Mumford & Sons Keyboardist: I Thought Phillip Phillips Was Us!

Mumford & Sons on the cover of Rolling Stone.

When Mumford and Sons keyboardist Ben Lovett first heard American Idol winner Phillip Phillips' blatant soundalike hit "Home," he was momentarily confused. Said Lovett, "I was like, 'What's that? Did we do that?'"

On the Cover: Mumford & Sons Rattle and Strum

But other than that, Lovett doesn't mind the sudden, post-Mumfords ubiquity of acoustic rock (see the Lumineers, among others). "The only thing that makes me a bit sad about it is that if people think that it's a good commercial move," he told senior writer Brian Hiatt in interviews for the band's Rolling Stone cover story. "I think that's just stupid. Because it's not about the setup. It's about the songs,  how we're expressing our songs with this kind of accidental selection of instruments. That's not like a formula to go and sell records."

Marcus Mumford added that it's "strange" to hear people talking about an American Idol winner imitating his band: "Because that's kind of what we were reacting against," he said. "When we started it was quite fun doing what we were doing 'cause no one else was doing it. It was like our little secret."

For more from the Mumfords, see the new issue of Rolling Stone, on newsstands and the App Store now.

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On the Cover: Mumford & Sons Rattle and Strum

Mumford & Sons on the cover of Rolling Stone.

Mumford & Sons make their debut appearance on the cover of Rolling Stone in our next issue. Senior writer Brian Hiatt shadows the group as they finish the most recent leg of their U.S. tour in Camden, New Jersey, then hangs out with them on their London home turf, including backstage at the Brit Awards. The band speaks openly about faith, their imitators and the improbable rise of an acoustic band in a digital age. "I have no idea how my phone works," says frontman Marcus Mumford, "Whereas, when I see an acoustic guitar played with gusto, I understand how it works."

Look for the issue on stands and in the iTunes App Store this Friday, March 15th.

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Mumford & Sons Keep Busy in 'Whispers in the Dark'

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Musicians find all sorts of ways to keep busy between shows, and Mumford & Sons offer a glimpse at a few of them in their new video for "Whispers in the Dark," from last year's album Babel.

Marcus Mumford: 'We Really Want to Rap'

In a four-way clip that follows each band member at once, Marcus Mumford takes a spin on his motorcycle, Ben Lovett gets rousted out of a parking lot where he's sleeping in his car, Ted Dwane seems to be touring a shipyard and Winston Marshall shows how he achieves that Mumford aesthetic (spoiler alert: it's a glue-on beard). The musicians meet up when the clip nears the end, and four shots converge into one as they take the stage to perform.

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Marcus Mumford: 'I Wouldn't Call Myself a Christian'

Mumford & Sons on the cover of Rolling Stone.

Mumford & Sons frontman Marcus Mumford is speaking in depth for the first time about his religious beliefs and upbringing. Mumford, whose parents are the founders of the Vineyard, the U.K. branch of an evangelical Christian movement, has filled his band's lyrics with references to God, prayer and struggles with faith – but has been vague until now about his current beliefs. 

On the Cover: Mumford & Sons' Rattle and Strum

Does he still consider himself a Christian? "I don't really like that word," he tells senior writer Brian Hiatt in his band's first Rolling Stone cover story. "It comes with so much baggage. So, no, I wouldn't call myself a Christian. I think the word just conjures up all these religious images that I don't really like. I have my personal views about the person of Jesus and who he was. Like, you ask a Muslim and they'll say, 'Jesus was awesome' – they're not Christians, but they still love Jesus. I've kind of separated myself from the culture of Christianity." Mumford emphasizes that while his spiritual journey is a "work in progress," he's never doubted the existence of God.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Marcus Mumford: 'I Wouldn't Call Myself a Christian'

Mumford & Sons on the cover of Rolling Stone.

