Photo by Philip Cosores
A little under a week ago, The Mountain Goats wrapped up a tour of small, intimate shows across the US. While they’ll be taking much of the summer off, John Darnielle and crew have announced a return to the road for a full-band trek come this fall.
Following a July 22nd gig at Chicago’s Subterranean, the full four-piece band will strike out in September for what’s been dubbed the We Who Walk Behind the Rows Tour. The shows promise to be fully electric as The Mountain Goats continue to support their latest LP, Beat the Champ, mixing past favorites into their always unique setlists. What’s more, in a statement accompanying the announcement, Darnielle promised that the band is hard at work on fresh material, so there’s always the chance for new songs to be debuted.
Find the band’s complete current itinerary below, followed by Darnielle’s letter to fans.
The Mountain Goats We Who Walk Behind the Rows 2016 Tour Dates:
07/22 – Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
09/18 – Baltimore, MD @ Ram’s Head Live
09/19 – Richmond, VA @ The National
09/20 – Charlottesville, VA @ Jefferson Theater
09/22 – Bloomington, IN @ Buskirk-Chumley Theatre
09/23 – Bloomington, IL @ The Castle Theatre
09/26 – Iowa City, IA @ The Englert Theatre
09/27 – Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater
09/28 – Madison, WI @ Majestic Theater
09/30 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
10/01 – Kansas City, MO @ Madrid Theater
10/02 – Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note
10/03 – Maquoketa, IA @ Codfish Hollow Barnstormers
“FIRST THINGS FIRST: huge thanks to everybody who came out to see us on the tour I’ve barely been home from a week. It was a really special tour for us; multi-stands are a blast, stripping the kit down to fit into the smaller rooms takes us into new and spontaneous places, and I am continually humbled by how great you all treat us. “You have the best audiences,” the people we tour with always tell us. Cynics may think I’m saying that to butter you up but I’m not, it’s the actual truth; I can’t count the number of bands we’ve played with who comment on it. So thank you, all of you. You rule the hills like great ancient kings. May we be worthy of your reign.
THE MOUNTAIN GOATS HAVE NOW BEEN A QUARTET FOR A LITTLE OVER A YEAR and it is so inspiring it is to find ourselves here: “never do things too fast” has always been my motto: write a lot, release a lot, but only change up your game when it feels right, always be moving forward but kick back strongly at anybody trying to grab hold of your shoulders and push you in any particular kinda direction. This philosophy is why we didn’t go into a recording studio at all until we were good and ready, why we didn’t have a full-time drummer until 2007, and it’s why we knew, when Matt Douglas showed up on the scene, that we were headed into new terrain.
WE’RE WORKING ON NEW STUFF NOW. As is usually the case, I know more about it than I’m gonna tell you outright, because the best things gestate in the secret darkness and only emerge when the portents say it’s time. But the best place to prepare for the spring festival is in the arena: in front of an audience, I mean, in clubs, on stages, in the actual thick of things. It’s where the road ahead becomes clearest. It’s where the indicators glow brightest. It’s where we live.
EVERY SHOW ON THE BRINE CRYPT EXODUS TOUR SOLD OUT EXCEPT FOR THE ONE WHERE WE SOLD THE MOST TICKETS, which is totally hilarious, but I mention this by way of saying: we’re touring in the fall. Full electric tour at full volume, all four of us. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 29. The smaller rooms will sell out quicker, the bigger ones may take a minute, fair warning as Van Halen said on the album that has “Unchained” on it, which they said the same year that Rufus released Camouflage, which you should go listen to right now because it’s one of the best albums anywhere. As for us, we’ll see you in the fall!”