VIDEO PREMIERE: Cole Quest And The City Pickers "Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key"

When Nora Guthrie recruited Billy Bragg and Wilco to add music to some of Woody Guthrie’s unpublished lyrics, the result was the landmark album, Mermaid Avenue. Now, Nora’s son – and Woody’s grandson – Cole Quest Rotante has covered one of the songs from that album in his forthcoming EP, Self [En]Titled (due April 16). The New Folk Initiative is honored to present the exclusive premiere of a video of “Way Over Yonder in a Minor Key.”  

When I first heard Cole Quest and The City Pickers at the American Roots Music Festival at Caramoor, I had no idea about his connection to Woody; I just thought they were a fine bluegrass band. By the time I heard their debut album, recorded at The Magic Shop, Steve Rosenthal’s legendary studio (Lou Reed, Natalie Merchant, David Bowie, et al), I’d become a believer – not only in Cole’s talents as a Dobro player and a bandleader, but his ability to combine solidly crafted original songs with well-chosen covers. I was pleased to invite them into to the WFUV studio and to Rockwood Music Hall for one of my On Your Radar bills.

The group hadn’t intended for any covers on Self [En]Titled (also produced by Steve Rosenthal). But, as Cole explains, “As I compiled the songs, I felt that we were missing an important connection to all the writers that had laid the groundwork before us. This meant the cover we chose had to be meaningful, it had to be relevant, and it had to be representative of our group identity.”  That led to “Way Over There in a Minor Key,” which pays homage to his grandfather’s legacy. The vocal is by Christian Apuzzo, and the animation is by his friend, Megan O’Neill. It’s both rootsy and whimsical and an enticing taste for the album to be.

photo by James Salzano