Mumford & Sons frontman Marcus Mumford is speaking in depth for the first time about his religious beliefs and upbringing. Mumford, whose parents are the founders of the Vineyard, the U.K. branch of an evangelical Christian movement, has filled his band's lyrics with references to God, prayer and struggles with faith – but has been vague until now about his current beliefs. 

On the Cover: Mumford & Sons' Rattle and Strum

Does he still consider himself a Christian? "I don't really like that word," he tells senior writer Brian Hiatt in his band's first Rolling Stone cover story. "It comes with so much baggage. So, no, I wouldn't call myself a Christian. I think the word just conjures up all these religious images that I don't really like. I have my personal views about the person of Jesus and who he was. Like, you ask a Muslim and they'll say, 'Jesus was awesome' – they're not Christians, but they still love Jesus. I've kind of separated myself from the culture of Christianity." Mumford emphasizes that while his spiritual journey is a "work in progress," he's never doubted the existence of God.

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Mumford & Sons Keep Busy in 'Whispers in the Dark'

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Musicians find all sorts of ways to keep busy between shows, and Mumford & Sons offer a glimpse at a few of them in their new video for "Whispers in the Dark," from last year's album Babel.

Marcus Mumford: 'We Really Want to Rap'

In a four-way clip that follows each band member at once, Marcus Mumford takes a spin on his motorcycle, Ben Lovett gets rousted out of a parking lot where he's sleeping in his car, Ted Dwane seems to be touring a shipyard and Winston Marshall shows how he achieves that Mumford aesthetic (spoiler alert: it's a glue-on beard). The musicians meet up when the clip nears the end, and four shots converge into one as they take the stage to perform.

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Marcus Mumford: 'We Really Want to Rap'

Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons performs at the BRIT Awards in London.

Mumford & Sons' Babel just won the Grammy for Album of the Year, and the band is already planning album Number Three, setting up a backstage practice room at every gig of their winter arena tour to work out musical ideas. "We're getting into the habit of just sort of working on stuff," says keyboardist Ben Lovett.

"I do feel like we're ready to make the departure," adds Lovett. "There's definitely cohesion between the two albums [2010's Sigh No More and Babel]. Now that we've done that, we're not desperate to walk away from that sound, but we're willing to explore what else we could do. These two albums are like brothers. Do something that's a cousin."

Mumford & Sons React to 'Mind-F***ing' Grammy Win

Adds Marcus Mumford, "We definitely had a graduation to go through with the sound that we had through Sigh No More to Babel, and that sound to us feels satisfied. And that's a sound we'll always play. The world has been really supportive of those songs, but then there's other sounds we want to make."

What kind of sounds? "Like, hip-hop," Mumford says with a grin. "We really want to rap. We've just got so much to say – saying it through a melody doesn't really work for me. We've been talking with Jay-Z about it, you know. It's gonna be a fresh experience for our band." Does the band rap in the practice room? "Yeah," Mumford says. "We're like, 'Motherfucker!'"

Ted Dwane acknowledges they have "a handful of songs – they're starting to come through." Judging by a 10-minute jam off a dissonant minor-key chord progression, I ask if the band has a psychedelic record in them. "We could do that," says banjo player Winston Marshall. Bassist Ted Dwane adds with a laugh, "That definitely might happen."

But the band is taking their time. "Shit," says Marshall. "It might take a few more years than it took to make Babel."

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Marcus Mumford: 'We Really Want to Rap'

Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons performs at the BRIT Awards in London.

Mumford & Sons' Babel just won the Grammy for Album of the Year, and the band is already planning album Number Three, setting up a backstage practice room at every gig of their winter arena tour to work out musical ideas. "We're getting into the habit of just sort of working on stuff," says keyboardist Ben Lovett.

"I do feel like we're ready to make the departure," adds Lovett. "There's definitely cohesion between the two albums [2010's Sigh No More and Babel]. Now that we've done that, we're not desperate to walk away from that sound, but we're willing to explore what else we could do. These two albums are like brothers. Do something that's a cousin."

