The Mountain Goats Pay Homage to Pro Wrestling With New LP – ‘Beat the Champ’

In 2014, John Darnielle’s novel Wolf in White Van spent several weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List and was nominated for the National Book Award. On April 7 in the US and April 13 in Europe, Darnielle and his band the Mountain Goats return with Beat the Champ a collection of songs about professional wrestling.

“I wrote these songs to re-immerse myself in the blood and fire of the visions that spoke to me as a child, and to see what more there might be in them now that I’m grown,” Darnielle says of Beat the Champ‘s 12 songs.

Listen to the first track  “The Legend of Chavo Guerrero” below.

The Mountain Goats (John Darnielle, Peter Hughes, and Jon Wurster) have also announced their first round of shows in support of Beat the Champ.

The Mountain Goats on tour:
Apr 02 Nashville, TN – Mercy Lounge
Apr 03 Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle
Apr 04 Savannah, GA – The Jinx (Savannah Stopover Music Festival)
Apr 07 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
Apr 08 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
Apr 09 New York, NY – Webster Hall
Apr 11 New York, NY – City Winery
Apr 12 New York, NY – City Winery
Apr 13 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
Apr 14 Boston, MA – House of Blues
Apr 16 Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s
Apr 17 Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre
Apr 18 Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre
Apr 19 Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Center
Apr 21 Louisville, KY – Headliners
Apr 22 Columbus, OH – Wexner Center
Apr 23 Millvale, PA – Mr. Smalls Theatre
May 8-10 Atlanta, GA – Shaky Knees Music Festival
May 26 Denver, CO – Gothic Theatre
May 27 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
May 29 Seattle, WA – The Showbox
May 30 Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
Jun 01 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
Jun 03 Los Angeles, CA – Mayan Theater