Dakota Pearl have become unintentional ambassadors for Pemberton.
Their music videos—with help from local videographer Kirk Bereska—often highlight the stunning scenery in Spud Valley and make viewers look at the surroundings with new eyes.
That holds true for "Nothing to Lose," the first single off their forthcoming EP.
"We [shot] a good portion of it up on the paraglide launch," says Dave Trimble, lead guitarist with the country group. "We were driving around in Adam's (Leggett, vocalist and guitarist) truck all afternoon, stopping at different spots."
When they suddenly realized the sun was about to set, they rushed up to the launching spot, which overlooks the valley. "It was the golden hour for the sunset and we just got this incredible footage," Trimble says. "It's mostly just Adam and Rosalind Steel (keyboardist and backing vocalist), with a beautiful sunset down the valley."
To be fair, all that beauty is tempered with a little reality too. "The only funny thing about it is you can see all the mosquitoes," he laughs. "The mosquitoes were so bad."
Both the new single and its video are set to be released on Tuesday, July 23, kicking off a busy season for the Pemberton band.
"We're busy just about every weekend this summer ... We've gone out and looked for gigs, for sure, but a lot of it is people are coming to us for private parties," Trimble adds.
Next up, they're celebrating "Nothing to Lose" with a party at the PemHo Pub on Saturday, July 20. "(The song) is definitely a boot stomper, for sure, with a big, powerful ending," he says. "The second single is a different song for us too. We've got a video ready to go."
All this is leading up to the release of their second EP set for the fall. This record builds on their debut, Big Mountain Music, thanks to six years of playing together—and some outside help.
Before they went into the studio, the band brainstormed ideas for a producer and landed on Jeff Johnson, founder of Bailey Way Entertainment who's worked with acts like George Canyon, Meghan Patrick, and Dallas Smith.
"We sent him one of the songs, just out of the blue thinking, 'Let's give it a shot,'" Trimble says. "He got back to Adam and we were like, 'Yeah, let's do it.'"
His contributions to the five-song EP were noticeable, he adds.
"What he's done with these songs is incredible. Just that polish, that finish—the icing on the cake that makes it amazing ... The feedback was great. I think we really struck him that we showed up very well prepared. Our demos were all in place, we showed up ready to go, ready to play. We knew exactly what we wanted to play. He didn't really change the songs around too much, that made life easy for him," he says.
The next step will be to promote the record a little more widely than the last time around. Already, they've won over hometown fans, earning favourite band/musician in Pique's Best of Pemberton poll again this year.
"You have to start small, get the word out locally," Trimble says. "We'll take anything that comes our way. The dream is to make a living doing it."
To check out the new single and video, visit dakotapearl.com on July 23. Catch them at the PemHo Pub on Saturday, July 20 at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door.
