The Mountain Goats at the Codfish Hollow Barn -- July 4.
Tuesday, July 4, 8 p.m.
Codfish Hollow Barn, 5013 288th Avenue, Maquoketa IA
With their 21st and most recent album Bleed Out praised by Pitchfork as "full of hurtling drums, sparkling hooks, and anthemic choruses," the indie-folk and -rock artists of The Mountain Goats headline a special Forth of July concert at Maquoketa's Codfish Hollow Barn, the group's many hits over four decades including the top-10 Billboard smashes Beat the Champ, Goths, and In League with Dragons.
The band's discography currently boasting 21 studio albums, four compilation albums, two live albums, 10 demo albums, 18 solo EPs, six collaborative EPs, and 24 singles, the Mountain Goats are a Durham, North Carolina–based outfit led by singer/songwriter John Darnielle. His bandmates currently composed of bassist/vocalist Peter Hughes, drummer Jon Wurster, and multi-instrumentalist Matt Douglas, Darnielle was the sole member of the Mountain Goats for many years, despite the plural moniker. Although Danielle remains the core member of the band, he has worked with a variety of collaborators over time, including singer/songwriter Franklin Bruno, bassist/vocalist Rachel Ware, singer/songwriter/producer John Vanderslice, guitarist Kaki King, and multi-instrumentalist Annie Clark. Throughout the 1990s, the Mountain Goats were known for producing low-fidelity home recordings (most notably, on a cassette-deck boombox) and releasing recordings in cassette or vinyl 7-inch formats. Since 2002, though, the Mountain Goats have adopted a more polished approach, often recording studio albums with a full band.
In 1994, the Mountain Goats released their first full-length studio album Zopilote Machine on Ajax Records, and it remains the band's only full recording featuring the entirety of the Bright Mountain Choir. Following the release of four additional albums, Danielle's outfit finally hit the Billboard charts with 2002's All Hail West Texas, and after three more studio albums, the Mountain Goats hit the top 20 of Billboard's U.S. Indie chart vis 2006's Get Lonely. Since then, all eleven of the group's studio albums have made at least the top 40 on that chart, with 2020's Songs for Pierre Chuvin also becoming the Mountain Goats' first recording to place on Billboard's Australian sales chart. The band made their television debut on October 6, 2009, playing "Psalms 40:2" on The Colbert Report, and three months later, they played "Genesis 3:23" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. The group has also appeared on Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Seth Meyers, and in July of 2019, the Mountain Goats again performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, with Colbert himself joining in the singing of "This Year."
The Mountain Goats bring their "Spectral Tide Tour" to Maquoketa on July 4 alongside guest artists Mint Mile, admission to the 8 p.m. concert event is $45-50, and more information and tickets are available by visiting CodfishHollowBarnstormers.com.