Mumford & Sons React to 'Mind-F***ing' Grammy Win

Adds Marcus Mumford, "We definitely had a graduation to go through with the sound that we had through Sigh No More to Babel, and that sound to us feels satisfied. And that's a sound we'll always play. The world has been really supportive of those songs, but then there's other sounds we want to make."

What kind of sounds? "Like, hip-hop," Mumford says with a grin. "We really want to rap. We've just got so much to say – saying it through a melody doesn't really work for me. We've been talking with Jay-Z about it, you know. It's gonna be a fresh experience for our band." Does the band rap in the practice room? "Yeah," Mumford says. "We're like, 'Motherfucker!'"

Ted Dwane acknowledges they have "a handful of songs – they're starting to come through." Judging by a 10-minute jam off a dissonant minor-key chord progression, I ask if the band has a psychedelic record in them. "We could do that," says banjo player Winston Marshall. Bassist Ted Dwane adds with a laugh, "That definitely might happen."

But the band is taking their time. "Shit," says Marshall. "It might take a few more years than it took to make Babel."

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Mumford & Sons: Bob Dylan 'Didn't Give a Sh*t About Authenticity'

Mumford & Sons know the knocks against them, but in a new interview with The Guardian, the English folk group brush off detractors who question the band's authenticity, citing Bob Dylan as an inspiration. "The authenticity thing has never been an issue for me," frontman Marcus Mumford said. "Not since I came to the realization that Dylan, who's probably my favorite artist ever, the richest artist for me, didn't give a shit about authenticity. He changed his name. And modeled himself on Woody Guthrie. And lied to everyone about who he was."

Banjo player Winston Marshall chimed in, "We get accused of inauthenticity because we play the instruments we play," but also pointed to British blues guitarist Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac and his background as an example of a misguided focus on authenticity. "He's from [East London District] Bethnal Green – and he's this fucking incredible blues guitarist. Nothing fucking authentic about that, right?" said Marshall. "But actually there is. He loves it. It's what he's good at. It's not like he's saying he's from the Delta. It's not like we're saying anything like that."

And despite Marcus Mumford's Christian family background and supposedly spiritually inclined lyrics, the band makes clear they're not a religious group. "We said we're not all Christian, so we can't be a Christian band," Marshall said of meeting a fan who asked how they defined themselves. "We're not all religious. In fact none of us are, really. We, er, we have a full spectrum of beliefs," added bass player Ted Dwane. "I don't know many artists who've managed to go a career without bringing these things up. "Saying the word 'God', 'Jesus' – it happens in a million rock songs."

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Mumford & Sons Return With 'I Will Wait'

Mumford & Sons Return With 'I Will Wait'British folk-rockers release first single from second album 'Babel' $(document).ready(function() { $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .email-content').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').hide(); } ); $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .print-page').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').hide(); } ); }); By

It's been three years since British folk-rockers Mumford & Sons released their breakout record Sigh No More. Today, the group returned with the aptly titled "I Will Wait," the first single from their long-awaited second effort, Babel. The brokenhearted stomper is filled with thumping percussion, a full-fledged banjo onslaught and, of course, the band's trademark shout-along chorus. The accompanying video is a simple clip of a road rushing underneath a car.

It all fits into Babel's road motif, which bassist Ted Dwane mentioned in a recent chat with Rolling Stone. "Being away so much for the last couple of years is inevitably a theme on the record, because it's something that we've all shared," he explained.

Babel is set for release on September 25th.

