Is there anything not to love about The Mountain Goats’ frontman John Darnielle? Seriously, the guy is on another level. Besides being one of the smartest songwriters in contemporary music, he is also one of the most forthcoming and honest. So, with the announcement of a new tour from the Goats, which follows a year of already heavy touring, Darnielle has offered a warning of sorts on the band’s website:
One small word about these shows. For years bands have been pretty judicious about playing unreleased new material, because much of it becomes available online immediately, even when the new songs are still in fairly raw form. We, too, have gotten into the bad habit of holding new stuff back. We are done with that whole philosophy, though. I miss playing stuff that’s unreleased & unrecorded, stuff that still stings fresh. So we got together and decided to tour the new songs before we even record them. I don’t guess that we’ll be touring all ten of the new songs I’ve written for the next album (eleven if you count one that’s presently being herded back and forth between its cell & the chopping block), but be advised that if you’re the sort of person who wants as many surprises as possible when you hear a new album, you should tread lightly around recordings of these shows, because we’re not going to be holding the best ones back for the album release like people tend to do now.”
First of all, that entry is titled “Putting The Cyborgs On Notice.” Secondly, fans of the band should be thrilled to know that the next record is written and just needs to be recorded. This means it is very likely that we will see a new album from The Mountain Goats in 2012. And, lastly, anyone who is on this tour route will have extra incentive to get out to a show. But, honestly, you shouldn’t need more of a reason to see The Mountain Goats. Check out the dates below.
December
6 – The Second City (Letters to Santa Benefit), Chicago, IL
16 – Troubadour (Invisible Children Benefit), Los Angeles, CA
January
19 – Antone’s, Austin, TX
20 – Fitzgerald’s, Houston, TX
21 – Tipitina’s, New Orleans, LA
23 – Club Downunder, Tallahassee, FL
24 – The Social, Orlando, FL
25 – Crowbar, Tampa, FL
27 – The Original Cafe Eleven, St. Augustine, FL
28 – The Earl, Atlanta, GA
30 – 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA
31 – Visulite Theatre, Charlotte, NC
February
2 – the Grey Eagle, Asheville, NC
4 – the Haw River Ballroom, Saxapahaw, NC
