Electric Elms trade off instruments between songs. “That way every song sounds different,” says Ian Logue (center).

Ian Logue says he and his dad plan to attend the “Last Waltz 40 Tour,” a tribute to the Band (with Dr. John, Warren Haynes, and Don Was) next month at Harrah’s Casino.

“When I was working in the Bay Area, the girl I dated who was going to UC Santa Cruz took her life. That’s when I really got close to the music of the Band. I started listening to the music as a therapeutic measure. It gave me an emotional connection to growing up in the country.”

That’s “country” as in Fallbrook. He says the rootsy DNA of the Band, country-western classics, and country-rock bands like Marshall Tucker Band is what drives his band, Electric Elms, which releases their first two-song single this week.

“We knew when we started the band a couple years ago this style of music is not part of a huge scene in San Diego,” says Logue. “We don’t care. We’ve always known this was going to be an uphill battle.”

Logue says he was motivated to move back to North County and launch Electric Elms when he caught up with fellow Fallbrookian Nikola Pantic, who was on tour backing San Diego–based Trindad-born vocalist King Schashca.

“They were playing in some shitty bar in San Francisco,” recalls Logue. “I told him I was fed up with the city and I wanted to move back and start a band with him.”

The two recruited Brett Parkola. At their live shows, all three trade off between guitar and bass. “That way every song sounds different,” says Logue. After five attempts, they’re still looking for a permanent drummer. “One was into metal, one broke his collar bone, one went to med school, one was into reggae...

“It seems like everyone else is either into heavier indie or reggae,” Pantic says about the San Diego scene. After leaving King Schascha (who now tours with English Beat) Pantic played with local reggae/Latin band SM Familia before leaving over musical differences.

“It seems like San Diego is overrun with reggae,” says Logue. “I call it SoCal pseudo reggae. Seems like there’s way too many bands with dreadlocks and fake accents.”

I wondered what’s with the religious connection that seems to follow Fallbrook bands.

“A lot of guys who play in bands now came up in church bands,” says Logue. “There are two churches who used to have huge youth groups. Twelve years ago they had Christian hardcore bands like Life or Death or ESO play as part of their youth outreach. And before that, before my time, they’d have POD and As I Lay Dying play at church shows.”

The Electric Elms appear with Lightning Cola and Hawk Auburn Saturday at the Pour House in Oceanside.