This week’s episode of Mighty SONG Writers comes from AAA radio chart-topping indie-folk artist Matt Quinn of Mt. Joy. In his video, Quinn covers the Grateful Dead’s “Dire Wolf,” explaining that that song’s storytelling drove him to become a songwriter, and plays one of his own songs that was inspired by Jerry Garcia. Quinn also thanks a formative English teacher, passes on songwriting advice that’s helped him, and explains why John Prine should be the second musician to win the Nobel Prize.
Watch the video at Literary Hub
Previous performers in the Mighty SONG Writers series include Amanda Shires with Jason Isbell, Marcus Roberts, Jewel, Phil Augusta Jackson, Devon Gilfillian, Valerie June, Rhett Miller, and Erika Ender. Catch up on the full series here.
Mighty SONG Writers aims to raise money to support Philadelphia-based non-profit Mighty Writers, which teaches reading and writing to thousands of low-income and marginalized students every year and is seeing more need than ever during the pandemic.
About Matt Quinn of Mt. Joy
Mt. Joy has evolved from Matt Quinn’s literal bedroom project into the band Rolling Stone deemed “your new folk-rock heroes.” The five-piece group has garnered No. 1s on the AAA Radio Charts, hundreds of millions of streams, tours with The Lumineers, The Shins, Whitney, The Head and The Heart, Neko Case, and more, late night TV performances, and major festival appearances at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Newport Folk Festival, and more. The band’s new album Rearrange Us is out now.
About Mighty Writers
Mighty Writers was founded in 2009 with the mission to teach kids to think clearly and write with clarity. The organization offers free programs for students from elementary through high school at nine centers in diverse neighborhoods around Philadelphia and New Jersey, including several bilingual locations for Spanish-speaking students. Mighty Writers offers daily afterschool academies, long- and short-term writing classes nights and weekends, teen scholar programs, mentorships, College Prep courses and college essay writing classes. Over 400 of the city’s best creative minds (writers, teachers, journalists, etc.) teach 150 writing classes a year to 3,500 kids at Mighty Writers annually.
About Literary Hub
LitHub.com is a daily source for all the news, ideas and richness of contemporary literary life, a website readers can trust for smart, engaged, entertaining writing about all things books.
