Damn Tall Buildings + Cole Quest and The City Pickers

Damn Tall Buildings + Cole Quest and The City Pickers | Live at Cafe Wha? Saturday, May 25th | 6:00PM Show, 5:00PM Doors | Two Item Minimum Per Attendee | All Sales Final

Witty & engaging, Damn Tall Buildings’ energizing music finds beauty and glory in the mundane workaday struggle of everyday life: time keeps passing and the seasons come and go, you scroll too much, you smoke too much, you lose yourself, only to sit with yourself & find yourself again, you laugh with your friends, and you look out the window & dream about what else might be out there. It all keeps coming around. You carry on, intent on flourishing and thriving. This is what Damn Tall Buildings sings about, what they seek to share with their audience.

In their early days, Damn Tall Buildings didn’t rehearse – they busked. Now, whether live or on record, the trio still radiates the energy of a crew of best friends playing bluegrass on the street. Anchoring that energy is their instrumental chops, their strong songwriting, and their varied influences that stretch beyond bluegrass, even beyond American roots music altogether. Whether sharing lead vocals and instrumental solos or blending their voices into high-spirited harmony, Damn Tall Buildings is a tight unit that contains more than the sum of its parts.

Primary vocalist and lyricist Max Capistran’s singing recalls old blues and The Band-style roots-rock, whereas Sasha Dubyk’s time studying musical theater is evident in her rich vocal tone and soulful flair. Avery Ballotta’s fiddle brings stratospheric dimension to the churning rhythm section of Capistran’s guitar and Dubyk’s bass. The band’s harmony singing is tight without being too slick – they sound like three individual voices joined together in celebration, not a perfectly polished machine. Their choruses are the kind you sing along to with a glass raised into the air.

In 2013, then students at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, the band took their instruments to nearby street corners and jammed for hours on old bluegrass and blues songs, traditional fiddle tunes, and eventually their own original music. Busking, a continuous test of one’s ability to command an audience’s attention, cemented their closeness and fostered their infectious, captivating performance style. It’s how they learned half of their repertoire, and it’s where Dubyk first picked up the bass.

Since their busking days, Damn Tall Buildings have grown to new heights over the course of their decade of creating together. They’ve made four albums: 2014’s Cure-All, 2015’s self-titled, 2019’s Don’t Look Down and 2022’s Sleeping Dogs. The band has also relocated to Brooklyn, NY and toured widely, appearing at festivals like Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, Philadelphia Folk Festival, Freshgrass Festival, Ossipee Valley Festival, Walnut Valley Festival, Blissfest and Merlefest. Now based in Brooklyn, NY, they have begun to travel the globe playing bigger and bigger stages, making lots of friends wherever they go. They carry with them a connective spirit, welcoming audiences to join in the moment with the band as they take us on a journey through a well-crafted show. The trio has a knack for making any room feel a little more like home.

Cole Quest and The City Pickers are not your average bluegrass band. Led by the charismatic and talented Cole Quest, grandson of the folk icon Woody Guthrie, this group of New York City musicians is united by their love of bluegrass and their passion for bringing a fresh, innovative sound to the traditional genre.

With their infectious energy and high-spirited talent, The City Pickers have become a mainstay on the local scene and have gained recognition from industry professionals and fans alike. Their debut album, recorded at NYC's renowned Magic Shop studio, was released in 2017 to critical acclaim, and in April 2021, they released their first EP, Self [En]Titled on Omnivore Records, with the help of Grammy award-winning producer and engineers including Steve Rosenthal.

But what really sets Cole Quest and The City Pickers apart is their unique musical approach. Blending original tunes with traditional favorites, they infuse each song with a special brand of high-spirited energy and a high lonesome sound that'll leave you wanting more. Their music is inspired by the stories and emotions of everyday life, and their instrumentation and vocal style are second to none.

Over the years, The City Pickers have shared bills with some of the biggest names in bluegrass and Americana music, including Billy Strings, Sierra Hull, Sarah Jaroz, Della Mae, The Brothers Comatose, The Lil Smokies, Whiskey Shivers, Old Salt Union, The Lonely Heartstring Band, Willie Watson, Blind Boy Paxton, Mike + Ruthy (of The Mammals), Paula Cole, Tom Paxton, David Amram, Tony Trischka, and Michael Daves among others. But for them, the real joy comes from performing for live audiences across the world and connecting with fans who share their love of bluegrass. They have also been featured in The Bluegrass Situation, Bluegrass Today, Folk Alley, WFUV, American Songwriter, Americana Highways, The Alternate Root, The Morton Report, and many more.