Although he was born in one of the bluegrass capitals of his era (New York City!), it wasn’t until college that David discovered the vast spectrum of American music that lived beyond classic rock. His friend Max introduced him to The Byrds, The Louvin Brothers, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Iris Dement, John Hartford, and other great country rock and Americana singers and bands. A couple years later, in Brooklyn, David met singer/songwriter and budding mandolinist Sara Bouchard, with whom he dove into bluegrass, blues and old-time jazz. The two co-founded the genre-bending Brooklyn band Union Street Preservation Society, which would go on to record three albums and perform up and down the east coast with Greensky Bluegrass, Andy Statman, and many other great acts. David couldn’t play like Doc Watson or Tony Rice, but his voice, rhythm guitar backbone, energy, curation and uncanny memory for song lyrics provided the glue for the multi-talented group.
One fortuitous Saturday morning, Dave reunited with his childhood friend Roy, who stumbled upon USPS’s monthly residency bluegrass brunch at an Italian restaurant. Coincidentally, multi-instrumentalist Roy had also found his way to bluegrass over the years. Dave introduced Roy to Max, and the three would soon form best-friend-trio Van Horn, known for its impeccable harmonies and spirit.
After moving from Brooklyn to Schenectady in 2019, David quickly became a warm face and welcomed voice at jams in Troy, Albany, Schenectady, Hudson and elsewhere upstate. He met Bruce Thompson at the monthly Rustic Barn jam in Speigletown, and after a series of promising house jams and some harmony tightening, David and Bruce formed UNKEN BREW.
