This Week in the Mercury
Friday, November 6, 2009
News Win Tickets to the Mountain Goats!
Posted by Ezra Ace Caraeff on Fri, Nov 6, 2009 at 10:44 AM
- Chrissy Piper
Someday soon when John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats wins a Grammy, Pulitzer, MacArthur Genius Grant, and Super Bowl MVP Trophy, I'm going to lead an unofficial "Darnielle in Portland" tour in one of those double decker tourist buses. I'll regal visitors with tales all about Darnielle's sordid days as a Portlander, plus I'll throw in a star map to Courtney Taylor-Taylor's house as well. Book your seats now!
Until that happens, you'll just have to settle for seeing Darnielle and the Mountain Goats at the Wonder Ballroom on Wednesday, November 11th. In fact, we're giving away three pairs of tickets to the show. Just comment below on why you deserve to attend, and the top three posts by Monday 9am will get into the concert without opening their wallets. If you are not the commenting type, tickets can be purchased here.
Also, if you dare doubt this paper's Mountain Goats obsession over the years, Darnielle has been the subject of more features than any non-local musician in our ten year history. In fact, he even wrote an article for us about Sonny Liston.
LISTEN:
The Mountain Goats - "Psalms 40:2"
1
Because Tallahassee makes my heart break. And I've never seen them live. And because my birthday is Sunday and I'm broke.
4
Because the Mountain Goats have taken me on an emotional, cynical, and inspriational roller coaster ride for years. The honesty and poetry in Darnielle's lyrics and execusion are brilliant and I'd love to experience that live finally!! Plus I'm broke like everyone else.
5
My boyfriend has loved John Darnielle and the Mountain Goats for a long time and I would love to be able to win them for him.
6
Because I love that John Darnielle has a Loudon Wainwright III-esque gigantic head on his shoulders (literally, not figuratively). Seriously, it's really big. They both have really big mouths, too.
7
Winning Mountain Goats would put some 'Color in [My] Cheeks'. I love Darnielle's work not only as the Mountain Goats but also with other artists like John Vanderslice. While Darnielle has been "Going to"... places for years, I hope Wednesday I will be going to the Wonder Ballroom. I also am a big fan of Final Fantasy and his live performance is one of the best I've ever seen. COMEON END HITS DON'T MAKE ME 'GET LONELY'!
9
On the day that Dennis Brown's lung collapsed
A man was cycling along the river
Deep in his rain gear
his headphones sang songs about Texas
And for a while there, he was flying
Teeth clenching a colbert bumped smile
On the day my lung collapses
It's not going to be much different
A man was cycling along the river
Deep in his rain gear
his headphones sang songs about Texas
And for a while there, he was flying
Teeth clenching a colbert bumped smile
On the day my lung collapses
It's not going to be much different
10
I looked out this morning and the sun was gone.
Turned on some Mountain Goats to start my day.
I lost myself in a familiar song.
I closed my eyes and I slipped away!
-
I am a member of Project Jedi. I want to prove myself, and for my sins, The Merc will teach me a lesson.
Turned on some Mountain Goats to start my day.
I lost myself in a familiar song.
I closed my eyes and I slipped away!
-
I am a member of Project Jedi. I want to prove myself, and for my sins, The Merc will teach me a lesson.
11
When the rumbling earth fae split the sea floor of the ancient sea goats asunder, they fled to the craggy reaches of the high mountains. As their nimble hooves found solace in the scattered rocks, looming boulders and sparse vegetation the Mountains embraced their new stewards of the land. Stubbornly adapting to this new step in their pathless path, forever leaving the treacherous sea behind the goats forged a new tribe. Finding acceptance by the ancient mages of the highest peaks, thus fostering a marriage of evolution, finding refuge and safety, the alpine tenants provided mutual protection and supplies. As the weavers looped the warp and the weft, so wove the lives of the dwellers of the precipices. The Mountain Goats.
12
I lived in Tallahassee one summer. While there, my roommate at the time introduced me to The Mountain Goats. I would listen to Tallahassee every day to give me the strength I needed to face the interminable heat of a southern summer. Once, after some FSU frat boys threw their empties at me and ran me off the road while I was biking home, I summoned the destroying angel that Darnielle talks about in the album's title track, and as if by magic a cop appeared. He pulled the car over and gave them a littering ticket. Then I relocated to Portland and have been waiting patiently for Darnielle and his band to play here. My time has come. Onward, brave mountain explorers and downfall of asshole frat boys!
13
My birthday is Nov 13. My friend bought me a ticket for the show as a birthday present, as the Mountain Goats is one of my favorite bands I then preceded to lose the damn ticket. I would buy another ticket but would really rather not as I'm unemployed.
14
this ticket challenge reminded me to put The Mountain Goats in my eMusic cue (to make amends for all of my *legal TMG downloads). thank you mercury blog, you have made me a better person!
