Jim James of My Morning Jacket (Getty Images)

Most musicians would be satisfied by releasing five albums, five EP’s, and five live records over a ten year period, but then again, most musicians’ aren’t [lastfm]My Morning Jacket[/lastfm]’s [lastfm]Jim James[/lastfm]. Somewhere between pumping out 15 recordings and the relentless tour schedule, James has found time to work on even more side projects.

To prep you for My Morning Jacket’s Live on Letterman streaming concert tonight (8pm Eastern, 5pm Pacific on CBS.com), we’re looking at some of our favorite additional projects James has worked on.

Tribute To

Jim James officially became [lastfm]Yim Yames[/lastfm] with the release of Tribute To, an EP full of haunting [lastfm]George Harrison[/lastfm] covers. Here’s one of the standout tracks, “My Sweet Lord”:

Preservation: An Album to Benefit Preservation Hall

Few things establish a musician’s artistic credibility like playing with [lastfm]The Preservation Hall Jazz Band[/lastfm]. Jim James (along with [lastfm]Dr. John[/lastfm], [lastfm]Tom Waits[/lastfm], [lastfm]Andrew Bird[/lastfm], [lastfm]Jason Isbell[/lastfm], and a few other guest stars) recorded this fundraising album with the legendary New Orleans musicians. Here is Jim with the band, performing “Blue Yodel No. 9” by [lastfm]Jimmie Rodgers[/lastfm]:

Dear Companion

Jim produced the album Dear Companion with [lastfm]Ben Sollee[/lastfm] and [lastfm]Daniel Martin Moore[/lastfm]. The recording features a modern take on classic Appalachian folk music, with proceeds going to help stop mountain top removal—a form of violently explosive coal mining that has ravished West Virginia and James’ home state of Kentucky. Here are the three performing the title track:

Monsters of Folk

[lastfm]Monsters of Folk[/lastfm] is a supergroup comprised of [lastfm]Connor Oberst[/lastfm], [lastfm]M. Ward[/lastfm], [lastfm]Mike Mogis[/lastfm], and [lastfm]Yim Yames[/lastfm]. The legendary collaboration took the indie world and festival circuit by storm. Here is the video for their track “The Sandman, the Brakeman, and Me”:

Don’t forget to come back here tonight at 8pm ET (5pm Pacific) to watch My Morning Jacket play a live concert webcast direct from the stage of the Ed Sullivan Theater!

Jim James interview (discussing My Morning Jacket and solo projects)

My Morning Jacket’s top five cover songs

My Morning Jacket photo gallery

More about My Morning Jacket Live on Letterman

(My Morning Jacket Live on Letterman is brought to you by AT&T.)