Katie Rose and Dustin Moran create the folk group known as Many Mountains. Their smooth blend of country and folk is a calming and therapeutic experience. Their chemistry is undeniable as their voices blend together in natural and effortless harmonies. Rose's poetic lyrics are carefully chosen as she paints pictures of her life's struggles and triumphs. Her voice is reminiscent of classic country artists such as Loretta Lynn as she has a refreshingly simple and clear tone to her voice. The melody driven music transports the listener to the mountains of Colorado. I spoke with Katie Rose of Many Mountains about her songwriting, Mormon upbringing, and mountain life.
Are you guys originally from Denver, Colorado?
We actually live in a city called Louisville so we are sort of in between Denver and Boulder. I grew up near Salt Lake City, Utah which definitely has a different culture, but I definitely like it on this side of the Rockies.
How did growing up in Utah affect your music and style?
Utah obviously has a very dominant religious culture that can be pretty oppressive although I've never really had any negative experience with that. I grew up with Mormon culture and my experience with that was very different from others because my parents were very open with letting me explore who I am. They let me read and watch and listen to all kind of things. When I started expressing my own ideas and thoughts they were very respectful of that as well. My life still definitely has undercurrents of that sort of Christian myth that I was raised with, in the ways I use to explain feelings and things that I see in the world.
When did you first start songwriting?
I started writing when I was really young. I've been writing poetry longer than I've been playing an instrument. I started to write poetry around 8 years old. I remember going onto my parent's roof around sunset and writing my feelings down and it has been a way to cope with a lot of feelings my whole life.
I started to dabble with the guitar in high school but it wasn't until after high school that I met Dustin, my partner, and collaborator that I started to get really into playing music. I went to college for a semester and wanted to be a writer or a poet but the whole time felt like it wasn't exactly my path. Once I started to play the guitar and write music it all clicked and I dropped out of school and moved to Colorado.
What inspires you to write and what is your writing process like?
I think about writing all the time and I find inspiration in different things. Lately, I've really been trying to be more, for lack of a better word, accurate with my songwriting rather than metaphorical. I want to portray the culture and the nation with recent events, not like protest songs or anything, but songs that have a more current feeling. I feel inspired by "now." I am trying to express myself in a more accurate and powerful way while showing more vulnerability. We learn so much from art, it's everywhere and brings people together. My goal as a songwriter right now is to be more out of my comfort zone and stretch myself.
Who are some of your influences?
I definitely love Neko Case, I see myself reflected in her lyrics and can really relate to her songs. Also Jenny Lewis, Bob Dylan, Niel Young, and Radiohead. I really try to stay open with different kinds of genres so I listen to pretty much everything. Here in Colorado, we are lucky to have a diverse community of local musicians which is always inspiring me.
Do you feel like mountain life is incorporated into your music a lot?
Definitely. Dustin and I started performing as a duo as Katie Rose and Dustin Ryan. When we got a percussionist with us we decided to make a band name. I wrote this song called Spoon which is sort of a metaphor in getting lost in drug use and finding other ways to cope. Having a specific feeling of when you're lost how you feel a connection to something real and tangible. Mountains have always been in my sight, literally over my shoulder and I always have had this natural connection with them and had an immediate sense of calm when I am near them.
When is the EP going to be released?
We do all of the recording ourselves. We have all of the recording software and equipment in our apartment, Dustin has a wonderful ear and is self-taught and produces all the music. We have written a dozen or more songs that we have whittled down and are working on. We are once again a duo and so this record we are seeing how we are going to focus on that aspect. We have used a lot of instrumentation with our other EPs so we shall see where this goes. We are hoping it will be out in the fall and hope to tour in the early spring with it.
Have you faced any obstacles as a musician because you are a female?
Yes. Dustin and I have been together for almost 10 years as a couple and it is not something that we usually make part of the act. But it has definitely created a sort of an immediate disregard, I am there to look pretty and sound pretty and not add any depth to it because I am immediately associated as a girlfriend. As far as live performances, when you are talking with a sound person there is an ongoing trend of asking Justin what I need and how he likes it to sound instead of talking directly to me. Sound tech is usually a male dominated thing although there are fabulous female sound techs who provide the best sound actually and are very attentive and ask you what you need. It is an interesting hurdle but it's something that I have to keep getting through in the wilderness of music culture. Although I feel like it's definitely changing.
What is some advice you would give to other girls trying to get into the music industry?
Just constantly work at it and really jump into it and embrace it and say yes to it. Know that any fear or reluctance that you have initially could never amount to any sort of regret. You will never feel like you should not have gone out to do what you really wanted to do.
