Dirty Mountain brings a truly unique and eclectic style to the local music scene; the folk-rock band has a vintage country and blues undertone. The love of all kinds of music is obviously rooted deeply in vocalist Elli Hart. She says that she’s always loved music, and that she’s always wanted to play music.
“I’m a songwriter, and I guess I just asked a couple guys if they wanted to play with me,” she says of the band’s beginnings. “I had these songs, they liked the songs, and we all just started playing together.”
As for the story behind the band name, Hart, who grew up in Metchosin, says that a couple summers ago she went on a hike behind Sooke Potholes and was struck by how dry it was.
“I just never remembered it being so dry and hot and dirty,” she says. “The mountain we were hiking up behind the potholes was just so dusty, and it was a moment where I was like, I’m going to call the band ‘Dirty Mountain.’ The climate is changing and the place I was growing up is no longer what it used to be.”
Each song on Dirty Mountain’s debut album, 01, reflects and tells a story to the listener through each word sung. To write the lyrics to those songs, Hart takes inspiration from people she sees every day.
“I have a very active imagination, so quite often when I see someone sitting at a bus bench, or a bar, or just walking down the street, I immediately think of who they are, and why they came to be in that place and why they look the way they do,” she says.
Hart takes inspiration not only from people around her but also from local issues that might go unnoticed, like in the song “Fill Me Up.”
“‘Fill Me Up’ is about how our government last year didn’t really take care of the people in our community that needed the care to be given to them,” says Hart. “I was actually feeling sorry about myself with the government, and I don’t like doing that, and my problems are nothing compared to that, so I used fictional characters that are all around us.”
Dirty Mountain’s eclectic folk, rock, country, and blues stylings are a direct result of some of Hart’s inspirations, many of which she had been diving into during the writing process of 01.
“I love Bonnie Raitt, so she has been a big influence of mine for years,” says Hart. “This last year and a half when I moved back to Victoria, I started listening to a lot of old country and Americana songwriters. I love old blues from the ’20s and ’30s. All of these songs have been written in the past year and a half, so it came out of that.”
Dirty Mountain will be hitting the road to promote their album; Hart says the band is excited to play shows and for people to get to check out the release they have been working so tirelessly to create.
“I have poured my heart and soul into it, and every penny I possibly have has gone into this, so they will hopefully get an album that displays all of that,” says Hart. “It’s our first tour; who knows what is going to happen?”
But no need to worry: Hart’s prepared for the tour on at least one level.
“I have BCAA if shit hits the fan,” she says.
Dirty Mountain
7 pm Saturday, April 2
$15, Lucky Bar
luckybar.ca