"Darnielle's brief time ( nine months, by his estimation) in the mid-'80s in North Portland as a post-high school adolescent was, for lack of a better word, dark-many of his Portland songs depict moments spent knocking on death's door, due to hard drug use, which he had been sent to Portland to overcome. Here, he lived, worked, partied, and suffered among a close cohort of friends, many of whom have long since passed away from similar struggles."
"On December 8 and 9, the Mountain Goats play Revolution Hall in support of Through This Fire Across from Peter Balkan, the group's 23rd record. If you're not already a fan, that number might scare you. But there's no need to fear; we've put together a handy guide to the Rip City we get to experience through Darnielle's lyrics. We promise, it'll be way more fun than listening to someone wax poetic about "Old Portland" on the bus."
John Darnielle's songwriting is heavily shaped by place, with whole albums set in Southern California, West Texas, and Northern Florida and more than fifty "Going to..." songs about locations worldwide. A nine‑month mid‑1980s stay in North Portland occurred during a dark, post‑high‑school period marked by hard drug use. Numerous Portland songs depict near‑death moments and life among friends who later died from similar struggles. That Portland period left a deep mark and generated an especially large body of Portland‑focused material. The Mountain Goats perform December 8 and 9 at Revolution Hall supporting Through This Fire Across from Peter Balkan, the group's 23rd record.
Read at Portland Mercury
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