Bozeman Magazine

Described as a young band with old souls, The Damn Quails are a combined effort between singer/songwriters Gabriel Marshall and Bryon White, proud saplings of Oklahoma’s opulent music vegetation. Understanding the caliber of songwriters that are indigenous to this particular part of the country is the only thing that makes a debut release this good seem plausible.

Having been exposed to local storytellers like Tom Skinner, Mike McClure and Gene Collier, both Bryon and Gabriel sank their roots into songwriting early on and remained close to that art while earning their music chops on stage indulging in music styles that ran the spectrum. It’s a very lucky thing for anyone who considers himself a music aficionado that Bryon and Gabriel would emerge from the same stompin’ grounds and eventually come stool–to-stool in a highly respected ritual among writers known as the Song Swap.

It was in this survival of the fittest setting where two songwriters, both equally fierce in measure, would set into motion a pairing that resonates a lifetime of compatibility despite its level of humble beginnings. Backed by the ‘Quail Philharmonic,” the live show spills off the stage with a pooled sound that makes veteran performers stand up and take notice, and on any given night the philharmonic fills to include some of their peers from other bands. After all, the jam is what it is really all about and Bryon admits that they have never performed a song the same way twice.