The Mountain Goats

The inspiration for the Mountain Goats latest tour came on a whim, as the band was preparing to play a show at the City Winery in New York around this time last year. Without much of a plan about what to bring for the performance, the band opted to do it “quick and dirty, old school style,” which meant using acoustic instruments and a basic drum set-up. For the current tour, the group chose venues with small rooms that will encourage a more up-close-and-personal experience for fans. Songs such as “The Ballad of Bull Ramos” and “Get Lonely” sound great in their stripped down forms and compliment John Darnielle’s distinctly harsh voice nicely. Although the cozy ambiance that the band hopes to purvey throughout this tour might be better achieved in Beachland’s tavern stage, Clevelanders should still be in for a good show. (Jacob DeSmit)