On September 13th, Philly-grown indie rock band Mt. Joy played a magical set at Moody Center in Austin, TX.
Five-piece indie rock band, Mt. Joy, is the product of Matt Quinn, Sam Cooper, Sotiris Eliopoulos, Jackie Miclau, Bay Ledges and Michael Byrnes. The group’s first single, “Astrovan,” released in 2016, has over 121 million streams and is, to this day, one of the band’s most-loved songs. Since their initial single, the band has released three full-length albums, as well as two live LPs, and their music has gone on to impact many. Over the past eight years, they’ve accumulated over six million monthly listeners on Spotify, and their hit song “Silver Lining” has amassed over 277 million streams. The band has graced the stages of many festivals, including Shaky Knees, Austin City Limits, Voodoo Fest and more. They’ve toured with the likes of Rainbow Kitten Surprise, The Lumineers, and Noah Kahan, and headlined iconic venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre, The Salt Shed and Hollywood Bowl.
Late last year, Mt. Joy announced their 2024 headlining tour, which included dates all across the United States and Europe. On Friday, September 13th, the band stopped by the live music capital of the world itself – Austin, Texas. They took to the city’s newest venue, Moody Center – a fifteen-thousand-seat arena that opened its doors in 2022. The band was welcomed by a crowd of passionate music lovers, thrilled to see the five-piece perform their feel–good discography. Mt. Joy hit the stage shortly after 8pm, in a haze of fog and colored lights. They opened up the night with their latest release, “Highway Queen,” a collaboration with Maren Morris. The audience swayed and swung along as they played through a mix of songs from their self-titled album, Orange Blood, and Rearrange Us, including occasional snippets from Taylor Swift and Pixies. While they played, a moon-like visual rose behind the band, shining down on them as they put on a stunning two-part performance. One thing that’s clear is that Mt. Joy left pure magic at Moody Center last Friday night.
I am a photographer and live music lover based in Austin and raised in Houston. I recently graduated from The University of Texas at Austin, where I studied Marketing and co-led the photo team at Afterglow ATX. I feel most at home where people are moshing, thrifting, or sipping coffee. My favorite artists include The Maine, Pierce The Veil, 5SOS (+ Luke's solo work), Waterparks, MCR, Taylor Swift, and Harry Styles.
