THE MOUNTAIN GOATS
Last night I saw The Mountain Goats (it was just John--no backing band) play a free show at AMOEBA MUSIC, my favorite record store in Los Angeles or pretty much elsewhere (though I'll always have a soft spot for WUXTRY).
The show was in support of the beautiful, brand-spanking new album: "GET LONELY."
I stood right in front of the stage with my pals Hrishikesh and Hank--both of whom also make gorgeous music (those links will take you to their tunes).
The Mountain Goats show was packed, and while it was just John with an acoustic guitar, the intense, manic sound that he brought to his performance echoed through the warehouse and hushed everyone inside it. It's hard to take your eyes off him when he plays. And, having been a fan of The Mountain Goats for years, going to upwards of 25 shows, the most exciting, strange development in the past couple albums is that the audience seems to know the words to every damn song. And they're not afraid to sing along! It's bizarre, like what you might expect at a U2 or Stones concert--not a nasally, lo-fi, cryptic, storytelling oddball.
But here's the thing: the music connects with people in an extremely personal way.
Believe me, it's an incredible feeling to hear a room full of strangers sing "Rome wasn't built in a day" in unison. Yes, I saw tears in some eyes. It was group catharsis. Anyway.
Want to know what it sounded sort of like? Listen to this:
"ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY (LIVE)"
And here's a live version of the song I mentioned last week,
"THE BEST EVER DEATH METAL BAND IN DENTON (LIVE)"
The show was in support of the beautiful, brand-spanking new album: "GET LONELY."
I stood right in front of the stage with my pals Hrishikesh and Hank--both of whom also make gorgeous music (those links will take you to their tunes).
The Mountain Goats show was packed, and while it was just John with an acoustic guitar, the intense, manic sound that he brought to his performance echoed through the warehouse and hushed everyone inside it. It's hard to take your eyes off him when he plays. And, having been a fan of The Mountain Goats for years, going to upwards of 25 shows, the most exciting, strange development in the past couple albums is that the audience seems to know the words to every damn song. And they're not afraid to sing along! It's bizarre, like what you might expect at a U2 or Stones concert--not a nasally, lo-fi, cryptic, storytelling oddball.
But here's the thing: the music connects with people in an extremely personal way.
Believe me, it's an incredible feeling to hear a room full of strangers sing "Rome wasn't built in a day" in unison. Yes, I saw tears in some eyes. It was group catharsis. Anyway.
Want to know what it sounded sort of like? Listen to this:
"ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY (LIVE)"
And here's a live version of the song I mentioned last week,
"THE BEST EVER DEATH METAL BAND IN DENTON (LIVE)"
posted by James Ponsoldt at 12:07 AM
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