I think we have seen this come to light most fully in the election of an internet troll as our next president. I like to think what kind of man he would be if he really did the heart/soul work, really looked inward and meditated and took stock, went to therapy and learned how to treat himself and his family and community with respect, and get over his outdated fear and hatred that he probably developed as a small child. What kind of leader could he be then?

The first track, “Hide In Plain Sight,” seems to acknowledge that a single life doesn’t hold much weight in the larger function of society, but, at the same time, it needs to be addressed as important for a society if we are to succeed, especially as reflected in the line: “Life goes on with or without you / But I hope you know I still care about you / I know you think we’re all out here on our own / But you don’t have to go this alone.”

I think we can all get lost in our own wormholes, but we really need each other’s help to make it through this life. I think we are going to see that now more-than-ever before, as the president-elect and his team try to strip away the freedom and basic human rights of so many Americans. We are all going to really need to get together and stand up for each other, and start thinking about things in a new way. There is no longer time for petty bullshit, or hate, or cruelty, of any kind. We are all gonna need to get together and start talking and, more importantly, listening to each other. That includes people that we think we don’t agree with. We need to help each other out on the street and at work and at school every day. We need to extend kindness as much as we can. I think nine times out of 10, if you can really sit down at a table with someone and talk eye to eye, you can find common ground and common respect. There has got to be more of an effort from everyone for universal love and understanding. I think if the most conservative, gay-bashing politicians could find the time to sit down with LGBT couples and really meet them eye to eye, just sit and have dinner — they would see that love is real. That love is beautiful in all its forms. I think if someone who wants to take away a woman’s right to choose could just sit down and talk with, and really hear stories from, women who have had to have abortions, they could understand what a painful and personal choice that is, one that is not taken lightly and one that should always be a woman’s choice of what to do with her own body. I think if people could just sit down and have dinner together, they could start to move beyond some of this outdated fear that is trying to pull us back into the dark ages.

Could you speak of these themes as represented in Eternally Even?

“Eternally Even,” the song, is about a lot of things to me, but mostly I think about the feeling of how hard it is to break up, or part ways, with someone, and how that can take years, sometimes, for those wounds to heal. But then, one day, years later, you see that person on the street, and they seem happy and have moved on and found love again, and maybe you have too. It gives you hope that, perhaps, time really does heal all wounds and, perhaps, time can heal the wounds being inflicted on the Earth, and people right now if we work hard enough and care enough and also just believe in the healing ways of time itself. Even though times seem so difficult now, there is hope still that it all can work out in the end.

On the track “Same Old Lie,” we see a more of a world view that revolves around the fight for power and the collateral damage it creates, with lines like: “It’s the same old lie you been readin’ ‘bout / Bleedin’ out / Now who’s getting cheated out? / You best believe it’s the silent majority / If you don’t vote it’s on you, not me / It’s the same old lie, told from the dawn of time.” What were the motivations for releasing this album at this time in history and did you feel an urgency to release this album before the presidential election?

I do not pretend to have all the answers and I most certainly am no political expert, but, yes, I definitely wanted to be a part of the discussion — and also just hoped that even if I got one person to vote who might not have voted, then it would have been worth it. And although the election did not turn out the way that I or so many of us wanted, I still hope the album can be a source of discussion or healing or peace and love and I hope that the darkness that the results of this election have brought/will bring onto the Earth — even in terms of climate change alone — will be enough to prove to people that their vote matters — this shit is real! Especially the young people. We really all need to be telling our friends and families to get out and vote, to speak out for equality and fairness and love and be informed, because if not enough of us speak out for love, then fear wins, as we have seen and will see in the coming years. But, we must also realize that although fear has won this contest, it is only one contest and there is obviously a much larger battle/much larger lesson to be learned and that is one of universal love and acceptance and it’s not just some hippie dream — it is real and it is possible here on on this Earth.

Also, in “Same Old Lie,” there are references to both “mansions in heaven” as well as “waiting virgins in the sky.” Are you suggesting the opposite sides of the Christian/Muslim conflict are one in the same as far as leaders exploiting religion as a way to gain power over society?

Yes, being raised Catholic, I am a recovering Catholic, and I think a lot of people don’t know that big religion is big business, and that they are more interested in your money than in saving your soul. I’m not saying that there aren’t wonderful ideas to be found in any major religion, but when you start seeing any one group/race of people being put down by another, or blood being shed, or love between any two people being declared as wrong, or a woman’s right to choose being taken away, you are seeing that fear is in control and fear is a man-made thing, and I refuse to be held back by someone else’s outdated fear disguised as god. God is love. We need more love in this world, and we need it any way we can get it. People should think for themselves and custom design their own faith and then respect others right to choose what they believe.

In “True Nature,” you seem to suggest as a society we need to change our path, but perhaps doubt that the motivation will be there, saying, “Will future generations ever understand their true nature?” As a public figure and musician, what might you choose to do to instill hope and community during such a fractured time in our world?

Get up off the couch. Get out and meet people. Get out and vote. Get off the internet, and do something real in your community. I think we need to get real. Some of the greatest people you will ever meet are those out in their communities working on the ground for peace and love and justice. We need to get people together for potluck dinners and gatherings small grassroots events, where folks from seemingly different walks of life can sit together and see that we really are all the same. Listen to each other. We just want to love and be loved and take care of those we love. I hope we can see some reader’s write in with concrete ideas about this. Enough fighting. Enough hatred. How can we become friends? How can we find common ground with those we don’t automatically agree with, or those who did not vote like us? How can we find a common middle ground and, therefore, more suitable candidates for public office that can truly represent more peoples interests across a broader range.

As Thanksgiving tradition states, it is a time to reflect on what we are thankful for. Many have lamented that 2016 was a rough and negative year. What can we be thankful for this year, and personally what are you thankful for this year?

I am so thankful for the friends and family and love that I have in my life. Even though I have had setbacks, I am thankful for the relative health that I still possess. I am thankful to come from such a unique place as Louisville, Kentucky, and I am thankful for all the wonderful people there, striving to make it and the world a better place. I am thankful for the time I have been given on this crazy Earth, and I hope there can be lots more of it in peace and love for everyone. •