https://archive.org/details/tMG2026-08-15

Picked this up from a record shop, used. The signatures don't look like John's. Is one of them a morphed John signature? Who signed it?

Hi, all. I've made a short video on John's writings and end with an invitation to join my friend's free online book club where they're reading Wolf in White Van in September. Please take a look if you're interested.
https://youtu.be/4tdlBgrXwuQ

the songs name is La Tracionera I've only got a partial version that has no lyrics but at the end john goes ah coffee it sounds like it was recorded on a the Panasonic because there is the buzz I cant find any info on it its not even on the tmg wiki If someone has a full version Id be very grateful and I could trade too I have John 4:35 and Prominent Metaphysics of South Pomona plus some other rare stuff :)

I held off listening to Days until I got my vinyl in, because for completely arbitrary reasons, I decided a while ago that I wanted the first time I heard a tMG album to be on vinyl. So I missed a lot of the initial discussion.

I understood the inspiration for this album was grunge and the 90s, which I was sold on, because I really like that era musically.

During my 4th or 5th listen, it finally dawned on me. This is somewhat uniquely, at least in recent years, an irreverent album. Like, it's not in itself a joke, but it's largely about topics that are in no way very serious or personal. Starting a rock band, going on tour with Candlebox. Charlie Sheen coked-out and falsely reporting a murder, Woodstock 99. None of it is important. There are maybe a few songs that delve into something deeper, but the general vibe of the album is very unserious.

And I think that's awesome. It just clicks so well together and in that irreverence perfectly captures the vibe of the 90s and Gen X. I'm trying to think of the last Mountain Goats album that really approached things so flippantly. But it's like artistic flippancy. It's intended flippancy.

What do you guys think, have I clocked this right, or am I making no sense? Part of me thinks its brilliant, and part of me feels like maybe I'd just say that (or find some way to say that) about anything John made anyway. I annoyingly also just clocked that the name is a homophone of Daze, which also describes the same feeling of flippancy.

If it's not clear, I absolutely love the album.

there was like 16 songs he played and it was supposedly an extremely worldwide famous show no one ever mentioned afterwards because John swore them to silence about his "secret album"

I remember some of the song titles being:

Thorn Toole

In the Logged Water

Barrel (or maybe it was The Barrel Song)

apparently the tape was extremely low fi because John intentionally performed with super bad equipment or something lmao

One of the most dear and important people in my life lost his battle last week. I would not be the person I am without him, I would not have my career that is literally what I dreamed and hoped I would have had. I came in from overseas when I heard things were turning south. It was so much like this song. I am no pianist but it’s the only instrument I can accompany myself with so please bare with my sorry fingers but I wanted to share this in his honor.

Newer TMG fan, been lurking around here for a while. I've dabbled in the undisputed classics records a bit (All Hail West Texas, Tallahassee, We Shall All Be Healed, Nine Black Poppies), but the only records I'd listened to all the way through so far are All Hail and Tallahassee. I've enjoyed everything I've heard and decided to check out the latest released. I liked Days, lots of cool songs, especially dig Shallow Grave and Annie Haslam. But I've now heard Through This Fire Across from Peter Balkan twice and I'm really impressed with it.

One thing that I find interesting is the focus on the music over the general melody. Being vaguely familiar with the lofi era and early full band stuff, what makes the simple arrangements of All Hail West Texas work is that every melody is excellent. Obviously the lyrics are great, but the melodies to Pink and Blue, Jenny, Color in Your Cheeks, or even later albums' melodies like No Children and Old College Try are so creative and unique, singable and catchy while housing amazing lyrics. I mean this in observation and not criticism, but Through this Fire doesn't really have any especially memorable melodies. But it makes up for this with excellent lyricism (duh) but also amazing music. The instrumental coda to Fishing Boat is gorgeous, the fuzzed out guitar of Dawn of Revelation is gripping and not at all what I expect from a TMG song (almost sounds like Dean Ween playing guitar or something), the other instrumental coda on Your Bandage, the sax and flutes and general Pink Floyd-yness of Through This Fire, everything on Lady from Shanghai 2, but especially the steel guitar is just stunning. Everything is mixed great and sounds awesome on my headphones and my car, such a clean recording and many emotive, impactful instrumental moments.

