Damn Tall Buildings Premieres New Track I'LL BE GETTING BY at PopMatters

By: May. 31, 2019
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Damn Tall Buildings Premieres New Track I'LL BE GETTING BY at PopMatters

Damn Tall Buildings have unveiled another track from their forthcoming LP Don't Look Down set for release on June 7th. The album, produced by Dan Cardinal (Darlingside, Lula Wiles, Josh Ritter), is a statement of reconnection. "I'll Be Getting By," the new single from the Brooklyn-based four-piece, premiered at The Bluegrass Situation this week. "'I'll Be Getting By' harkens to a summer day, almost assuredly finding yourself in a boat on a river," the band told The Bluegrass Situation.

LISTEN: "I'LL BE GETTING BY" via SOUNDCLOUD // SPOTIFY

Outfitted with acoustic guitar, fiddle, banjo, and upright bass, Damn Tall Buildings may have a bluegrass configuration, but this band is anything but traditional. While attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, the four began busking on street corners, which has been a huge and lasting influence on their captivating performance style. After going their separate ways after school and attempting to make things work from their various locations, the group collectively resettled in Brooklyn where they're making waves with their unique brand of music they call "guerilla roots."

LISTEN: "WORDS TO THE SONG"

LISTEN: "GREEN GRASS AND WINE"

LISTEN: "LATE JULY"

Whether live or on record, the band still radiates the energy of a ragtag crew of music students playing bluegrass on the street. That energy is anchored by 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 are 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. The interplay between Avery Ballotta's fiddle and Jordan Alleman's banjo 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--four 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. Their lyrics find beauty and glory in the mundane, workaday struggle of everyday life: time keeps passing, you don't like your job, you drink too much, you laugh with your friends, you search for a home, and you dream about what else might be out there. You carry on. This is what Damn Tall Buildings sings about, what they seek to share with their audience.

TOUR DATES:

6/15 - Folk Fest sur le Canal - Montreal, QC

6/22 - American Roots Music Festival @ Caramoore - Katonah, NY

6/27 - Club Passim - Cambridge, MA

6/28 - Riverwalk Cafe & Music Bar - Nashua, NH*

6/29 - Jalopy Theatre & School of Music - New York, NY*

7/12 - Hardwood Park Craft Brewery - Richmond, VA

6/13 - Fork In The Market - Roanoke, VA

6/16 - Isis Music Hall - Asheville, NC

8/2 - Blasty Bough Brewing Company - Epsom, NH

8/8 - The 23rd Annual Podunk Bluegrass Festival - Goshen CT

*album release show


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