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Mumford & Sons Return With 'I Will Wait'

Mumford & Sons Return With 'I Will Wait'British folk-rockers release first single from second album 'Babel' $(document).ready(function() { $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .email-content').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.email').hide(); } ); $('.socialActionsTop .pageActions .print-page').hover( function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').show(); }, function() { $('.socialActionsTop .bubble.print').hide(); } ); }); By

It's been three years since British folk-rockers Mumford & Sons released their breakout record Sigh No More. Today, the group returned with the aptly titled "I Will Wait," the first single from their long-awaited second effort, Babel. The brokenhearted stomper is filled with thumping percussion, a full-fledged banjo onslaught and, of course, the band's trademark shout-along chorus. The accompanying video is a simple clip of a road rushing underneath a car.

It all fits into Babel's road motif, which bassist Ted Dwane mentioned in a recent chat with Rolling Stone. "Being away so much for the last couple of years is inevitably a theme on the record, because it's something that we've all shared," he explained.

Babel is set for release on September 25th.

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Mumford & Sons Announce New Album: 'Babel'

Since releasing their sleeper-hit debut LP, Sigh No More, in 2009, Mumford & Sons have barely stopped touring – circling the globe multiple times in three years. "It's been tough," says bassist Ted Dwane. "We're all in relationships in London, and it's hard to be away from our families. But for us, this is an absolute dream come true." And the folk rockers are heading right into the next phase: Their second LP, Babel, hits stores on September 25th, and this summer they launch their biggest tour yet.

Mumford & Sons wrote the majority of the LP on their tour bus and during soundchecks over the past two years. "The road has rubbed off into the album," Dwane says. "It's full of aliveness." While they knocked out their first album in just five weeks, they've spent a full year and a half recording the follow-up, mostly due to their busy touring schedule. Sigh No More producer Markus Dravs (who has also worked with Coldplay and Arcade Fire) returned for the sessions, joining the band at four different studios throughout its native England. "Being away so much for the last couple of years is inevitably a theme on the record," Dwane says, "because it's something that we've all shared."

Photos: Mumford & Sons Take America

Expect heavier emotions this time around. "You might hear a little bit more of a slight flavor of darkness on a couple songs," Dravs adds. "My Love Don't Fade Away" and "Ghosts That We Knew," which the band has been playing live for months, are desperate pleas for companionship in rough times; on "Below My Feet," frontman Marcus Mumford seems to mourn a loved one, howling, "For all my sweat, my blood runs weak." And the band rocks harder than ever on "Lover of the Light," packing the arrangement with horns, distorted banjo and rollicking drums.

But Mumford made sure not to stray too far from the earnest, mostly acoustic approach that made them stars. "The ingredients are very much the same: the four core instruments and a lack of a drummer, which can give it that strange, simple, unique sort of sound," Dwane says. "I don't think we were looking to be too crazy and experimental." Adds Dravs, "The idea was always 'If it ain't broke, why fix it?'"

Beginning August 1st in Hoboken, New Jersey, the group will take the new songs on a 15-date summer U.S. tour, including two sold-out gigs at Colorado's Red Rocks. "The main challenge we've faced as a band in the last year is working out how to play these larger audiences and keep it feeling like our show," says Dwane. "A lot of the time, if you go into an arena, they're pretty uninspiring. But we try to create an atmosphere." In between gigs, the bandmates will play four of what they call "Gentlemen of the Road Stopovers" – staging their own outdoor festivals in small cities like Portland, Maine, and Bristol, Tennessee, with friends including Dawes, St. Vincent and Justin Townes Earle, plus local food and retailers. "Basically, we wanted to take all of the things we love from the smaller festivals like Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado," says Dwane. "So many festivals now are just so enterprising, and it's all about cutting every corner."

Mumford & Sons are feeling energized now that their singer has recovered from a broken hand sustained in June, which forced them to cancel two U.K. festival dates. "It was bad," says Dwane. "Everyone was like, 'Fuck, you know, this is really bad.' But he's just about back on top. Looking back at this last few weeks, the spirit is uncrushable. Everyone just mans up. Everyone gets on with it."

