Carrying forward Woody Guthrie’s legacy while blazing a fresh New York trail, Cole Quest & the City Pickers will celebrate the July 18 release of their new album Homegrown (Jalopy Records) with two free, outdoor New York City concerts: June 10 on the plaza of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (5th Ave. at 82nd St.) and June 21 as the 5 p.m. headliner on Governor’s Island’s Cowboy Seahorse stage at the Porch Stomp Festival.
Fronted by resonator-guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist Cole Quest—grandson of folk icon Woody Guthrie—the City Pickers are an egalitarian ensemble whose buoyant harmonies, fleet Dobro, banjo, and harmonica work, and rotating lead singers have attracted admirers across the roots-music world. “What a crack team of pickers and voices you have put together,” praises Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show, while Arlo Guthrie calls the new record simply, “Really good!” Tony Trischka notes that their sound “keeps you coming back for more,” and American Songwriter lauds Quest’s “skill and savvy… Woody would be proud.”
Produced by four-time GRAMMY® winner Steve Rosenthal, Homegrown threads traditional touchstones through Cole Quest’s own lived experience. The 11-song set features three Woody Guthrie compositions—including a harmony-rich opening take on “Pastures of Plenty” introduced by Pete Seeger’s reading of Guthrie’s words—plus the Woody/Arlo co-write “My Peace,” works by Peter Rowan and John Hartford, and Quest originals such as the witty, city-sketched “Where I’m From” and the pandemic-born anthem “I Ain’t.” Brazilian harmonica virtuoso Matheus Verardino shines on the Portuguese-sung “Só Pra Variar,” underscoring the band’s global reach within an acoustic framework.
Last week Folk Alley premiered the City Pickers’ version of Hartford’s wistful “In Tall Buildings,” featuring vocalist Christian Apuzzo, who says the song “became my mantra since finding the bluegrass scene in New York City.” Wide Open Country likewise spotlighted Quest and the forthcoming album in an in-depth interview.
June 10, 2025 – The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth Avenue Plaza
Two sets: 6:30–7:00 p.m. & 7:30–8:00 p.m. | Free
June 21, 2025 – Porch Stomp Festival, Governor’s Island
Cowboy Seahorse Stage, 5:00 p.m. | Free | Details: porchstomp.com
Upcoming Tour Dates
June 14 – Great Barrington, MA – The Guthrie Center
Aug 1 – Brooklyn, NY – Jalopy Theatre
Aug 16 – Amityville, NY – Long Island Bluegrass Festival
Sept 13 – Silver Bay, NY – Mountain Music Festival
Sept 19 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Americana Music Festival
Sept 20 – Pearl River, NY – Rockland Conservatory of Music
Sept 23 – Cambridge, MA – Lily P’s
Sept 24 – Providence, RI – Nick-a-Nee’s
Nov 1 – Putnam Valley, NY – Tompkins Corners Cultural Center
(Additional dates to be announced.)
About Cole Quest & the City Pickers
Quest first embraced his heritage after stumbling into a Queens pub and hearing musicians cover his grandfather’s songs. Today the City Pickers—Quest (guitars, pedal steel, vocals), Christian Apuzzo (vocals, guitar), Matheus Verardino (harmonica), Mike Mulhollan (banjo), and Craig Akin (bass) with guest organist Wyndham Baird—stand at the vibrant intersection of old-time tradition and bustling city life. They have shared stages with Billy Strings, Sierra Hull, Sarah Jarosz, and Della Mae; headlined the Brooklyn Folk Festival; and toured internationally, building a reputation for spirited performances and heartfelt songwriting.
Homegrown arrives in the week of Woody Guthrie’s July 14 birthday, affirming that the family’s musical roots continue to flourish—organically, collaboratively, and very much alive in twenty-first-century New York City.
