The Mountain Goats | Artist
The Mountain Goats are an American contemporary folk band formed 1991 in Claremont, California, by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. The band is currently based in Durham, North Carolina. For many years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats was Darnielle, accompanied by Rachel Ware (bass, vocals) for several years. The present day lineup includes Darnielle (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Peter Hughes (bass, vocals), Jon Wurster (drums), and Matt Douglas (saxophone, flute, clarinet, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals). Throughout the 1990s, the band was known for producing lo-fi home recordings released on cassette or 7" vinyl. Since 2002, they have adopted a more polished approach, often recording studio albums with a full band, while still maintaining organically emotional lyrical motifs. Prolific recording artists, the band has released 27 'studio' albums between 1992-2021, which have developed from their earlier more rudimentary productions. Standout albums include Full Force Galesburg (1997), The Coroner's Gambit (2000), All Hail West Texas (2002), Tallahassee (2002), We Shall All be Healed (2004), The Sunset Tree (2005), Goths (2017), The Jordan Lakes Sessions Volumes 1 & 2 (2020), and Bleed Out (2022). Also recommended are the EP The Devil in the Software (2001) and the compilation Ghana (2002). The Mountain Goats made their first ever television appearance, performing "Psalms 40:2" on The Colbert Report, hosted by professed Mountain Goats fan Stephen Colbert. John Darnielle is also a successful writer and podcaster. His first book, Black Sabbath: Master of Reality, was published in April 2008 as part of the 331/3 series. Darnielle's book was a fictional narrative in the form of a novella, centring around a young man held in a psychiatric facility who is attempting to retrieve his confiscated tape of the Master of Reality album. His first novel Wolf in White Van (2014) was nominated for the National Book Award for Fiction. Known for his prolific output and literary song lyrics, Darnielle was referred to in a New Yorker review as "America's best non-hip-hop lyricist". In its June 2006 issue, Paste magazine named Darnielle one of the "100 Best Living Songwriters.
Artist Website: mountaingoats.com
Featured Albums: The Mountain Goats
Related Artists: John Darnielle
