The Tempest

Issue date: 3/5/08 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: Nate Johnson John Darnielle, the creative force behind the Mountain Goats.

My biggest regret arriving at The Independent last Saturday in downtown San Francisco, was that I had not had a chance to study the vast catalog of the Mountain Goats closely. How possibly could I hold on to the claim that I was a true blue Darnielle fan when I couldn't recall the words to any of the songs on the setlist?

Regardless, I bobbed and I tapped and did a modest little dance when the mood struck me, which still felt somehow inadequate when you put into context the lipsynching masses that surrounded me.

The Mountain Goats, who consists of singer-songwriter John Darnielle and whoever John brings along to play with (usually Peter Hughes these days) have just released their latest album, "Heretic Pride," and this tour was a direct consequence of the promotion of that album. "Heretic" is a development of a storyline that begun in 2002, when John Darnielle (whose name is pretty much interchangeable with the name of the band, since the Mountain Goats are barely more than a solo vehicle for John) abandoned the lo-fi sound that came to be a defining trademark of the band since 1991 for something more substantial in the way of professional studio aesthetics.

I would be the first to admit that I really miss those lo-fi records, which seem to perfectly suit Darnielle's quirky voice, but his latest does see the artist becoming increasingly comfortable with a fuller, more orchestral sound. As the merch guy told me, "It's the loudest Mountain Goats record yet." I'm inclined to agree.

What struck me about John's performance was how much exuberance was expressed in his demeanor. Chalk it up to the sun-dried voice, or the latest string of albums that have been genuinely depressing (lyrically autobiographical, Darnielle has covered such subjects as childhood abuse and the fallout of a nasty breakup) I realized I had come with this romantic image of "John Darnielle, the tortured artist" which did not seem to gel with the reality of the man who sang with a broad smile, and a geeky head tilt that could only come from somebody who genuinely enjoyed themselves, as John admitted as much.

"This really beats my old job, which was cleaning fecal matter off the wall, I mean 'wet' fecal matter," said Darnielle at one point. "God forbid you let that stuff dry."

At one point, when the subject came around to how he would spend millions of dollars, he described a fantasy regarding an animal farm where Deep Purple, ahem, the original Deep Purple lineup, "with that guy on the organ" could perform. You can see the dedication in the fanbase in the mere fact that Darnielle is able to indulge this kind of geeky fantasy publicly.

When John really rocks out, you can feel the energy resonate throughout the venue. When he brings it down, the audience is fixated, in the palm of his hand. And when it's over, you'd be hard pressed not to consider John one hell of an awesome performer.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools