Stephen Colbert Mountain Goats

watch Mountain Goats (wearing an Inter Arma shirt) & Stephen Colbert play "This Year" on 'Late Show'

In support of their new album In League with Dragons, The Mountain Goats played The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night (7/16), and John Darnielle took the opportunity to wear an Inter Arma shirt on national television. They played “Sicilian Crest” off the new album, but even more excitingly, they played their 2005 classic “This Year” and Colbert joined them on stage to sing the song with Darnielle. (Colbert’s not bad!) Watch below.

Darnielle wrote the liner notes for Inter Arma’s great new album Sulphur English, as Inter Arma discussed in an interview with Invisible Oranges. Here’s an excerpt:

You had John Darnielle from The Mountain Goats do your bio. How did that come about?

Trey: We found out that he was a fan a few years back. He would come out to any show we played in the Durham or Raleigh, North Carolina area, which is where he’s based usually. As long as he was in town, he was there. He would talk our ear off about stuff. We knew because he did the little things in Decibel every now and then, we knew he was at least mostly like a metal dude. But he was rad, he’s always been nice and fun to hang out with at those shows.
I don’t know who approached him to do it, if it was Mike or if it was Relapse Dudes or if he offered, I actually don’t know. I think it was Relapse Dudes. Was it at the Richmond Mountain Goats show that he shouted out at us? I can’t remember if it was you or someone who shouted out that Inter Arma sucks.

TJ: Oh, yeah, he said in the middle of the set, ”Everyone in this audience who hasn’t seen or heard of Inter Arma should go check that band out and go see them whenever they get the chance because they’re great.” I said – I was like half drunk, which I am right now – “That band fucking sucks.” He goes, “I don’t know who said that, but I’ll kick their ass.” Something to that effect.

Did he indeed kick your ass?

TJ: He didn’t. I would fuck him up. I would never! But I would fuck him up if we had to get right down to the street.

Read the rest of the interview here.

In other recent Mountain Goats/metal news, early Mayhem vocalist Eirik “Billy” Norheim’s punk band Cockroach Clan covered The Mountain Goats on their first album in 22 years.

The Mountain Goats also have more tour dates coming up, including Asbury Park on 7/22 and a free SummerStage show in East River Park on August 10. Inter Arma are touring too.