Mt. Joy light up Heaven for their Shaky Knees Late Night Show.
Mt. Joy 4/29/2022 at The Masquerade | Dylan Basden Photography
En route to their Shaky Knees performance, Mt. Joy stop by The Masquerade for some late night jamming. Shaky booked close to a dozen after-shows around Atlanta for fans who didn't quite get enough live music during the day. Mt. Joy last stopped in Atlanta back in October on their co-headline tour with Trampled By Turtles.
Mt. Joy 4/29/2022 at The Masquerade | Dylan Basden Photography
The band is gearing up to release their third studio album, Orange Blood, this June. Philly to L.A. transplants, Mt. Joy was founded in 2016 by Matt Quinn (lead vocals, guitar) and Sam Cooper (lead guitar, vocals). Sotris Eliopoulos (drums, vocals), Jackie Miclau (keys, vocals), and Michael Brynes (bass, vocals) would all join the duo shortly after.
Mt. Joy 4/29/2022 at The Masquerade | Dylan Basden Photography
The folk-rockers have slowly been morphing their sound over the years, from their more acoustic-driven debut, Mt. Joy, to their indie-rock adjacent follow up Rearrange Us. Even live, the band has brought elements of jam band culture into the fray, with many instrumentals interludes and melodies making their way into the setlist. The pinnacle? The band even covered The Grateful Dead's "Fire on the Mountain."
Mt. Joy 4/29/2022 at The Masquerade | Dylan Basden Photography
Electric. From start to finish Mt. Joy pumped life into the night. Their fuzzy guitars, rollocking keys, and delicate drumming makes for a colorful arrangement that lends itself to the wide dynamics of the group. From the highs on "I'm Your Wreck" to the balladry of "Younger Days," the band proves they have the chops. Quinn's distinctive rasp and holler pierces out over his acoustic guitar. Sam's guitar licks and Jackie's down right amazing key playing are highlights sonically, but without the steady groove of the rhythm section around back it just wouldn't be the same.
Mt. Joy 4/29/2022 at The Masquerade | Dylan Basden Photography
The crowd was more than eager to see the band, as the clock approached midnight cheers built louder and louder. After a long day of festival-going these fans were rabid. I even spotted a handful of Auburn University students on the front row. Once the band hit the stage the crowd absolutely lit up (in more ways than one), belting along to nearly every song. It is clear the band has a strong cult following.
Mt. Joy 4/29/2022 at The Masquerade | Dylan Basden Photography
Kicking off the show shortly after midnight, Mt. Joy hit fans with all the hits plus some fun melodies. Long time favorite "Julia -> Ain't No Sunshine -> Clint Eastwood" got a refresher, replacing The Gorillaz's hit with "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley. The band ended the night on their breakout hit "Silver Lining." Their full setlist is below.
1. Lemon Tree
2. Strangers
3. I'm Your Wreck
4. Astrovan
5. Let Loose
6. Jenny Jenkins
7. Orange Blood
8. Dirty Love
9. Sheep
10. Acrobats
11. Fire on the Mountain (Grateful Dead cover)
12. Mt. Joy -> Do You Realize?? (Flaming Lips cover)
13. Evergreen
14. Julia -> Ain't No Sunshine (Bill Withers cover) -> Crazy (Gnarls Barkley cover)
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15. Younger Days
16. Silver Lining
Mt. Joy 4/29/2022 at The Masquerade | Dylan Basden Photography
Mt. Joy is just now getting into their tour, with several stops throughout the southeast, The Rust Belt, and west coast. The band takes the stage at Shaky-proper today, then returns to Alabama in June for a show at Avondale Brewing Company. Auburn grads The Brook & The Bluff will join the band to end out their tour in October.
4/30 Atlanta, GA — Shaky Knees Music Festival 2022
6/16 Isle of Palms, SC — The Windjammer*
6/17 Isle of Palms, SC — The Windjammer*
6/18 Manchester, TN — Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival 2022
6/19 Asheville, NC — Rabbit Rabbit*
6/21 Birmingham, AL — Avondale Brewing Company*
6/22 Memphis, TN — Soundstage at Graceland*
6/23 St. Louis, MO — The Pageant*
6/26 Columbus, OH — KEMBA Live!*
6/28 Pittsburg, PA — Stage AE*
6/29 Cincinnati, OH — Andrew J. Brady ICON Music Center*
7/01 Des Moines, IA — Lauridsen Amphitheater at Water Works Park*
7/02 Milwaukee, WI — Summerfest 2022
7/30 Sandpoint, ID — The Festival at Sandpoint 2022
8/02 Phoenix, AZ — The Van Buren^
8/04 San Diego, CA — Cal Coast Credit Union Amphitheater^
8/05 Los Angelos, CA — Hollywood Palladium^
8/05-07 San Francisco, CA — Outside Lands 2022
8/08 Jacksonville, OR — Britt Festival Pavilion^
8/09 Vancouver, BC — PNE Amphitheatre~
8/11 Seattle, WA — Woodland Park Zoo^
8/12 Portland, OR — Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall^
8/13 Bend, OR — Hayden Homes Amphitheatre^
8/15 Boise, ID — Idaho Botanical Garden: Outlaw Field^
8/16 Sandy, UT — Sandy Amphitheater^
8/17 Morrison, CO — Red Rocks Amphitheatre^
8/18 Denver, CO — The Mission Ballroom^
8/20 Chicago, IL — The Salt Shed^
8/21 Chicago, IL — The Salt Shed^
8/25-27 Tisbury, MA — Beach Road Weekend 2022
9/07 Portland, ME — State Theatre+
9/08 New York, NY — The Rooftop at Pier 17*
9/10 Philadelphia, PA — Skyline Stage at Mann Center for the Performing Arts*
10/15 New Orleans, LA — The Orpheum=
10/20 Columbia, SC — Township Auditorium=
10/21 Richmond, VA — Brown's Island=
10/22 Washington D.C. — The Anthem=
10/24 New Haven, CT — College Street Music Hall=
10/25 Boston, MA — MGM Music Hall at Fenway=
10/27 Knoxville, TN — The Mill & Mine=
10/28 Nashville, TN — The Ryman Auditorium=
10/29 Nashville, TN — The Ryman Auditorium=
10/31 Fayetteville, AR — JJ's Live=
11/01 Dallas, TX — South Side Ballroom
11/03 Austin, TX — Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater=<
11/04 Austin, TX — Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater=
11/05 Austin, TX — Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater=
* with Madison Cunningham
^ with Wilderado
~ supporting Nathaniel Rateliff & the Nights Sweats
+ with Yoke Lore
= with The Brook & The Bluff
< with Sneaky Peaches
Mt. Joy 4/29/2022 at The Masquerade | Dylan Basden Photography
Absolutely talented and absolutely worth seeing live, Mt. Joy crushed their Shaky Knees Late Night performance. This is a band that seems to get better every time I see them, aging like fine wine.
For more Shaky Knees Late Night show coverage, check out WEGL's review of The Regrettes' performance here.
