Eastmountainsouth

The Los Angeles duo Eastmountainsouth formed in 1999 around vocalists Kat Maslich and Peter Adams, whose Southern roots shaped the country-folk sound that defines the pair. Maslich grew up in Roanoke, VA, on Clinch Mountain near bluegrass hero Ralph Stanley, and pursued scattered opportunities across New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, and Atlanta. Repeated trips to Los Angeles in pursuit of direction ended when a chance encounter with Adams gave her direction. Adams, originally from Birmingham, AL, studied abroad in Freiburg, Germany, under composer Mikhail Kapsner, concentrating on piano, organ, and composition; the period prompted him to complete a B.A. in music at the University of the South in Tennessee and later earn a master’s degree from the University of Alabama School of Music in Tuscaloosa. In the late ’90s he relocated to Los Angeles for film-scoring studies at USC and met Maslich during a television commercial audition. Adams was struck by the warmth of her voice, and the two soon recognized overlapping songwriting approaches and musical tastes. Within two years they adopted the name Eastmountainsouth, cut a demo, and attracted the attention of Robbie Robertson, who signed them to Dreamworks; their self-titled debut arrived in summer 2003.