MMW to Play Extended Run on Carson Daly

Medeski, Martin and Wood will perform on NBC’s graveyard shift talk show Last Call With Carson Daly for four nights next week. The jam-based organ trio, which is promoting its latest Blue Note release, End of the World Party (Just in Case), will be on Daly’s stage nightly from September 14-17.

Last Call airs weeknights (or mornings, depending on how you look at it) at 1:35 a.m. on the Peacock—right after Late Night With Conan O’Brien. Check your local listings. The show is taped in New York City and it is possible that standby tickets for the tapings of the MMW-graced episodes will be available. These episodes may not necessarily be taped the day they air. These episodes may possibly have already been taped. We suggest you consult NBC.com’s Last Call Web page for further information and instructions regarding that.

End of the World Party is MMW’s first album since 2002’s Uninvisible. The album resulted from a series of informal jams that took place over a period of several months that eventually shaped into songs. The album was recorded at Shacklyn, MMW’s converted loft and recording space in Brooklyn.

The album shows the band taking a decidedly atmospheric direction on expansive tracks including “Anonymous Skulls,” “Bloody Oil,” “Mami Gato” and “Ice.” According to keyboardist John Medeski, “the word soundtrack has come up a lot” as a description of the work, however Medeski says “that’s really a reflection of a conscious attempt to create a mood-to take the listener on a journey.”

A few guest musicians show up for the End of the World Party. Guitarist Marc Ribot plays up on four tracks, and slide trumpeter Steven Bernstein and saxophonist Briggin Krauss (of the downtown NYC band Sex Mob) add something extra to “Sasa.” Producer King also has a guest musician credit, albeit a vague one. He’s listed as playing “a little of this, a little of that.”

Originally Published September 8, 2004