{"id":5738,"date":"2019-10-15T08:57:32","date_gmt":"2019-10-15T13:57:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/?p=5738"},"modified":"2019-12-17T20:08:05","modified_gmt":"2019-12-18T01:08:05","slug":"review-mt-joy-the-royale-10-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/2019\/10\/15\/review-mt-joy-the-royale-10-6\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: Mt. Joy @ The Royale 10\/6"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Christian Jaeger<\/em><\/p>\n

Photos by Dija Munawar<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span>Indie-rock band Mt. Joy delivered a crowd-pleaser-of-a-show to the sold-out Royale theatre on Sunday, October 6th. The band would cater to rock fans with their gritty, guitar solos as well as please folk lovers with their earthy, acoustic aesthetic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The five-piece band \u2014 Matt Quinn, Sam Cooper, Michael Byrnes, Jackie Miclau, and Sotiris Eliopoulos \u2014 has roots across the nation, but officially came together in Los Angeles.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lead vocalist and guitarist Matt Quinn and guitarist Sam Cooper met at high school in Pennsylvania, forming the origins of Mt. Joy. They named themselves \u201cMt. Joy\u201d after a mountain in Valley Forge National Park \u2014 a tribute to their home.<\/span><\/p>\n

In years to follow, they would add bassist Michael Byrnes, keyboardist Jackie Miclau, and drummer Sotiris Eliopoulos to the collection \u2014 with roots in Portland, OR, and other areas in heartland America.<\/span><\/p>\n

Like their country roots and origin story, the band encapsulates energy of their hometowns, love for nature, and mountainous atmosphere in their music.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2016, Mt. Joy would release \u201cAstrovan,\u201d followed by \u201cSheep\u201d and \u201cCardinal\u201d the next year. The almost-immediate success of these three singles would encourage the band to continue channeling their creativity through songwriting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mt. Joy<\/span>, the band\u2019s self-titled debut album, would be released in 2018. Now, a year later, the band is still touring and experiencing the after-effects of their hit record.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before the folk-rockers would take the Royale stage, an alt-rock opener would grease the audience up for their anticipated headliners. Morningbird \u2014 a Boston-based band \u2014 would successfully get crowd-goers moving and singing along to their catchy tunes. A collection of impressive musicians and artists, Morningbird is certainly worth keeping an eye out for in years to come.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just after 9PM, Mt. Joy would emerge from the backstage sidelines, embracing their energetic, warm welcome from the packed crowd.<\/span><\/p>\n

The band would play hit after hit, including \u201cSheep,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m Your Wreck,\u201d \u201cBigfoot,\u201d \u201cAstrovan,\u201d \u201cDirty Love,\u201d and many more.<\/span><\/p>\n

A highlight from the performance was their rendition of \u201cJulia,\u201d cutting halfway through the track to an epic cover of Bill Withers\u2019 \u201cAin\u2019t No Sunshine.\u201d The band wouldn\u2019t end there: immediately following Withers\u2019 classic R&B anthem, Mt. Joy would shift gears by covering Gorillaz\u2019s \u201cClint Eastwood.\u201d They would then revert to their original chord progression, finishing \u201cJulia.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After enormous applause, the band would then conclude their first act with \u201cSilver Lining,\u201d a crowd favorite in terms of collective, sing-a-long contribution from the audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chants of \u201cEncore, Encore\u201d would bring them back to the stage, where they would perform more songs off of <\/span>Mt. Joy<\/span> \u2014 including \u201cCardinal\u201d \u2014 as well as a new song.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fans should expect new music in the near future \u2014 whether individual singles, an EP, or a full-length album.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mt. Joy\u2019s tour will continue through mid-March in venues across America as well as at select shows in Canada. Don\u2019t miss this eclectic act in towns or cities near you.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Mt. Joy by Dija Munawar<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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