Babel track list:
"Babel"
"Whispers in the Dark"
"I Will Wait"
"Holland Road"
"Ghosts That We Knew"
"Lover of the Light
"Lovers' Eyes"
"Reminder"
"Hopeless Wanderer"
"Broken Crown"
"Below My Feet"
"Not With Haste"

Mumford & Sons U.S. tour dates:
8/1 Hoboken, NJ – Pier A
8/4 Portland, ME – Gentlemen of the Road Stopover Show with Mumford & Sons and St. Vincent, Dawes, the Maccabees, Apache Relay, Simone Felice and Haim
8/6 Providence, RI – Providence Performing Arts Centre
8/7 Canandaigua, NY – Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center
8/9 Portsmouth, VA – nTelos Wireless Pavilion
8/11 Bristol, Tennessee – Gentlemen of the Road Stopover Show with Mumford & Sons and Dawes, JEFF the Brotherhood, the Very Best, Apache Relay, Simone Felice, Justin Townes Earl and Haim 
8/13 Louisville, KY – Louisville Waterfront Park
8/14 Columbus, OH – The LC Pavilion
8/18 – Dixon, Illinois – Gentlemen of the Road Stopover Show with Mumford & Sons and Gogol Bordello, Dawes, Abigail Washburn, the Very Best, Apache Relay and Haim
8/20 Lincoln, NE – Pinewood Bowl Theatre
8/21 Laramie, WY – Gryphon Theatre
8/22 Magna, UT – The Saltair
8/25 – Monterey, CA – Gentlemen of the Road Stopover Show with Mumford & Sons and Gogol Bordello, the Very Best, Apache Relay and Haim
8/28  Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
8/29 Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
9/1 Aspen, CO – Aspen Jazz Festival

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Mumford & Sons Announce New Album: 'Babel'

Since releasing their sleeper-hit debut LP, Sigh No More, in 2009, Mumford & Sons have barely stopped touring – circling the globe multiple times in three years. "It's been tough," says bassist Ted Dwane. "We're all in relationships in London, and it's hard to be away from our families. But for us, this is an absolute dream come true." And the folk rockers are heading right into the next phase: Their second LP, Babel, hits stores on September 25th, and this summer they launch their biggest tour yet.

Mumford & Sons wrote the majority of the LP on their tour bus and during soundchecks over the past two years. "The road has rubbed off into the album," Dwane says. "It's full of aliveness." While they knocked out their first album in just five weeks, they've spent a full year and a half recording the follow-up, mostly due to their busy touring schedule. Sigh No More producer Markus Dravs (who has also worked with Coldplay and Arcade Fire) returned for the sessions, joining the band at four different studios throughout its native England. "Being away so much for the last couple of years is inevitably a theme on the record," Dwane says, "because it's something that we've all shared."

Photos: Mumford & Sons Take America

Expect heavier emotions this time around. "You might hear a little bit more of a slight flavor of darkness on a couple songs," Dravs adds. "My Love Don't Fade Away" and "Ghosts That We Knew," which the band has been playing live for months, are desperate pleas for companionship in rough times; on "Below My Feet," frontman Marcus Mumford seems to mourn a loved one, howling, "For all my sweat, my blood runs weak." And the band rocks harder than ever on "Lover of the Light," packing the arrangement with horns, distorted banjo and rollicking drums.

But Mumford made sure not to stray too far from the earnest, mostly acoustic approach that made them stars. "The ingredients are very much the same: the four core instruments and a lack of a drummer, which can give it that strange, simple, unique sort of sound," Dwane says. "I don't think we were looking to be too crazy and experimental." Adds Dravs, "The idea was always 'If it ain't broke, why fix it?'"

