Summit Indie Fest is an inaugural event happening at Book and Bar in Portsmouth, NH on Saturday, May 19th. The ideals behind the fest are two fold, to present great bands within the greater New England music community and also to foster a spirit of philanthropy and giving back.

The bill is a wide spanning cross section of what could be considered (on broader terms) “roots” music in and around the New England area. In the course of one evening you will get hot bluegrass licks and harmonies alongside punk infused folk. Soul and funk rhythms dovetailing with lyrically driven folk rock. We decided to catch up with the bands leading up to the event, one by one, to highlight their distinct sounds, what makes them excited for an evening that is focused on these themes and of course: just what they are up to in general.

Damn Tall Buildings is a perfect example of a band that is greater than the sum of its parts. On their own, each member of this band is a stand out. Phenomenal musicians that could hold their own alongside any artist of any caliber and elevate that experience. But, its when they come together that they truly shine in a luminance that bathes the soul and heart. Like peanut butter and chocolate. Like whiskey and ginger beer. A delicious sonic jubilee that your soul wants to devour over and over.

They are the third act we are highlight for Summit Indie Fest and of course we are highlighting them here before the event. Read on folks. Read on…and listen to their music.

PHOTO BY JENNIFER ELROD 

RLR: For those who have never heard your group before, how would you sum up your sound in a sentence long phrase?

Modern punks tryin’ to channel the Originals.

RLR: I think what is pretty cool about this particular event is that it is really highlighting how different folk or roots music really is and the sonic breadth that it spans from punk influenced folk to bluegrass and indie singer-songwriter vibes. I mean “Indie” really means independent at the core, but perhaps has come to represent a certain sound in modern times. What are you most excited about in regards to the Indie Music Fest?

DTB: We love celebrating craftmanship. Humans taking cues from other humans to try their hand at making something on their own is always inspiring. We’re thrilled to get to be a part of such a mindfully-crafted event! Everything in the fest from the bands to sponsors has a true independent spirit that will almost definitely leave everyone feeling more empowered to take action than they arrived.

RLR: Festival can have a certain connotation about “huge event”, outdoors, sun, so on. But this particular show is really focusing on the intimacy of catching a show in a great setting with highly curated and high quality music. In the life of your group do you find you can take a moment and appreciate that intimacy of a show where every one is zeroed in on the performance? Do you find you strive in that atmosphere?

DTB: Overall, absolutely. Especially when it comes to acoustic instruments, the closer you get the more personally the sound hits you. This “zeroing in” can be daunting sometimes, but nearly always electrifies a space in a way only a more intimate performance can. In a room like Book and Bar, sound fills the space quickly. With audience and performer standing on the same floor, every soul in the room becomes a part of the experience just by being there. That’s one of the coolest feelings in the world.

RLR: Two questions: the event is at the Book & Bar in Portsmouth. So, A) what are you reading right now? and B) What is your beverage of choice when on stage (or off)?

Max: Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux // Beer
‘Tana: Letters by Kurt Vonnegut // Beer
Jordan: Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance // I like beer also!
Sasha: An Untamed State by Roxane Gay// Tequila Soda

RLR: The mission of the show is really to celebrate philanthropy and the spirit of community through music. Being a part of it, I would assume that is also important for you all. What does community support and that philanthropic ideal mean to you as artists?

DTB: The phrase “community support” suggests a conscious choice made by a group of individual folks who share food/land/neighborhoods/experiences to pool strength and accomplish greater things. We all have something to offer and there’s a constant exchange of energy & support happening in all communities. At this point in time, “philanthropy” seems to serve a reminder that in order for a community to thrive, we must pour back into it, some of the life it’s given us. This ideal is often presented with monetary confines in mind, but can be executed in many ways. Summit Indie Music Fest is stepping up as a platform to talk about these things & to shed light on all the possible ways modern philanthropy can be acted on. Everything from offering a floor to crash on to donating money towards to the completion of a project to cooking a meal to adding your favorite songs to your favorite playlists to getting involved in music/art/dance lessons and on and on. Bottom line is—when the act of giving is brought from afterthought to foreground, we as individuals are more free to better the world around us (& thus our own lives) rather than constantly worrying about our personal survival.

RLR: Anything you really want to plug coming up?

DTB: WE’RE MAKING A NEW RECORD!!!
We’ll be heading back up to the old home place of Boston to record our next (what feels like a renewed first) full-length studio album. We’ll be using kickstarter for the first time to help fund the creation, and will be launching the campaign this spring. Sneak peeks at this new album can be caught at our final residency performance of the month at Rockwood Music Hall, Saturday 3.31 (note: sorry, we ran this a little later), and a few times in May. As always we do our utmost to keep the show info on our website up to date.