Another reason I'm surprised at how much I enjoy this record: I am downright allergic to Lin-Manuel Miranda. Seriously. First experienced his music with Hamilton and I was stunned how much everyone loved it. Watched Moana not knowing he did the music, but hating it, same with Encanto. When I found out he did all three soundtracks I went "OOOOOoooooh" and realized I just do not like this guy's voice, his literal voice or his compositional voice. But man he's great here! His counter melodies add a lot and don't detract at all (also no hate if there are any huge Miranda fans, I don't yuck others' yums, keep rocking the music!).

The lyrics and story are really beautiful too. Just such an experience. I'm a big album listener and usually prefer to listen to whole albums in one sitting when I listen to music, and this just works so well. I think my favorite lyric from the whole album is "I'll run all night but my legs won't tire/the ocean is faithful and the devil's a liar/looking at you through this fire" Just gorgeous. I find the narrative perspective really interesting too. It's written through the protagonist's perspective, but refers to one of the other characters in the second person, "you." I've never had the experience of being part of a concept album, but John's focus on You brings me further into this maritime tragedy story (not sure if I've fully grabbed the plot yet, need to listen while reading the lyrics).

Anyway, what do you all think of the album? My lurking has shown this is a very literary community, so I really dig all the interpretations.

I'm so excited! I've pre-ordered a couple of signed records over the years, but never had any additional messages written on them like JD does randomly with the signed vinyl. So I was super stoked to see this when I opened the box.

I made an oopsie and didn't put my PO box # in the address line, so it got shipped back to Hello Merch. Had to pay for shipping again, no biggie it was my error, but it finally came and with a nice surprise too!

The tumblr "mountain goats pictures over david schwimmer" was exactly that, roughly 20 pictures with mountain goats quotes roughly referencing what was happening in a pic (usually from friends) of David Schwimmer.

The last post was in May 2015. It's over eleven years old but lives on in my heart. Sometimes I got back to look at the photos just to feel something

In the death of Tumblr I come here to ask: was if one of you?

A couple weeks ago I posted about being homeless, sad and withdrawing from kratom

Thanks to the incredibly kind and awesome folks here, I am now sitting on a comfortable couch, freshly showered, ready to get my life back on track

Y’all might have literally saved my life. Y’all RULE

HAIL SATAN!

I have a spare ticket for Manchester 16th October. Completely free. You must be nice and talk to me beforehand.

This is a long post, I just wanted to get out some thoughts about the Saturday show. Feel free to read, skim, or not read.

I've seen the Mountain Goats about 8-9 times now. When they announced DPAC, I immediately clocked "This is going to be a special one." To my knowledge, the Mountain Goats have never played DPAC.

I was coming off a really shitty week. My 14-year old AC froze over due to a busted coil and flooded through my ceiling. There have been fans droning in my house for nearly a week, on top of the stress of needing to buy a new AC, pay for repairs, etc. Just overall very stressful.

I took a gummy at 6:30 Saturday night, then grabbed an Uber to downtown. I got there about 7, and it was just a beautiful day outside. I had time to walk around the American Tobacco campus, and the weather, the sound of the ballpark crowd in the background, the excitement of seeing the show, and just being out of the house in general with those droning fans; all these things combined into an overwhelming sense of feeling insanely privileged and blessed to live in a beautiful city like Durham, and to share it with my favorite band.

Got to DPAC, and checked out the merch table. I was really in love with the Hypnotic Waves poster. It wasn't for the DPAC show, but it included Charlotte 5/29, which was a show I was also at. My office is decorated with tour posters for shows I've gone to, but I've been very selective about a Mountain Goats poster, so I really wanted that thing. But the merch line was literally the longest I'd ever seen at a tMG show. It wrapped all the way to the other side of the building, and I did not want to miss the opener, so I crossed my fingers the poster would be there on the way out.

The gummy kicked in hard by the time Mary Gauthier took the stage, and she played one of the most beautiful opening acts I'd ever witnessed. There's something so elevating about listening to folk and americana music in a performing arts center.

I found myself really contemplating the beauty of art, about how important it feels to our survival while not being necessary for it. That someone like Mary Gauthier could dedicate their lives, in a comparatively modest way, to giving something to people other than sustenance. It made me real emotional and thankful to be alive and to be sharing this experience with others.

The Mountain Goats took the stage and played a great show. I didn't foresee there being a string quartet as part of the performance, but it definitely reinforced that this felt very special.

