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Dakota Pearl work on new tracks

Pemberton country band set to play at The Flag Stop Festival on Saturday
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country crew Pemberton band Dakota Pearl are busy polishing new songs. PHOTO submitted

You'd be hard pressed to find a scene that better depicts Pemberton.

In 38 C heat earlier this summer, well-loved Spud Valley country band Dakota Pearl performed at a local couple's wedding, which took place at a farm down Pemberton Meadows packed with 300 guests.

"That was the first (wedding) we've ever done," says Dave Trimble, lead guitarist for the group. "It was really fun. Everyone was glad to be out of the heat of the day after that."

Dakota Pearl's summer has been a mishmash of various gigs—from beer festivals to brewery shows to an upcoming performance at The Point Artist-Run Centre on Saturday, Aug. 11, as part of its Flag Stop Theatre and Arts Festival.

"We played at The Point once before in 2014," Trimble says. "That was one of our first gigs—maybe the second or third gig we ever did. We had different people in the band—we were a completely different band (back then) ... We've definitely grown a lot since then."

For one, they added new members who've brought new talent to the group—most recently Dean Feser on drums (who you might remember from Whistler band The Railtown Prophets).

"He's awesome," Trimble says. "He fits right in with us. He's part of the crew and he's doing a lot of good work for us."

Since releasing their EP

Big Mountain Music last spring, the group has earned a few accolades, including a nomination for album/EP of the year from the BC Country Music Association (as well as the title of Favourite Band in Pique's annual Best of Pemberton readers' poll).

"We were super stoked to be on that list," Trimble says of the former nomination. "They have an awards night ... It's a pretty cool event. They've got a bunch of bands playing (and we were) rubbing elbows with industry people there."

It's been just over a year since that record came out, but already the band has their eye on the next project—thanks to lead singer Adam Leggett who Trimble calls "a writing machine."

"He's always throwing us new song ideas and we're always working on original stuff," he adds. "There's half a dozen songs at any given time continuing to get polished up."

Generally, Leggett brings the band—which is also made up of Gavin McDermott on bass guitar and Rosalind Steel on keys and backing vocals—ideas for new songs and the band works together to flesh them out.

"He comes in with a song idea, melody and lyrics and we start adding our two cents in," Trimble says. "I add guitar parts, Rosalind has keyboard parts, we work it in and if we don't like something, we change it and Adam rewrites it and we keep (going)."

To date, those songs have been "a little more personal, a little deeper, more heartfelt with more storytelling going on," Trimble adds.

Fans can expect to hear some of that on stage well ahead of a release with Dakota Pearl mixing in their originals alongside the covers at most gigs. "We've been doing more covers lately because that's what the bars want to hear—and weddings. That's what gets people dancing," Trimble says. "We're kind of half and half now with any show we play."

At the upcoming show at The Point, however, they'll skew more heavily towards their own tracks.

"We're looking forward to that small, intimate show," he says. "They're encouraging original music. It's good that Whistler has that art scene going on."

Catch Dakota Pearl at The Point on Saturday, Aug. 11 at 9 p.m. Tickets for the show—and the full festival—are available at thepointartists.com.

To keep tabs on the band visit dakotapearl.com.