Beginning August 1st in Hoboken, New Jersey, the group will take the new songs on a 15-date summer U.S. tour, including two sold-out gigs at Colorado's Red Rocks. "The main challenge we've faced as a band in the last year is working out how to play these larger audiences and keep it feeling like our show," says Dwane. "A lot of the time, if you go into an arena, they're pretty uninspiring. But we try to create an atmosphere." In between gigs, the bandmates will play four of what they call "Gentlemen of the Road Stopovers" – staging their own outdoor festivals in small cities like Portland, Maine, and Bristol, Tennessee, with friends including Dawes, St. Vincent and Justin Townes Earle, plus local food and retailers. "Basically, we wanted to take all of the things we love from the smaller festivals like Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado," says Dwane. "So many festivals now are just so enterprising, and it's all about cutting every corner."

Mumford & Sons are feeling energized now that their singer has recovered from a broken hand sustained in June, which forced them to cancel two U.K. festival dates. "It was bad," says Dwane. "Everyone was like, 'Fuck, you know, this is really bad.' But he's just about back on top. Looking back at this last few weeks, the spirit is uncrushable. Everyone just mans up. Everyone gets on with it."

Babel track list:
"Babel"
"Whispers in the Dark"
"I Will Wait"
"Holland Road"
"Ghosts That We Knew"
"Lover of the Light
"Lovers' Eyes"
"Reminder"
"Hopeless Wanderer"
"Broken Crown"
"Below My Feet"
"Not With Haste"

Mumford & Sons U.S. tour dates:
8/1 Hoboken, NJ – Pier A
8/4 Portland, ME – Gentlemen of the Road Stopover Show with Mumford & Sons and St. Vincent, Dawes, the Maccabees, Apache Relay, Simone Felice and Haim
8/6 Providence, RI – Providence Performing Arts Centre
8/7 Canandaigua, NY – Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center
8/9 Portsmouth, VA – nTelos Wireless Pavilion
8/11 Bristol, Tennessee – Gentlemen of the Road Stopover Show with Mumford & Sons and Dawes, JEFF the Brotherhood, the Very Best, Apache Relay, Simone Felice, Justin Townes Earl and Haim 
8/13 Louisville, KY – Louisville Waterfront Park
8/14 Columbus, OH – The LC Pavilion
8/18 – Dixon, Illinois – Gentlemen of the Road Stopover Show with Mumford & Sons and Gogol Bordello, Dawes, Abigail Washburn, the Very Best, Apache Relay and Haim
8/20 Lincoln, NE – Pinewood Bowl Theatre
8/21 Laramie, WY – Gryphon Theatre
8/22 Magna, UT – The Saltair
8/25 – Monterey, CA – Gentlemen of the Road Stopover Show with Mumford & Sons and Gogol Bordello, the Very Best, Apache Relay and Haim
8/28  Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
8/29 Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
9/1 Aspen, CO – Aspen Jazz Festival

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Mumford & Sons Withdraw from Northside, Hultsfred Festivals

Mumford & Sons perform at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas.Andy Sheppard/Redferns via Getty Images

Mumford & Sons have announced on their website that they're withdrawing from their scheduled dates at the Northside Festival in Denmark and the Hultsfred Festival in Sweden after Marcus Mumford broke his hand. Mumford & Sons were set to play Northside today, June 15th, and had planned to play at Hultsfred on June 16th.

Mumford & Sons are currently on a European tour that wraps up in Oeiras, Portugal on July 14th. The band expects their other shows won't be affected.

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Mumford and Sons, Magnetic Zeroes to Play Free Show at SXSW 2012

Nearly a year after embarking on a unique week-long tour via railroad from San Francisco to New Orleans, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, Mumford and Sons and Old Crow Medicine Show will celebrate the premiere screening of a documentary about the trek with a massive free show in Austin, Texas next week during the South By Southwest festival.

As was previously announced, Big Easy Express, a 67-minute film directed by Emmett Malloy, will have its world premiere during SXSW on Saturday, March 17th, followed by a brief acoustic set featuring members of the three bands. But today the bands’ fans received an alert about an additional screening of "Big Easy Express" and even bigger performance on the field of Austin High School, to be presented by MySpace. 10,000 tickets will be distributed to fans who RSVP via MySpace.com/BigEasyExpress, and the event will also be open to SXSW badgeholders. MySpace will webcast the concert live and offer an HD version the following day.

"The memories from that tour are tattooed on my mind," Magnetic Zeroes multi-instrumentalist Nora Kirkpatrick tells Rolling Stone. "When I first saw the finished film, it reminded me of what radiant moments live performances can create, and how powerful a group of minds can be when focused on the same goal."

Last spring, I traveled along with the six-city "Railroad Revival Tour" all the way from San Francisco to New Orleans. Though close to 32,000 concertgoers attended the six shows along the way, the documentary will let viewers see for the first time how much music the bands made on board the fifteen vintage rail cars that carried them for the week. As stirring and impressive as the concerts were, the real magic happened on that train, with the musicians and assorted friends jamming until dawn every night. It was a truly remarkable thing to witness: Mumfords and Zeroes and Crows would pick up instruments and launch into extended improvisations ranging from low-key folk explorations to horn-led funk interludes to bluegrass sessions with several guitars, banjos, mandolins and percussion going at once.

"I'll bet this picture helps us sell another 10,000 banjos," says Old Crow Medicine Show frontman Ketch Secor. "Not to mention what it'll do for Amtrak. Like the song says, "John Henry was a steal-driving man" – well he was, it's true – and somewhere in some movie theatre of all places, somebody's going to hear his hammer ring for the very first time. There's not enough movies today that make you feel like that, that make you reconnect with something inside yourself that was always there, that old familiar voice of American song."

Director Malloy, who also filmed the 2010 White Stripes tour documentary Under Great White Northern Lights, says he remembers the final night of the tour with special fondness: Most of his crew had fallen asleep, but he kept shooting as Magnetic Zeroes frontman Alex Ebert led a group of musicians through a new song he’d started earlier that day. "What we got that night was pretty magical and ended up being the final scene of the film," he says.

"It’s not just the music," Mumford and Sons’ Ben Lovett told Rolling Stone while we were still out riding the rails. "Everyone on that train has something that they put into the melting pot of this really complicated but beautifully balanced concoction. There’s no feeling of segregation between the musicians and the friends and everyone who’s doing everything else on the train. It doesn’t feel like three bands separately furthering their audience fanbases or any of that shit. It’s like, everything’s taking a backseat and everyone on that train has mucked in to make it what it is."

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Mumford and Sons, Magnetic Zeroes to Play Free Show at SXSW 2012

Nearly a year after embarking on a unique week-long tour via railroad from San Francisco to New Orleans, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, Mumford and Sons and Old Crow Medicine Show will celebrate the premiere screening of a documentary about the trek with a massive free show in Austin, Texas next week during the South By Southwest festival.

As was previously announced, Big Easy Express, a 67-minute film directed by Emmett Malloy, will have its world premiere during SXSW on Saturday, March 17th, followed by a brief acoustic set featuring members of the three bands. But today the bands’ fans received an alert about an additional screening of "Big Easy Express" and even bigger performance on the field of Austin High School, to be presented by MySpace. 10,000 tickets will be distributed to fans who RSVP via MySpace.com/BigEasyExpress, and the event will also be open to SXSW badgeholders. MySpace will webcast the concert live and offer an HD version the following day.

"The memories from that tour are tattooed on my mind," Magnetic Zeroes multi-instrumentalist Nora Kirkpatrick tells Rolling Stone. "When I first saw the finished film, it reminded me of what radiant moments live performances can create, and how powerful a group of minds can be when focused on the same goal."

