Photo: Caity Krone

On April 21, Mt. Joy took their current Hope We Have Fun Tour to KEMBA Live! in Columbus, Ohio. The performance marked the second stop on their ongoing outing, which began on April 19 at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Va. During Monday’s gig, the band brought out Buckeye State natives, Caamp, to assist on a nod to their location, with a debut of Gillian Welch’s “Look At Miss Ohio.” 

In a fan-shot video, watch below, guitarist Matt Quinn addresses the audience, “We’re gonna try a song that I’ve loved my whole life. It’s about Ohio.” Mention of the state was met with an eruption of applause and cheers from the excited crowd, before the opening acoustic riffs struck a chord with familiar listeners who recognized the instrumental introduction to the song’s sweet and simple framework. 

Caamp members Taylot Meier and Evan Westfall assisted Mt. Joy with the heartfelt delivery, during which Quinn took the lead before passing lyrics to Meier. At times, the pair harmonized, adding depth to Welch’s tale of a Midwestern beauty queen and her search for gist. 

“Miss Ohio” arrived in 2003 on Welch’s fourth studio album, Soul Journey. As with all previous releases, the album represented a collaboration with David Rawlings, the songstress’ longtime musical partner. 

Scroll down to watch a fan-captured video of the cover.