In support of their sixth studio album, Midnight in Mississippi, Blue Mountain is touring relentlessly, and they are making the State Theatre in Starkville one of their stops.
A little over a year ago this might not have been the case.
Cary Hudson and Laurie Stirratt formed the band while in Los Angeles in the early ’90s.
Stirratt said while in L.A. they worked with members of the then little known band Weezer.
“We started the demo in L.A. with Rivers Cuomo from Weezer before Weezer broke [out],” said Stirratt. “[Cuomo] had a studio in his apartment, and we recorded it there. Their drummer [Pat Wilson] was actually our second drummer out there, and he played some shows with us.”
Stirratt said after recording the demo she and Hudson longed for home.
“We were pretty homesick, so we came back to Oxford,” Stirratt said. “It was pretty hard to make music in L.A. because we were working all the time and the cost of living was pretty high. Back [in L.A.] our rent was $500, and when we moved back to Oxford our rent was $150. It was a lot easier to play music full-time.”
Their first release, 1995’s Dog Days, garnered attention in the alternative country arena. The genre began as a mix of rock, blues and country with bands seeking a less glossy, more authentic sound. In the footsteps of artists like Johnny Cash, alternative country has turned from modern country ways, set in pace by bands like Blue Mountain and Uncle Tupelo.
“Bands like Wilco, Son Volt and Lucero owe their careers to Blue Mountain,” said local musician Scott Thomas.
The band released Homegrown in 1997, Tales of a Traveler in 1999 and Roots in 2001.
According to their bio, Blue Mountain’s last show before the band’s break-up was at Schubas Tavern in Chicago on March 11, 2001. It was there Blue Mountain recorded their aptly named live double CD Tonight It’s Now Or Never.
Blue Mountain’s fate was due, in part, to another internal break-up. Hudson and Stirratt’s marriage had ended. Also Blue Mountain’s drummer, Frank Coutch left the band, citing fatigue from touring and his desire to work on local music projects.
Following the split, Hudson, Stirratt and Coutch all worked on individual musical projects over the years. Hudson released three solo records, and Stirratt started her own record label, Broadmoor Records.
Then in 2007 people around the band urged them to reunite, Stirratt said.
“Some of our friends got in touch with us to play a festival they have every year in St. Louis called Twangfest,” Stirratt said. “So we talked about it and rehearsed and it went really well, so we decided to do this show and see how it goes and it kind of took off from there.”
From there Blue Mountain began touring and recorded two albums: Midnight in Mississippi and Omnibus, a re-recorded greatest hits album.
Now signed to the Stirratt-owned Broadmoor label, Blue Mountain got Stuart Sikes who worked with the likes of Modest Mouse and Rockets From the Crypt to engineer Midnight.
Stirratt said Sikes, who lives in Dallas, impressed them with his previous work.
“He did the Jack White/Loretta Lynn record, Van Lear Rose, and two Cat Power records,” Stirratt said. “We decided to use him, and he did a really great job.”
After their current stint of touring, Stirratt said the band plans to head overseas to please fans on the other side of the pond.
“We are going to Europe early next year,” Stirratt said. “It’s a place we want to work a lot harder than we have because the potential over there is huge. I love touring the states, don’t get me wrong, ’cause we have a lot of great fans. I just feel like it could be another market where we could do really well.”
After Europe, the band will relax before getting back to business, she said.
“We’ll probably take a little break [after Europe] and then play some festivals next summer,” Stirratt said. “Maybe then it’ll be time for another record. We’re just gonna see how it goes.”
Ron Ingels, the State Theatre’s sound technician, said he’s excited Blue Mountain is making another stop in Starkville.
“They are a great live band, and I enjoyed working with them and look forward to working with them again,” Ingels said.
Blue Mountain takes the State Theatre stage Thursday at 9 p.m. General admission tickets are available online for $8.50.