Mt. Joy and Oliver Hazard: Lights-Out Photo Recap

Article by Sam Banasek, Staff Writer

Some bands take years and albums to refine their sound, others arrive fully formed and seemingly overnight. Mt. Joy is one of the latter. Not that their path to mainstream success was a straight one. Founding members Sam Cooper and Matt Quinn had moved to different coasts and all but given up on music when their song “Astrovan” started gaining traction on the internet. Now, millions of Spotify plays and a full record later, Mt. Joy comes to Cincinnati as a band in the midst of breaking out.

With a brand of electric folk that can be both intimate and sweeping by turns, Mt. Joy plays music well suited for arm-in-arm swaying. “Silver Lining” is a clear stand out from their debut, and boasts a chorus that demands to be sung in full throat by the whole audience. Otherwise, the band’s sound is decidedly chill, stoner folk with just the right tinge of warm electric guitar to keep things interesting.

Their self-titled debut hit earlier this year, but even before its release Mt. Joy was playing sets opening for The Head and the Heart and at Bonnaroo. Now with a full album to their name, Mt. Joy is are on the road again, embarking on a massive tour of the U.S, Canada, and the U.K that will run through the rest of the year.

#MtJoy #OliverHazard #TheWoodwardTheater #photorecap