15
Once upon a time, everything sucked really hard. My mother was dying and I knew it and she knew it and nobody would admit it. My relationship was drying and I knew it and he knew it and nobody would admit it. On top of that, I'd been out of work for months and living off the rapidly-diminishing good graces of my friends. I finally got a part-time seasonal job selling hideous glass figurines at Lloyd Center. I often cried at work and I rarely slept, spending almost every minute anxious and miserable. At night I'd get off the bus and sing "No Children" at the top of my lungs, as many times as I could belt it out before I got home. I'd hum it to myself at work. It made each minute worth powering through. It made it OK that nothing was OK. If I hadn't stumbled onto Mr. Darnielle's cheerful desolation I have a feeling I'd be floating bloated and lifeless in the Willamette.
16
Because hearing ""Philly Boy" Roy" Jon Wurster on the drums is more than enough reason to get over this swine flu! (Yes I used double quotes inside of MORE double quotes!)
17
I'm an unemployed drunk, and my three-year anniversary with my girlfriend is this month, and I feel like I owe her for being such a loser. The Mountain Goats are her favorite band.
18
I read about a band called 'Souled American' in an article by Gene Santoro, published back in the late 1980s in 'The Nation' magazine. His brief, capsule review of their latest album -- "Around The Horn" -- intrigued me so much that immediately went to the House of Records in Eugene and bought the album. The next day, I returned to the store and bought the other two Souled American albums, "Fe" & "Flubber", both vinyl, both Rough Trade. Since then, I have evangelized about Souled American to anyone who would listen. Finally, I was able to persuade an old friend to listen them a few times, and he too has become a fan. He also just happened to move to Portland. Now what does all this have to do with the Mountain Goats? Well, to answer this I must refer to yet another article -- but this time, the article was written by John Darnielle. And yes, it was about Souled American. Turns out that Mr. Darnielle himself is a Souled American fan ..and evangelist. Any musician, any band, that loves Souled American, is a musician & band I want to hear, to see, and to learn more about. Thus, I would be thrilled to be awarded a pair of tickets to the Mountain Goats show in Portland. It would make my old friend happy too. After all, I would bring somebody with me who not only appreciates the Mountain Goats but also appreciates their great inspiration and influence, Souled American. And afterward, who knows, we might just become evangelists for the Mountain Goats too. So, yes, it might sound odd, but because my friend and I love Souled American, we would love to see The Mountain Goats. John Darnielle would understand. I think.
20
I've more or less done the Darnielle in Iowa tour. I've visited Colo, IA, Grinnell College mailbox 02-75 and once bought whiskey for an underage drag queen while farmers looked on as if I was the end of western civilization in the Hy Vee grocery store which is the setting for a song about a "negative epiphany" (the song was 'Store').
My first Mountain Goats concert was in Ames, Iowa and I got stranded because my ride reignited a hate-sex driven doomed relationship at the concert. I was given a ride back home by his roommate, who had learned, during the concert, that her boyfriend had been arrested on Federal Terrorism charges (He was not a terrorist).
So, you should award the tickets to me because I'm the only person who's programmed a "Sorry your boyfriend's been arrested for Terrorism" Mountain Goats mix while driving across the prairie.
My first Mountain Goats concert was in Ames, Iowa and I got stranded because my ride reignited a hate-sex driven doomed relationship at the concert. I was given a ride back home by his roommate, who had learned, during the concert, that her boyfriend had been arrested on Federal Terrorism charges (He was not a terrorist).
So, you should award the tickets to me because I'm the only person who's programmed a "Sorry your boyfriend's been arrested for Terrorism" Mountain Goats mix while driving across the prairie.
21
Tallahassee is still probably my favorite record of all time and I was devastated when his going primal tour earlier this year came nowhere near us (I investigated flights to Chicago for it but there was no way i could afford it). Let me tell you about the only time I've seen the mountain goats (in store performance when get lonely came out doesn't count). I saw them down in Eugene while they were touring on heritic pride and was astounded by the idiocy of the crowd. Some 16 ear old in the center of the front row held up a "best ever death metal band inDenton" poster for the whole show blocking the view for a lot of the audience. At another point another 16 year old girl screamed out "have my babies!" at a quiet point in the show. While a lot of the show was great, you could tell Darnielle was annoyed with the whole thing. He came out for a truncated encore and never even touched the electric guitar behind him (meaning no Lovecraft in Brooklyn). I talked to him after the show and he seemed really creeped out by the whole situation. I'm broke as hell now (just found out today the head gasket in my cars engine is blown), but I would love to see a Mountain Goats show where I'm not surrounded by 16 year old screaming girls
22
I genuinely love the mountain goats! That's why I think I deserve the opportunity to see them play live!
23
I genuinely love the mountain goats! It would be amazing to be able to experience their music making abilities live.
24
Been a Mountain Goats fan since 2004. Their Colbert appearance reminded me how incredibly awesome they are, and I broke out the old MP3s to the iPod for bike commute greatness. Please gimme tix so I can help the wife understand how awesome they are too. Thanks.
