I believe that the band Damn Tall Buildings has summarized what it is they exactly do perfectly on their site…I can’t not begin to come up with a better description than:
OUR SOUND COMES FROM A COLLECTIVE HAPPY PLACE WE’VE FOUND IN THE MUSIC WRITTEN IN RURAL AMERICA, OR AS IT’S MORE POPULARLY KNOWN: ROOTS. THIS MUSIC WAS WRITTEN PRIMARILY BY POOR PEOPLE LIVING OFF WHAT THEY COULD GROW FROM THE LAND, AND IT DISPLAYS ALL OF THE GRITTINESS, RUST, AND REALISM OF THE ERA FROM WHICH IT WAS CONCEIVED.
OUR MUSIC DOESN’T FIT IN TO ANY SINGLE ROOTS GENRE, SO WE’VE HAD TO CREATE A HOMESTEAD FOR OURSELVES UNDER OUR VERY OWN BANNER: GUERRILLA ROOTS.
Their latest record (releasing tonight at Club Passim), a self titled EP hits on all those points and feelings perfectly. A modern spin while reflecting and appreciating what came before it. This will be something I continue to revisit as I do with so many of my favorite artists that came before me and I appreciate and respect. This, my friends, will get you moving and keep you grooving…
‘Honey I’m Coming Home’ starts off tender and lonesome in a way. With just a building strum and a vocal, soon joined by the rest of the band, while still maintaining that gentle compassion…until a break and then it’s all on. A good foot-stomping time ensues as the band drives on full-tilt. But not in a relentless and out of control kind of way. Everything is restrained, controlled and purposeful. Never getting ahead of themselves, but still energetic and determined to get you, the listener, moving.
The second track on the collection, Dead Don’t Need No Silver, however is off the rails and a rollicking, rambunctious good time. Tempered by a fiddle screaming high and loud, a call and response chorus, and the rest of the band falling into place to round it all out, this is a sure crowd pleaser in a live setting. There is a rise and fall in the arrangement. When the song breaks and falls down low, the build-up is exciting, its engaging, it has such a life and exuberance. While I feel that this is a band you HAVE to catch live, they have managed to capture a truly captivating performance on tape for us to relive again and again. ‘Leave This Town’ follows a similar template with a fiery kick in from the fiddle, although a bit more subdued than its predecessor.
Music-wise, instrumentally speaking this is bluegrass music at its finest. In context, namesake and songwriting the flavor really lends itself to that title, although there is more here if you choose to scratch beneath the surface. The arrangements are somewhat more complex. In a world where there is so much music to ingest, it’s a breath of fresh air to have well thought, and accessible music. That is evident in the way the group plays, sings, and presents their music. Uptempo and good-feeling, but with a razor sharp focus on songwriting and story-telling.
This collection is a good time to be had, for sure. Dancing in the grass barefoot-festival goodness, banjo picking, mandolin runs, and fiery fiddles all topped off with the icing of dynamic vocal harmonies that beckon for a crowd to sing along. Damn Tall Buildings is a band that may be somewhat new to my ears, but one that will long be one I turn to when I need a good pick me up. Bluegrassy, folk goodness at its finest.
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Tonight’s show at Passim is currently SOLD OUT. BIG RED favorite find of 2014, Local Covering Local alumnus, and bluegrass music’s songwriting sweethearts The Wiles will join DTB to celebrate the show tonight. If you have tickets you are in for one hell of a show, and if not, then keep an eye on Passim’s site as they sometimes let a couple tickets release on day of show.
http://passim.org/club-passim?gclid=CKPosO_Q8cYCFcsXHwodSF8G3g