The Mountain Goats in Phoenix

The Mountain Goats are an American indie-rock band formed in Claremont, California, in 1991 as songwriter John Darnielle’s project. Their early lo-fi recordings were made largely on cassette with a boombox, while later albums adopted a full-band sound. They are known for albums including All Hail West Texas, Tallahassee and The Sunset Tree, and for songs such as “No Children” and “This Year.” The Mountain Goats began playing live with John Darnielle alone on voice and guitar; bassist Peter Hughes later joined him for extensive duo touring. Drummer Jon Wurster and multi-instrumentalist Matt Douglas subsequently expanded the touring lineup into a full band heard in clubs, theatres and at festivals. During the pandemic, the group performed livestreamed sets at Manifold Recording in Pittsboro, North Carolina, and released those performances as The Jordan Lake Sessions.