Jim James Alters His Name to Pay Tribute to George Harrison

With his band My Morning Jacket on hiatus, frontman Jim James is focusing much of his immediate attention on the all-star Monsters of Folk project. But before that album drops and they take the show on the road, James is offering up a left-fielder from his archives: a six-song EP of solo, acoustic George Harrison covers. The album, entitled 'Tribute To,' will be released under the name Yim Yames (the Y's are intentional but we're not sure "why").

And why Harrison? "I go through different phases," James tells Spinner. "I enjoy all the contributions the Beatles made, but at this point in my adult life, I'd say yes, I listen to George's music the most."

Harrison fans should be pleased with this one, especially because the disc delivers all those cathartic moments you'd want from a tribute album. James really isn't doing much press for the EP, but he did share with us the memory of his own private Beatles history: "I remember as a kid, hearing that hoax that Paul McCartney was dead," he says. "And then seeing the cover of 'Sgt. Peppers,' and seeing their wax figures there and thinking that those were really their dead bodies and that the Beatles were all dead but somehow still making music. I was very freaked out by that for some time."

Wow. Anyway, 'Tribute To' includes Harrison tracks like 'Long, Long, Long,' 'My Sweet Lord' and 'All Things Must Pass,' and will be released August 4.