MOUNT SAINT ELIAS

BIO
 

Mount Saint Elias is a 5-piece indie-rock band based in Oakland, CA. Their expansive sound blends the organic tones of acoustic guitar and harmony-laden vocals with distorted electric guitars, lo-fi drum machines and analogue synths. Originally from Kentucky, singer/songwriter Joey Coe incorporates elements of the folk music he grew up with, employing a heavily literate lyrical style and a raw and resonant vocal approach. The band -Luna Fuentes, Matteo Lovik, Josiah Johnson (the Head and the Heart), and KC Van der Zee- hails from across California and South America and from across the gender spectrum. Their high-energy live shows bring a no-boundaries rock-and-roll spirit to a folksy familiarity in a pairing that is both sincere and surprising.
 

“Rousing and heartfelt, evocative and ebullient.” – American Songwriter
 

The band began around a campfire as Coe and vocalist Tatyana Schmid met working as adventure travel guides. The two would decide to move together to Oakland, CA with another guide, Matteo Lovik, to start a band. The Chilean couch surfer crashing at their house became the fourth member and the band was up and running.
 

The band's story took a tragic turn when Schmid was killed in a bicycle accident in late 2018. Her voice can be heard on the early recordings and much of the band's later work is centered around themes of love and loss.