Philadelphia Weekly

MUSIC

Critic's Pick: Mountain Goats + Megafaun

By Elliott Sharp

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Apr. 13, 2011

John Darnielle, the highly literary (see his 33 1/3 on Black Sabbath’s Master of Reality and his monthly column for Philly-based metal mag Decibel) and witty songwriter who’s been recording as the Mountain Goats since 1994, is considered by many to be the godfather of indie’s second wave. But if you want to see the trio tonight it ain’t gonna be cheap. On the bright side, after dropping $27 for the ticket, you can harken back to indie’s salad days by listening to the two demo cassettes of early Darnielle recordings that accompany the Goats’ new Merge LP, All Eternals Deck. Openers Megafaun, a Durham, N.C.-based trio, have two solid releases out on HomeTapes, the label Philadelphians Pattern Is Movement call home. Their banjo-plucked tunes are soaked in country-fried chicken grease, but, as their past collaborations with folk-wierdos Akron/Family have shown, they have a penchant for skronky improvisations.

Fri., Apr. 19. 9pm. $27. Theatre of the Living Arts, 334 South St. 215.922.1011. livenation.comlivenation.com