East Of June’s Dirk Lance & Emily Rath On The New “Little Bird” Single, Future Plans & More
Formed in 2018, East Of June features bassist Dirk Lance, vocalist Emily Rath and Kyle Mortensen on guitar. Lance was notably a founding member of Incubus who co-wrote and performed on the famed rock band’s hit albums S.C.I.E.N.C.E., Make Yourself and Morning View, thus a force behind the group’s biggest songs “Drive,” “Pardon Me,” and “Wish You Were Here.” After leaving Incubus, Lance spent the last decade on a passion project called Willie’s Nerve Clinic before joining up with Kyle Mortensen to start a songwriting collective. After meeting and working with Emily Rath, the trio decided they had something awesome to share, and it was time to put a name to the collaboration: East Of June.
The band’s sixth single, “Little Bird,” came out earlier this month. A song born out of self-isolation due to the pandemic, “Little Bird” was a unique writing experience for the band. “The song came about during this very strange time in our world and might not have been created otherwise,” said Dirk Lance in a prepared statement. “During the first week of quarantine in L.A., Kyle decided he better write a simple acoustic song that could easily be recorded and produced given the limitations of everyone being stuck at home. So, he sat outside on his porch and started developing the guitar melody and basic song structure, which led to Emily writing the concept and I shaped the bridge and overall flow and production of the tune.” A breezy ballad that highlights each of the band members’ strengths — from Mortensen’s dramatic acoustic guitar to Rath’s soaring and crisp emotive vocals to Lance’s Zeppelin-esque bass line — “Little Bird” is a testament of the band’s natural chemistry. Written from a parent’s perspective as their child moves out for the first time, the song carries both the nervousness, hope and trust that all will work out well; the video for “Little Bird” is embedded below.
On September 23, 2020, I had the pleasure of speaking with East Of June’s Dirk Lance and Emily Rath via Zoom, as embedded below. Just a few days later on September 25th, East Of June is scheduled to be putting on a livestream performance at 12:00 PM PST / 3:00 PM EST, as presented by Alternative Press; more information on this event can be found via www.facebook.com/altpress. Additional info about East Of June can be found online by visiting www.eastofjunemusic.com.