Last spring, I traveled along with the six-city "Railroad Revival Tour" all the way from San Francisco to New Orleans. Though close to 32,000 concertgoers attended the six shows along the way, the documentary will let viewers see for the first time how much music the bands made on board the fifteen vintage rail cars that carried them for the week. As stirring and impressive as the concerts were, the real magic happened on that train, with the musicians and assorted friends jamming until dawn every night. It was a truly remarkable thing to witness: Mumfords and Zeroes and Crows would pick up instruments and launch into extended improvisations ranging from low-key folk explorations to horn-led funk interludes to bluegrass sessions with several guitars, banjos, mandolins and percussion going at once.

"I'll bet this picture helps us sell another 10,000 banjos," says Old Crow Medicine Show frontman Ketch Secor. "Not to mention what it'll do for Amtrak. Like the song says, "John Henry was a steal-driving man" – well he was, it's true – and somewhere in some movie theatre of all places, somebody's going to hear his hammer ring for the very first time. There's not enough movies today that make you feel like that, that make you reconnect with something inside yourself that was always there, that old familiar voice of American song."

Director Malloy, who also filmed the 2010 White Stripes tour documentary Under Great White Northern Lights, says he remembers the final night of the tour with special fondness: Most of his crew had fallen asleep, but he kept shooting as Magnetic Zeroes frontman Alex Ebert led a group of musicians through a new song he’d started earlier that day. "What we got that night was pretty magical and ended up being the final scene of the film," he says.

"It’s not just the music," Mumford and Sons’ Ben Lovett told Rolling Stone while we were still out riding the rails. "Everyone on that train has something that they put into the melting pot of this really complicated but beautifully balanced concoction. There’s no feeling of segregation between the musicians and the friends and everyone who’s doing everything else on the train. It doesn’t feel like three bands separately furthering their audience fanbases or any of that shit. It’s like, everything’s taking a backseat and everyone on that train has mucked in to make it what it is."

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Coldplay, Jon Stewart, Mumford and Sons to Headline First Secret Policeman’s Ball in New York

The lineup is announced for the 1st U.S. Secret Policemen's Ball.Stephen Lovekin/Kevin Mazur/Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage/Getty

A much-loved British television tradition will travel across the pond this spring when Coldplay, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Mumford & Sons stage the first Secret Policeman's Ball in New York.

The Stateside adaptation of the longstanding British benefit shows will be held March 4th at Radio City Music Hall. Like its English predecessors, it will raise money for Amnesty International and feature a varied roster of musicians and comedians. Standup comics Russell Brand and Reggie Watts are also scheduled to perform in the show, with more acts to be announced soon.

The British Secret Policeman's Balls, which launched in the 1970s, have featured such stars as U2, Sting, Duran Duran, the Monty Python troupe and Hugh Laurie. New York Secret Policeman's Ball organizer David Javerbaum, a former Daily Show producer, tells The New York Times that his event will be "in the same spirit, for the same cause" as its British counterpart, "and we're trying to do it with the same energy and élan." Tickets go on sale Monday.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Coldplay, Jon Stewart, Mumford and Sons to Headline First Secret Policeman’s Ball in New York

The lineup is announced for the 1st U.S. Secret Policemen's Ball.Stephen Lovekin/Kevin Mazur/Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage/Getty

A much-loved British television tradition will travel across the pond this spring when Coldplay, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Mumford & Sons stage the first Secret Policeman's Ball in New York.

The Stateside adaptation of the longstanding British benefit shows will be held March 4th at Radio City Music Hall. Like its English predecessors, it will raise money for Amnesty International and feature a varied roster of musicians and comedians. Standup comics Russell Brand and Reggie Watts are also scheduled to perform in the show, with more acts to be announced soon.

The British Secret Policeman's Balls, which launched in the 1970s, have featured such stars as U2, Sting, Duran Duran, the Monty Python troupe and Hugh Laurie. New York Secret Policeman's Ball organizer David Javerbaum, a former Daily Show producer, tells The New York Times that his event will be "in the same spirit, for the same cause" as its British counterpart, "and we're trying to do it with the same energy and élan." Tickets go on sale Monday.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Read more »