Bear Mountain Pickers

It might come as a total surprise that two identical twin brothers, after playing music together for their entire lives, are not the least bit competitive. And after getting to know them, assuming you could tell them apart, it would also surprise you to know that they are the co-leaders of a band, since their tastes in music are opposite one-another. David, a guitar and banjo player who writes and sings the majority of the bands’ music, is a bluegrass and folk lover. Jonathan, on the other hand, plays saxophones, clarinet, and bass, and is a self-described jazz nut. In an article entitled “Blues Brothers – GW Siblings Bring Bluegrass to D.C.,” the GW Hatchet columnist aptly summed it up: “They’re talented, they’re twins, and they go to college together. They’re the Olsen twins! Okay, they’re actually David and Jonathan Kantor, two members of a bluegrass/folk quartet called the Bear Mountain Pickers.” The twin gimmick aside, the Bear Mountain Pickers are one of the most innovative groups on the scene, adding a new twist to bluegrass with the addition of atypical musical influences and styles.David and Jonathan had been waiting to start a full-fledged band since they were kids. As a duo they played and sang at cafes and coffee shops, but wanted to do more songs with three-part harmonies and soon employed drummer and vocalist extraordinaire Bobby Laman upon entering High School. The three formed The Emergency Wedding Band and often performed their unique compositions at weddings throughout Connecticut. The twins parted with Laman after matriculating to The George Washington University in the fall of 2002, where they searched for players. Alex Hirsch was handpicked for the mandolin chair, and various bassists and percussionists were employed from gig to gig. David picked up the banjo, and after realizing that all band members were from the Bear Mountain area, The Bear Mountain Pickers were formed.A Bear Mountain Pickers concert is not the typical concert – just like the Pickers are not your typical band. Often, the middle of the room is cleared out for dancing, and whether the band plays David’s up-tempo, fast pickin’ songs, Alex’s instrumental ballads, or Jonathan wows the crowd with a mind-bending solo playing two saxes at once, the crowd is into it one hundred percent. They have played all over Washington, D.C. at venues such as The Staccato Bar, Blues Alley, The Velvet Lounge, The Black Cat, DC9, The Hippodrome, Lisner Auditorium, HR-57, The Islander, and many more. After college, the Pickers all moved to New York, and now (after settling into day jobs) they are ready to take the Big Apple by storm.In today’s age where an album can be made without touching a real instrument, The Bear Mountain Pickers are somewhat of a throwback. All are gifted instrumentalists, and all of them can play multiple instruments and do during the course of a concert. Washington D.C. made for a unique place to play, since it mixes the cultures of the Northern and Southern parts of the U.S. “The southerners love the Bluegrass, and the northerners like the folk,” David says. But the melting pot that is New York City is where they want to be. “The best musicians in the world are here in New York,” says Jonathan. “And of course, it’s the closest city to Bear Mountain.”