Kolker

Hi, I’m Dave Kolker, a New York City-based guitarist, singer, songwriter, and performer.

I had the good luck of being raised in a musical family where everyone played something and nothing about it was taken too seriously. I started playing guitar when I was 5, borrowing records from my older brother and sister. My earliest music memories are working out the guitar parts in my room with a Les Paul copy and a copy of The Rolling Stones “Hot Rocks." That compilation informed my earliest connection to the instrument. I grew up in a house with diverse record collections that helped shape how I heard and thought about music, artists like Elvis Costello, King Crimson, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Cheap Trick, The Cars, The Beatles, and an endless stream of what was then, pop and now classic music from that time. These records shaped the way I play guitar, write, and perform.

Much of my childhood was spent sitting behind a guitar. I was beyond bad at sports, a mediocre student and had few passions outside of music. After high school, I made the practical choice to pursue a career in finance, which lasted longer than expected. I spent that time behind a desk and many financial models, pushing music to hobby status. I played with a lot of excellent musicians over the course of my career and held down a few NYC residencies, including at the Baggot Inn, Kenny’s Castaways, and more recently at The Bitter End. During that time, I got to play shows and do some travel gigs with Paul LeFebvre (pedal steel) Tony Mason (drums), Tim Luntzel (bass), Nikolaus Schubeck (drums), Brett Bass (bass…no kidding), and Andrea Monorchio (bass). I feel lucky to have played with these and a bunch of other great musicians during that time and made four records (Tuesday, Letting Go, Antennas, and Standing on a Wire) and released a few singles along the way.

A year before the pandemic, the urge to be a better version of my musical-self overwhelmed my common sense, and I left the finance gig to pursue music full-time. I’ve been at it since and totally enjoying the work and the practice in a way that my younger self didn't appreciate. I’ve been playing with a bunch of new people, writing and performing material at a residency at The Bitter End. The band moves around several drummers and bass players, who all bring something special to the material and make it feasible for me manage schedules and take on more work as we look to expand to play in front of new audiences. A current version of the band includes Paul LeFebvre on pedal steel, Jon Ladeau (guitar), Dekko Mills (keys), Jason Ewald (drums) and Ksenia Vasileva (bass).