The Mountain Goats

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23rd ²⁰⁰⁹

The Mountain Goats is the musical project of singer-songwriter and guitarist John Darnielle. The New Yorker magazine referred to him as “America’s best non-hip-hop lyricist”. In its June 2006 issue, Paste magazine named Darnielle one of the “100 Best Living Songwriters”. Darnielle’s lyrics are literate and filled with imagery that reference classic literature, religion and mythologies, pop culture, art and history. Others are vague references to his stepfather, and with the 2005 album The Sunset Tree Darnielle finally offers a more intimate account of his experience as an abused child.

Darnielle began performing under the name the Mountain Goats in 1991 in Claremont, California, where he attended Pitzer College and worked as a psychiatric nurse. The band’s name, the Mountain Goats, is a reference to the Screamin' Jay Hawkins song "Yellow Coat". Darnielle released his first album, Taboo VI: The Homecoming, on Shrimper Records. Many of his first recordings and performances featured Darnielle accompanied by members of the all-girl reggae band, The Casual Girls, who became known as The Bright Mountain Choir. One of this group’s members, Rachel Ware, continued to accompany Darnielle on bass, both live and in studio, until 1995.

Highly prolific, since the early 90s Darnielle has released over a dozen Mountain Goats albums, 6 full-length cassettes, various 7” singles, 10” and 12” EP’s and has contributed to compilations and label samplers too numerous to mention.

Recommended If You Like:

Okkervil River, John Vanderslice, Neutral Milk Hotel

Record Label: 4AD

Listen at: www.myspace.com/themountaingoats

Appearing at The Social on November 23rd 2009

8pm doors $17.00ADV $20.00DOS 18+ Welcome

Stellastarr*

Monday, November 16th ²⁰⁰⁹

While attending Brooklyn's Pratt Institute of the Arts in the late '90s, vocalist/guitarist Shawn Christensen, bassist Amanda Tannen, and drummer Arthur Kremer befriended one another for what would eventually become a musical journey. The threesome had barely grasped the beauty of their respective instruments, so forming the band Ghistor was an interesting move. It was a work in progress and a bond in the making, however short-lived. Christensen, Tannen, and Kremer eventually graduated and tried the corporate thing for a while. They reconnected in spring 2000 with former Charlotte's Funeral guitarist and Philly native Michael Jurin to form the indie rock outfit stellastarr*. A deal with Tiswas followed by 2002 and their EP Somewhere Across Forever appeared the next spring. After much acclaim from the media for the eponymously titled debut full-length, the group returned in 2005 with the follow-up effort Harmonies For The Haunted. In 2009 stellastarr* released Civilized on their own Bloated Wife Records.

Recommended If You Like:

The Bravery, Interpol, The Raveonettes

Record Label: Bloatedwife

Listen at: www.myspace.com/stellastarr

Appearing at The Social with So Help Me Rifle, and Drink Up Buttercup

7pm doors $13.00ADV $15.00DOS All Ages Welcome