On The Verge

Dirigo

Portland, Maine
Three-headed Leader
www.dirigomusic.com

The members of Dirigo took their name from the state motto of Maine, which is Latin for “I lead.” It’s a fitting moniker for a band fueled by three distinct songwriters and an inherent drummer. Bassist Erik Glocker and guitarist Luke Patchen Montgomery played together in the Vermont jamband Strangefolk. “We would stay up after shows and sing harmonies on the bus till all hours of the morning,” Montgomery says. “We found we had a kind of natural Everly Brothers vibe.” With Strangefolk in an “on again–off again mode” for several years, the duo wanted to keep that vibe alive. “I think the name is a tribute to our Maine origins and also a reminder of the determination it takes to get a band off the ground.” Eventually, drummer Ginger Cote and guitarist Stevie Jones, both from the Maine band The Boneheads, joined Dirigo. Purposefully trying to create a different sound from Strangefolk, the quartet recorded several “brand new or very close to new” songs for its debut, Jamericana, released this past September. “These aren’t road traveled songs that had a set path before them,” says Montgomery. “We had the opportunity to explore and create something new together.”