My Morning Jacket Taps Special Guests Erykah Badu and Rachel Dratch for American Express “Unstaged” Performance in Partnership with VEVO and YouTube

American Express, in partnership with VEVO and YouTube, announced today that My Morning Jacket’s sold-out “Unstaged” live-stream concert from Louisville’s historic Palace Theater on May 31 will feature GRAMMY® award-winning singer Erykah Badu and actress Rachel Dratch. The performance coincides with the release of My Morning Jacket’s sixth full-length album, CIRCUITAL (ATO Records), and will be live-streamed globally at 9:00PM ET / 6:00PM PT on Tuesday, May 31 at www.youtube.com/mymorningjacketVEVO and on mobile devices via VEVO and YouTube apps for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Android. American Express Cardmembers will also have the opportunity to download two exclusive live-tracks from the performance.

“Unstaged is providing unique perspective for music enthusiasts and has become an innovative way for artists to share their live-concert experience with fans worldwide,” said Jessica Igoe, vice president global sponsorship marketing, American Express. “At American Express, we are always looking for new ways to connect our Cardmembers closer to the music industry and their favorite artists, so we are thrilled to be able to provide our Cardmembers with exclusive live-tracks from My Morning Jacket’s Unstaged performance.”

Live-Stream Directed by Award-Winning Filmmaker Todd Haynes

My Morning Jacket’s American Express “Unstaged” performance will be captured by award-winning filmmaker Todd Haynes (“Mildred Pierce,” “I’m Not There,” “Far From Heaven”). Haynes and the band plan to exploit the surreal gothic allure of Louiville's Palace theater by bringing some additional elements to the concert experience, some mysterious characters and a few narrative surprises, including an appearance by special guest star Rachel Dratch. These unique additions to the live concert event will be threaded throughout the night, kicking off the band's appearance at the end of the pre-show, returning at intermission and towards the conclusion of the concert.

“We are incredibly honored that Todd Haynes has agreed to direct this show for us,” said lead singer Jim James. “We can’t wait to immerse ourselves in his creative vision and masterful take on this live-streamed performance. Fans will certainly be in for a magical and surreal ride.”

Innovative Digital Experiences

For the first time in the history of the American Express “Unstaged” music series, in partnership with VEVO and YouTube, My Morning Jacket’s concert will be live-streamed on mobile devices for fans around the world. Using the VEVO and YouTube apps for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Android, fans can access the stream on mobile devices as well. VEVO and YouTube mobile apps experience more than five million downloads a day and over 200 million views a day.

American Express, in partnership with VEVO and YouTube, will also continue to provide revolutionary access to My Morning Jacket fans and music enthusiasts worldwide through several pre-show and in-concert innovative digital features and one-of-a-kind content that further blur the line between an at-home and in-concert “Unstaged” experience:

• Faces In The Crowd: Fans worldwide can collaborate with My Morning Jacket on their “Unstaged” concert poster. By Tweeting about the show, their profile picture will be submitted for potential inclusion in this commemorative memento from the show: http://bit.ly/iTjsjY
• The Looking Glass: My Morning Jacket has invited online fans to be a part of the night by submitting artistic photos of their eyes that will be featured on-stage during their live performance: http://bit.ly/kdHiJC
• Vote For A Song: Fans at the concert and online viewers can collectively decide on a song that the band will play during the live stream.
• “Night Owls” Chat Aggregator: Further uniting both the in-concert and at-home audiences, this interactive project will create a visualization of crowd excitement based on online chatter. As the social buzz reaches a climax, unreleased My Morning Jacket photos will be unlocked throughout the night.
• Choose Your Cam: The audience can control their viewing experience throughout the show by switching between the director’s main stream and alternate artist-themed vantage points.
• Tweet The Band: Fans can Tweet questions to #AmexCircuital for a chance to have them answered by the band during the Pre Show.
• Mobile Viewing: For the first time ever, fans everywhere can connect to the “Unstaged” performance from their mobile and tablet devices.
• On-line Pre Show: Building anticipation of the night, viewers who tune in early to the live-stream will catch an exclusive segment hosted by a surprise guest.

Leading up to the May 31^st performance, fans can also visit http://bit.ly/jUdlgz for a special “Unstaged” video, including a personal request from My Morning Jacket for in-concert attendees to “Dress Up Fancy.”

About My Morning Jacket and its Upcoming Album CIRCUITAL

CIRCUITAL was recorded in Louisville, KY and Nashville, TN, and was co-produced by frontman Jim James and Tucker Martine (R.E.M., Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists). While in Louisville, the birthplace of the band and where three fifths of the guys are from, they recorded in the unique environment of a gymnasium inside of a church. They laid the album down almost entirely live to capture the honest spirit and human spontaneity throughout the listening experience. CIRCUITAL is yet another reinvention of My Morning Jacket’s sound, which forges new ground and maintains the distinct spirit of their previous work. In addition, My Morning Jacket has previously performed with Erykah Badu, covering her hit song “Tyrone.”

About “Unstaged: An Original Series from American Express”, in partnership with VEVO and YouTube:

My Morning Jacket’s May 31 performance represents the fifth installment within the innovative music platform “Unstaged: An Original Series from American Express,” which launched in the summer of 2010 in partnership with VEVO and YouTube, and has featured music sensations Arcade Fire directed by Terry Gilliam, John Legend & The Roots directed by Spike Lee, Sugarland directed by Kenny Ortega, and Duran Duran directed by David Lynch. American Express, in conjunction with VEVO and YouTube, tracked more than 30 million total streams for all four artists’ performances. Bringing the in-concert and at-home viewing experiences to new heights, “Unstaged” showcases some of the music industry’s most breakthrough artists playing at landmark venues across the country, while tapping some of today’s most influential filmmakers to direct the live-streams and using digital and social media to connect the online audience to the live shows in unexpected ways.

Fans will be able to receive insider updates by connecting with American Express at www.twitter.com/AmericanExpress or www.Facebook.com/AmericanExpress. Fans can visit YouTube for a special “Unstaged” trailer video, including highlights from previous performances. For more information about American Express and music, please visit http://www.americanexpress.com/entertainment.

About American Express

American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at www.americanexpress.com and connect with us on www.facebook.com/americanexpress, www.twitter.com/americanexpress and www.youtube.com/americanexpress.

About VEVO

VEVO is the world’s leading all-premium music video and entertainment platform. VEVO is available in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom, which includes VEVO.com, Mobile Apps (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android), Connected Television (Google TV, Boxee) and user embeddable video players. VEVO powers music videos on over 200 artist pages across Facebook, as well as syndicates to dozens of online sites, including AOL, BET, CBS Interactive Music Group (including Last.fm) and Univision. Additionally, through a special partnership with YouTube, VEVO is accessible in over 200 countries, expanding the platform’s reach around the globe. VEVO was created in partnership with Universal Music Group (UMG), Sony Music Entertainment (SME) and the Abu Dhabi Media Company. It is operated independently by a dedicated management team with offices in New York, London, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit and San Francisco.

About YouTube

YouTube is the world's most popular online video community allowing millions of people to discover, watch and share originally-created videos. Our mission is for YOU to discover and shape the world through video. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small. YouTube, LLC is based in San Bruno, CA and is a subsidiary of Google Inc.