To mark the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina  — and in response to the Gulf Oil Disaster also deeply affecting the region — Air Traffic Control (a nonprofit resource for activist and philanthropic musicians) has produced Dear New Orleans, a digital music benefit compilation for the people of the Gulf.

Dear New Orleans is available for download now at dearneworleansmusic.org, iTunes, Amazon.com, Rhapsody and eMusic.com.

Dear New Orleans is the product of lasting friendships forged between musicians from all walks of life and New Orleans artists, tradition bearers, organizers and a cast of “only in New Orleans” characters during artist activism retreats co-produced by Air Traffic Control. The compilation features 31 New Orleans-inspired tracks ranging from original compositions written by musicians about their experiences in the area to covers of popular New Orleans songs to one-of-a-kind collaborations between retreat alumni and celebrated New Orleans musicians.

Proceeds from Dear New Orleans will be granted to New Orleans based nonprofits working to support and sustain the region’s unique musical and cultural traditions and to protect and restore vital environment and community resources for future generations. Such beneficiaries include Sweet Home New Orleans and Gulf Restoration Network.

My Morning Jacket is honored to lend its voice to Dear New Orleans.  We encourage each of you to check out this amazing compilation and do what you can to help make a difference for the Gulf Coast. For more information on Dear New Orleans, a free download from the compilation, and to learn more about how you can help the Gulf, please visit www.dearneworleansmusic.org.

Carl Broemel’s “All Birds Say” is now available for pre-order.  Each pre-order includes an immediate digital download of the record, and delivery of the physical CD and/or vinyl during the August 30th week of release. Visit the Carl Broemel store for more details and check the shows page for upcoming tour dates.

My Morning Jacket is pleased to announce the openers for their five performances at Terminal 5. For a complete list of dates and information check out the shows page.

10/18 – The Tennessee Fire – Dungen
10/19 – At Dawn – Hacienda
10/21 – It Still Moves – Elvis Perkins in Dearland
10/22 – Z - Holly Miranda
10/23 – Evil Urges – Everest

On Friday, October 15th My Morning Jacket will play the grand re-opening of the State Theater on Portland, ME. The theater, built in 1929, was closed for renovation in 2006 and will re-open this fall. A pre-sale for fans will begin on Wednesday, July 28th at 10AM. Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, July 30th at 10AM. For more information about the State Theater, click here. For tickets, click here.

On Friday, October 29th, My Morning Jacket will be performing at University of Louisville’s KFC Yum! Center. Supporting the band will be the Louisville Youth Orchestra (LYO) and Louisville band Wax Fang. One dollar from every ticket sold will be going to the Louisville Youth Orchestra Continuing Education Scholarship, which raises money for at-risk youth to be able to attend school. The LYO was founded with the mission to provide high quality musical experiences and the opportunity to perform for the benefit of the Louisville community and its young musicians regardless of race, creed or economic circumstances. It is one of the oldest and largest youth orchestras in the US. The show will also continue the tradition of creating a “Local Louisville Village” inside the KFC Yum! Center, providing locally based businesses and non-profit organizations with a presence at their show.

Tickets for the show go on sale to the public on Saturday, August 14th at 10AM. A limited amount of tickets will be available at Ear X-Tacy on Thursday August 12th at 10AM, in celebration of the store’s 25th anniversary and its new location at 2226 Bardstown Road.  In addition, My Morning Jacket will also be hosting a pre-sale to fans beginning at the same time.  Check the MMJ shows page for information regarding the pre-sale, and other My Morning Jacket shows.

My Morning Jacket will be returning to New Orleans to headline the Voodoo Experience on Halloween weekend this year. Tickets are on sale now. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to www.thevoodooexperience.com.

New York City’s Terminal 5 will be presenting a historic five night run of shows in which My Morning Jacket will perform one of their full-length albums in its entirety each night, along with additional songs and covers from each album’s time period. The stint will kick off on Monday, October 18th, with a performance of the 1999 debut The Tennessee Fire, and will be followed chronologically by their next four full length albums, ending with 2008′s Evil Urges. on Saturday, October 23rd.

10/18 – Terminal 5 – New York City, NY – The Tennessee Fire
10/19 – Terminal 5 – New York City, NY – At Dawn
10/21 – Terminal 5 – New York City, NY – It Still Moves
10/22 – Terminal 5 – New York City, NY – Z
10/23 – Terminal 5 – New York City, NY – Evil Urges and beyond!

5-show ticket packages go on sale to the public on Monday, June 14th, 12pm EDT.
The individual shows will go on sale on Friday, June 18th, 12pm EDT.

For ticket and show information check the shows page and the Terminal 5 website.

Oh Boy Records will be releasing a tribute style compilation album entitled Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine on June 22nd, 2010, and the record features MMJ performing John Prine’s “All The Best.” Other artists featured are Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, Josh Ritter, Conor Oberst, Drive-by Truckers and many more. A pre-sale has already begun on John’s official store, and Oh Boy is offering a 10% discount to all MMJ fans. Visit ohboy.com/MMJ for all the details.

Our friends at HeadCount and the NRDC Action Fund put together a “Best of Bonnaroo” compilation featuring My Morning Jacket’s cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Oh! Sweet Nothin” from Bonnaroo 2008 to encourage action on climate change. You can download it free at http://www.musicforaction.org, where you can also email your elected officials on the issue.

Hey Gang,

Louisville was hit with some alarming news. Our beloved independent record store and pillar of our community, ear X-tacy, is on the brink of closing down due to a decline in business over the last three years. We as a band cannot express how important local businesses are to the very fiber of a community, and stores such as ear X-tacy are prime examples. It is out of our distinct appreciation and respect for John Timmons and the ear X-tacy staff that we offer a digital download of our live album, Celebración De La Ciudad Natal, for $4.99, with all proceeds going to ear X-tacy.

The EP can be purchased at the ear X-tacy digital home page.

Please support your local businesses…they need us and we need them!!!

MMJ