The music behind the Ivan has a special story all to itself. The music in our video’s is by a fantastic band Dirtfoot. Dirtfoot describes themselves as a Front Porch, Foot Stomping, Gypsy, Punk, Country, Grumble, Boogie Band. They hail out of Louisiana and are a wonderful representation of the welcoming and diverse Cajun culture.
I first came across Dirtfoot many years ago at the Wakarusa Music Festival when it was being held at Clinton State Park in Kansas. My friendship with the Dirtfoot gang and my love for their sound and energy goes back more than a decade. They are the kind of people that camp with you at festivals, play music for your friends weddings and are all around decent folk.
When we were creating the movie for our indiegogo campaign we were at a loss for music to use. Since this was our first movie making experience, we had no idea what went into getting a license to use someones music. We searched around for music that spoke to what we were trying to do. We found some good tunes but each time they were owned by big companies that wanted thousands of dollars for a licences. Filming was quickly approaching and we had no music lined up.
Reflecting on what our project was about, and the grass roots nature of our goals, we started to think about music that was close to all three of us. We had all camped and hung with the Dirtfoot gang and loved their music. So we figured we would give them a try and see what they said, the worst they could do is say no. We approached them about using their music and the answer was an immediate ‘Sure.’ They even suggested the song we went with. We decided to go with Pulling Up the Stakes, as it mentions tomatoes and goes well with feel of what we were trying to get across. We were floored by their generosity and kindness.
If you have not had a chance to listen to their stuff you should give it a try. Their energy is unbelievable. When you search for their music you will find much of it is performed live. They excel at playing to an audience and are a real traveling band doing tour after tour. They share their message and their passion in a night of music that you should not miss. Dirtfoot music is made for boogieing, so go out and get your feet dirty stomping to some Dirtfoot.
We would like to extend a sincere thank you to the Dirtfoot Gang. You are our grove and we could not have done it without you.
The first link is the song we used in our video and frankly I was in the audience during this show and was shaking it.