Interview: Mountain Goats

John Darnielle manages to provoke all kinds of devotion from his fans with his band the Mountain Goats. It could be surprising for a new listener, given the apparent simplicity of his music (this is of course, ignoring his ability to write memorable songs). However, the reason why he has been so loved is that his songs convey a real empathy towards the misfits in society, the people on the fringes, society’s forgotten folk (Darnielle was a former psychiatric nurse). He has also been extremely prolific for two decades starting off with lo-fi recordings on his boombox, and moving to denser, aurally complex albums from 2002’s Tallahassee onwards. His latest from 2009, his seventeenth album The Life of the World to Come takes it cue from the Old Testament. In fact, each song is named after a biblical verse. He’s also heading back to New Zealand for the fourth time, giving audiences the chance to see his passion, distinctive songs, and wonderful story-telling once more.

Click HERE to read the interview.

Mountain Goats NZ Tour

Thursday 8th April : The Kings Arms Tavern : Auckland
Friday 9th April : San Fran Bath House : Wellington

Tickets on sale HERE at UTR or Real Groovy AK and Welly.