M. is for Monster. The Portland, Ore.-based troubadour, M. Ward (born Matthew Stephen Ward), is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to folk music. With six solo albums in nine years, a critically acclaimed duets album with actress Zooey Deschanel, and a grainy, backsliding voice that has become a bookmark in contemporary indie, you might wonder if the 35-year-old has anything left up his sleeve.
Enter Monsters of Folk, a supergroup composed of Ward, Conor Oberst, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James and veteran producer Mike Mogis. The Denver Post corresponded with Ward in anticipation of his Sunday set at this weekend’s Folks Festival in Lyons. Visit for more info.
Q:What have you been working on most recently?
A: The Monsters of Folk are preparing to tour behind the record we just finished, and She & Him are in the studio this year hoping to release “Volume 2” next year. I just finished touring Europe and the U.S. to support “Hold Time.” It’s been a busy year — a good year, but a busy year.
Q:Monsters of Folk first surfaced a few years ago, though not under that official name and without Mike Mogis. How did you, Jim and Conor meet and who had the idea to form the group?A: Well, Mike has always been in the group. He engineered the record and added his expertise at pedal steel and mandolin and drums and about a hundred other instruments. I first met Jim through Conor around 2003. Conor had the idea to try an experimental tour where the three acts collaborated with each other on stage without breaks or traditional sets. It went well so we did another tour and we knew it was but a matter of time until we recorded.
Q: How have things changed since those early days of covering “Girl From the North Country” as a trio?
A: Well, we have a record now of original songs that we wrote together in the studio, so that changes how we approach playing shows together. We’ve become more structured as a result and we’ve gained a lot of momentum recording.
Q: Given that you are all songwriters, how does the writing process differ as a group? Do you write separately or collectively?
A: We all brought in skeletons of ideas and then we all worked together to give them life and new blood.
Q: Your collaboration with Zooey was a huge success. Will there be another album?
A:Yes. We have been recording in Los Angeles and here in Portland and we hope to have a new record out next year.
Q:Is it harder to perform solo or with someone else on stage? How does the dynamic shift?
A: I don’t know, neither one is really hard. There’s nothing really hard about playing music; it’s really between you and the songs, no matter how many people are on stage or in the audience.
rocky mountain folks festival.
Music. Lyons. Featuring M. Ward, Gillian Welch, Rufus Wainwright, Don McLean, Susan Tedeschi, Joe Pug and many others. Today through Sunday. Single day passes start at $45, with three-day camping passes at $170. or call 800-624-2422
