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Mt. Joy
Mt. Joy
w/ Abraham Alexander
Drive-In & Socially Distanced Tour – Live at the Silver Lake Twin Drive-In

Mt. Joy
“These dreams are more than paper things,” sings Matt Quinn on Mt. Joy’s infectious folk-rocker “Astrovan,” a warm, yearning bit of road-trip philosophy that posits the existence of a Deadhead Jesus cruising the dusty highways of the countryside, nursing a roach on his way to only He knows where. It’s an auspicious line from a band predicated on the revival of teenage dreams.
Mt. Joy started off as a rekindling of shared musical ambitions between Philadelphia high school friends Matt Quinn (vocals, guitar) and Sam Cooper (guitar). Reunited in Los Angeles thanks to the ebbs and flows of adult life, the pair met multi-instrumentalist Michael Byrnes through a Craigslist ad. They named themselves Mt. Joy as an ode to a mountain in Valley Forge National Park near Sam’s childhood home, and together, with Byrnes’ roommate Caleb Nelson producing, they recorded three songs and sent them out into the world, hoping for the best. “I knew I still wanted to write songs, but the realities of life made that dream seem pretty impossible,” Quinn says.
Much to the band’s amazement, “Astrovan” accomplished the impossible. Without initial promotion or fanfare, the song took off on Spotify, racking up 5 million streams to date. “The irony of ‘Astrovan’ was that song was really about being stuck in a life and wanting to have the opportunity to pursue a dream, and in an instant it gave us that opportunity. ” Quinn says. Mt. Joy quickly transitioned from a part-time calling into a full-fledged band rounded out by Byrnes on bass, Sotiris Eliopoulos on drums and Jackie Miclau on keyboard.
Come 2017, Mt. Joy hit the road, and hit it hard: They played tour dates alongside the likes of The Shins, The Head and The Heart, The Lone Bellow, and Whitney, and popped up at some of the summer’s biggest festivals, including Bonnaroo, Newport Folk Festival, Lollapalooza and Made In America. “We were put on some big shows very quickly,” Quinn says. “The growth for us has been exponential – we’ve really just become a family that’s constantly pushing each other and the live show to be great.” They eventually caught the attention of Dualtone Records and began work on their debut album.
Steeped in folk-rock tradition and powered by the intuitive creative connection between Quinn and Cooper, the songs on ‘Mt. Joy’ depict Quinn wrestling with his own conscience, where the mundane and the fantastic collide as he processes tragedy, society, and love. Opener “I’m Your Wreck” describes “monsters in (the) closet, using up the wi-fi” as it cycles from its desperate, spiraling verses to its swinging, stubbornly optimistic coda, while the loping, plaintive chords of “Younger Days” meditate on a frayed psyche and the fear of choosing the wrong path. “Sheep,” with its collapsing, hoarse-voiced cry of “freedom was paid in blood,” is a post-Trump salvo on the responsibilities of the fortunate to overcome political and social despondency. And on “Silver Lining,” perhaps the album’s brightest moment, Quinn surveys the damage of hard drugs and the vicious cycle of addiction, as the song’s melancholic sentiment kicks into its fervid, defiant chorus, all shout-along vocals and trilling guitars.
Taken together, the self titled ‘Mt. Joy’ LP is a startlingly open document, wracked with the anxieties and fears that come just as life seems to start working out. It’s a natural reaction from a wary band like Mt. Joy – the result of a sort of professional vertigo, as they’ve gone from virtual unknowns to hot young commodity in little over a year. But there’s a sense of hope underlying everything, girded by the fact that the Mt. Joy LP is an impressive, honest portrayal of a young band facing that moment where dreams become reality, and finding beauty in the exhilarating uncertainty of it all.
May 8, 2021
Gates: 6:30PM
Show: 7:30PM
Silver Lake Twin Drive-In
May 8, 2021 @ 6:30 am – 11:00 pm
Venue Details

Each “Pod or Car Pass” ticket is priced for a group of 5 occupants. For now, all ticket purchases will be internet pre-sale only until the day of the event. If your vehicle has extra seats available, we will allow you to bring additional people to fill the vehicle and they can pay for their individual ticket at the gate on the day of the show. Extra people cannot exceed the car’s capacity and security will be ensuring this at the door. Please be respectful and make this smooth for all parties.
CONCERT EVENT GUIDELINES
Ticket purchases obligate all guests to agree to and abide by the location’s rules of conduct stated below. Any guest who fails to comply with these conditions, at the discretion of management, will forfeit their right to remain on the premises, and will be ordered to leave without a refund. Social distancing guidelines are in effect at all times.
No refunds or exchanges will be granted on advance ticket purchases. All purchases are final, so double check that you select the correct date and concert. Concerts will take place rain or shine.
Changes that have occurred on the premises are due to COVID-19 restrictions directed by state and local health officials. Please review these notes carefully and help us provide a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.
SNACK BAR
The snack bar lobby will be limited to 10 people or less at a time until further notice. There will be monitored social distancing lines outside of the snack bar lobby. All guests must wear a face mask when visiting the snack bar until further notice.
RECREATION AND SAFETY
Sitting outside your vehicles or in the back of a pickup truck is permitted, so long as you remain a minimum of 6 feet away from other guests. Face masks are not required unless you are in a public area within 6 feet of other guests.
All guests must remain inside or near their vehicles at all times except for bathroom trips, to visit the snack bar or Charcoal Corral restaurant, walking your dog, or walking to a designated smoking area. All guests must wear face masks whenever they are in a public area within 6 feet of other guests until further notice.
RESTROOMS
Restroom use will be available but has limited capacity. View the instructions on the door before entering. An adult may accompany a young child to use the restroom if necessary. There will be monitored social distancing lines outside of the restroom area. All guests must wear a face mask when visiting the restroom until further notice.
Attendants will be sanitizing each restroom on a consistent basis using the required alcohol cleaning supplies recommended by the CDC.