25
You should give the tickets to me because I am easily The Goats' biggest fan as evidenced by this list I made up:
- I always open my bags of cereal, oatmeal canisters, milk cartons, and turkeys-to-stuff with two hands.
- Instead of hyper tension I have dis tension.
- My favorite letter was capital O well before both the ascendancy of Barack Hussein Obama and That Ridiculously, If Confusingly, Hot Older Lady From The Overstock.com Ads
- My favorite facial expression is “the Gape”.
- My favorite Hanna Barbara character is Grape Ape (it sounds similar to gape?)
- My favorite episode of Freaks & Geeks is “The Garage Door”
- My favorite epic poem is The Iliad.
- Every time I go to Blockbuster I always end up renting Dead Alive.
- I refuse to ride in orange convertibles.
- My geographically inexplicable favorite team is the New England Patriots, a love which is explic'd by their unparalleled execution of the Spread offense.
- My home page is still Stile Project.
- I'm pen pages with Matt Miller.
- Rhonda Clarke has a Lifetime Restraining Order against me for the threatening message board posts and mean-spirited YTMNDs I wrote about her. I am not allowed to come within 1000 feet of her home, 500 feet of her childrens' school, or manipulate or post her image in any viral fashion.
- Every January 14th-- after pouring one out for Louie Carroll/Ray Kroc [you choose]-- I set up a mirror in front of my mirror and find my inner light.
- I have a tattoo around my navel. It is of hands.
- I haven't felt a poop since 2001.
PLEASE GIVE ME THE TICKETS,
Thank you.
More...
- I always open my bags of cereal, oatmeal canisters, milk cartons, and turkeys-to-stuff with two hands.
- Instead of hyper tension I have dis tension.
- My favorite letter was capital O well before both the ascendancy of Barack Hussein Obama and That Ridiculously, If Confusingly, Hot Older Lady From The Overstock.com Ads
- My favorite facial expression is “the Gape”.
- My favorite Hanna Barbara character is Grape Ape (it sounds similar to gape?)
- My favorite episode of Freaks & Geeks is “The Garage Door”
- My favorite epic poem is The Iliad.
- Every time I go to Blockbuster I always end up renting Dead Alive.
- I refuse to ride in orange convertibles.
- My geographically inexplicable favorite team is the New England Patriots, a love which is explic'd by their unparalleled execution of the Spread offense.
- My home page is still Stile Project.
- I'm pen pages with Matt Miller.
- Rhonda Clarke has a Lifetime Restraining Order against me for the threatening message board posts and mean-spirited YTMNDs I wrote about her. I am not allowed to come within 1000 feet of her home, 500 feet of her childrens' school, or manipulate or post her image in any viral fashion.
- Every January 14th-- after pouring one out for Louie Carroll/Ray Kroc [you choose]-- I set up a mirror in front of my mirror and find my inner light.
- I have a tattoo around my navel. It is of hands.
- I haven't felt a poop since 2001.
PLEASE GIVE ME THE TICKETS,
Thank you.
26
The first song I ever heard by the Mountain Goats was "The Game Shows Touch Our Lives." I discovered on the internet on some random wikipedia song list that I encountered while I was looking up depressing break up songs. Yes, I know... Who does that? I hadn't broken up with someone, but I was in some sort of tale involving unrequited love and people falling for their friends... Anyway, I needed some good music to listen to and feel sorry for myself while I was having those angsty moments alone in my basement room. I had outplayed just about every Elliott Smith and Aimee Mann album, and then there was this song, this beautiful, simple song that narrated my life at the moment for me. Hearing "The Game Shows Touch Our Lives" made me feel like John Darnielle had been inside me in the style of Being John Malkovich and had seen my life through my eyes. After my chance discovery with the one song, I began to listen to other songs and realized that there were more that somehow fit the soundtrack of my life. Now, I'll be honest and admit that I often think songs lyrics were stolen from my life and written about me... I thought for about five years that Brick by Ben Folds told the story of my life until I looked up its true meaning and realized how off my interpretations of songs could be, but that being said, it's different with the Mountain Goats' songs. Now, you may not know this, but Get Lonely also tells the story of my life. Did you know that during my last breakup, I was also sad and everything reminded me of that person even as I tried to find distractions. And by "breakup," I of course mean once the person realized that I was too creepy to be friends with any longer. What? I should go. Oh, but wait... I need to escape my awkwardness and keep writing in an effort to win some awesome tickets. The Mountain Goats have these amazingly universal lyrics that express simple thoughts and feelings, and so often they're explicitly stated, so that even the simplest mind of mine can understand and relate. The latest album has been very thought provoking for me. I grew up Christian, but I was never really into organized religion. This album reminded me that even if one doesn't necessarily believe in all the doctrines of a religion, there are still things that we can learn and take from religious texts even we ourselves are not of that religion. Also, Genesis 30:3 off the album could be me thinking aloud. Just saying, John Darnielle is either in my head or he's really good at expressing human emotions that we can all relate to. One of the two.
More...
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