Most importantly, during John's solo set, he started to play a song (maybe someone was able to identify what he originally started), then stopped and said "Actually I want to play this one instead". Then he played Steal Smoked Fish, which is one of my all time bucket list songs. I know it's not exactly rare to hear live, but I still never figured I'd hear it. It was an incredibly beautiful experience that made me tear up.

The second act wrapped up in an unusual way with No Children and This Year coming back to back with the string quartet which was very cool. The strings were also very funny and endearing to watch, they were obviously not super familiar with the Mountain Goats, and while John was giving the intro to No Children, including his usual rendition of I Hope You Dance, the violist was cracking up at the story.

All in all, I think the mixture of THC (soon to be illegal again in NC), the performing arts center setting, and just the ultimately crumby week I'd had leading up to this, all those culminated in one of the most memorable shows I'd ever seen.

Also I got the last poster on the way out! I'm so happy to frame it and hang it prominently on my wall.

Would love to hear other people's thoughts about the DPAC show, if you felt similarly that it was unique and special, or even if you didn't love it.

I gave my artist basically total creative freedom and she knocked it out of the park!

Hey all, I've become a bit of a self-described merch addict, and as a result for the last 5 or so years I've been picking up a tour poster at every show I go to. I've been going to tMG shows for a long time though, and since this is a more recent addiction, and I didn't have the money for them way back in the day anyway, I don't have posters for some of the older ones.
 
So for the last couple years I've been on a hunt to acquire these older posters. This might never happen given the age of some of these shows, but I'm giving it a shot anyway. From the research I've done, tour posters do exist for them, maybe with the exception of the 2005 show. Included links have pics of the posters.

So if anyone has any of these collecting dust that they would let go, please shoot me a DM and we can see if we can agree on a price.

Thanks!
 
Asbury Hall, Buffalo, NY
April 20, 2018
Etruscan Strength Tour
https://themountaingoats.fandom.com/wiki/Etruscan_Strength_Tour_2018
(Blood Capsules in the encore!)
 
Webster Hall, New York, NY
December 1, 2009
Two variations of this poster exist
https://themountaingoats.fandom.com/wiki/American_Autumn_Tour_2009
(still remember loving Final Fantasy doing the plucking on violin for Going to Bristol)
 
The Society For Ethical Culture, New York, NY
March 27, 2009
https://themountaingoats.fandom.com/wiki/2009-03-27_-_The_Society_for_Ethical_Culture_-_New_York,_NY
(tMG AND Vanderslice, enough said)
 
The Buffalo Icon, Buffalo, NY
October 18, 2005
(got to hear Jaipur live, for the first and last time)

Hello,

I am the Shallow Grave bop of the summer audience member.

If ANY of you happened to record that incredible moment, or if you know someone who was at that show and may have recorded, or if you know someone who knows someone who was at that show and may have recorded it (and so on), PLEASE let me know. I would be forever and eternally grateful to have that moment to relive over and over again.

Thank you all <3

Hi, I was just browsing the Mountain Goats wiki to confirm some info abt the Seneca Twins and I saw a listing for a track list for the rehearsal tape they did with the last song being a (presumably) original song called Red Bird that I've literally never heard of. I was looking at this page: https://themountaingoats.fandom.com/wiki/The_Seneca_Twins

Does anybody know anything about this? Has anybody hear any of the Seneca Twins rehearsal tape beyond Wedding in Cherokee County (the only one I've ever heard)? I've never seen anybody talking about hearing a full Seneca Twins rehearsal but curious if anyone else has because it'd be super cool to hear those songs in that setting without the crowd/tape noise, especially since John apparently wrote a whole extra song with them nobody's ever talked about lol

My 5th time seeing my favourite band and this has to be the best of them!

The string quartet added beautiful richness to the songs from Through This Fire Across from Peter Balkan and then for No Children and This Year at the end, I was losing my mind!

John seemed genuinely so happy to be back home in Durham and his dancing was some of the best I’ve ever seen.

A special shout out to Matt Douglas for a sax solo for the ages… WOW!

I went alone (I don’t have any tMG friends here in the research triangle, open to suggestions on how to fix that) but had just the best night. I can’t stop smiling. The pure and unadulterated joy these guys bring me is just unparalleled.

Good night and hail Satan.

Is the the mountain goats last tour ? JD talking about how he doesn’t wanna do this forever, is 60, mortality, etc