High
A few weeks back, we had the pleasure of catching Young Rising Sons‘ first show in the Mile High City. Playing the mid spot in support of Little Daylight, they captivated the entire crowd at Larimer Lounge with just five songs. After the show, we sat down with them to get a little more story behind how this fast-rising Jersey act came to be.
TMN: Hey guys, welcome to Denver. Is this your first time in the Mile High City?
Andy: It is. It’s been amazing. We’ve felt so welcomed here.
Dylan: Denver was the first place to play our song on the radio, and also you guys premiered our song on The Music Ninja, which was amazing.
TMN: Did you guys make the same stop that everyone does, hitting up a dispensary for some legal goods?
Dylan: We tried to! To be honest, none of us smoke weed regularly, but it’s legal here. We were like “fuck it.” We went to a spot down the street and it looked like a doctors office. There was a waiting room and you had to sign in.
Julian: It was too much. We were like, it’s a no go.
TMN: Alright, let’s talk about your guys’ roots. How did Young Rising Sons come to be, and where did you come up with the name?
Andy: We’ve been playing for a while now. It’s been about four and half years. These three guys have been playing forever. I was going to school in NY and playing acoustic in some bar in NYC. They happened to be there and came up to me and asked to jam sometime. It was instant chemistry. We became best friends and band mates, and it’s been the best thing ever since.
TMN: And where did the band name come from?
Andy: The name came from one of our songs, “Red and Gold” which is from our EP. The second verse has the words “Young,” “Rising,” and “sons”.
Steve: But they’re flipped around in different ways. If you listen close though, in the second verse of “Red and Gold,” you’ll hear it different order.
Julian: If you want a fun fact about that, Dylan actually thought of those while he was at Disneyland.
Dylan: Yep. Walking into the Magic Kingdom in Orlando.
Steve: Yeah!
Andy: It was just surreal. It’s still surreal. We’re still pinching ourselves as we’re walking into radio stations, into shows.
Steve: It never will. We’re just like Jersey kids who have wanted to do this forever. It’s cool. We had this freak out moment where we were like, “we’re signed to fucking Interscope!” That’s fucking crazy!
Andy: We’re very fortunate to have the team that we do around us.
TMN: So, we were lucky enough to premiere your debut track, “High.” In all honesty, it’s one of those songs that is impossible to not sing along. How did you approach writing that song?
Steve: Thank you!
Andy: It started with a verse. “High” as a chorus sums us up as a band. We’ve been playing for so long, and a lot of what we did didn’t work. We finally found a formula. We found the missing pieces to collectively put together. I think it did work.
Steve: The song is about perseverance. It’s about the lows and the highs, rather than talk about a girl in a song.
TMN: The aftermath surrounding that song has been tremendous! Have you guys had a few moments that have made you say, “holy shit, I can’t believe that just happened?”
Steve: And it happens every time we’re in LA. Every time we go to or from the airport, we hear our song. It’s crazy. It was amazing though.
TMN: Speaking of aftermath, you guys then followed up with “King of the World,” which I wrote up. I quote “If Michael Cera, Ellen Page, Zooey Deschanel, and Zach Braff made a movie together, this song would be on on the trailer.”
Andy: (Laughing) I’d like to go on record that Zooey Deschanel is like….just wonderful.
TMN: Maybe a collab in the future?
Andy: I wouldn’t be against it!
Steve: Young Rising Sons x She and Him? I’ll take it.
TMN: If that happens, can we claim the premiere right now?
Dylan: Definitely!
Steve: I want a guest feature on New Girl.
TMN: Sorry for giving you guys such a hipster generalization, but that song just seems like it’s destined for a movie trailer. Have you been hit up about yet?
Andy: Thank you. We’ve been writing songs for so long, and a lot of them are pop songs, but we’re an alternative band at heart. We want to really maintain that. At the core, we’re pop writers who like cool shit.
Steve: There are so many great artists out there who write great stuff. I mean, Bruce Springsteen has pop songs. You know what I mean? I mean the Beatles were this tremendous
Julian: Like, that’s not what they set out to do, but sometimes it eventually turns out that way.
Andy: Throughout the four and a half years we’ve been a band, we’ve written a lot. Writing what we’ve been writing lately…feels like we’re coming home.
Julian: We’ve never gone into it thinking, “let’s write a hit song.” We just went into it thinking, “let’s write the best songs we can, and other people will enjoy them as well.”
TMN: One thing that I didn’t have written down, but that we noticed tonight, is that you guys have some 80’s Mowtown influences in your live act. Like…almost like something from Ghostbusters.
Andy: Oh man.
Julian: (Laughing) One of my favorite movies of all time!
Andy: Every time we go through the Holland Tunnel, we pass the Ghostbuster’s house and Julian is the one who points it out.
Julian: Peter Venkman! That’s the headquarters!!
Andy: Fuck yeah though, I grew up on Motown – the Temptations, the Four Tops…
TMN: It’s very evident in your music after having seen you live. The other thing is…there was also some Celtic folk tones as well. So, while the recorded stuff may come across as pop, your live performances display a lot of other influences.
Dylan: The recordings have a certain element to them, and then the live show…the guitars are heavier and you hear Andy’s vocals live. He’s not just this guy singing…it’s captivating. We try to put on a captivating show so people don’t say, “this sounds just like the album.”
TMN: Which you most assuredly did tonight. You guys are pretty new to touring and venues, but you have to have a few dream spots to play at. What are some of those?
Collectively: Red Rocks!
Julian: Madison Square Gardens, Asbury Park Convention Hall…
Steve: Off the “list of shows?” Cover of Rolling Stone Magazine.
TMN: Let’s talk about the tour you’re on with Little Daylight. How did that come to be, and how has it been going so far.
Andy: It’s been amazing. Little Daylight are such great people. They’re Brooklyn…well, half Brooklyn and half New Jersey.
Julian: They’re super talented…great writers.
Steve: A cool thing too is when we started this tour, we actually released their remix of “High,” and it completely blew our mind.
Julian: Great people!
TMN: Seeing as how you’re from Jersey, we have a few Jersey related questions to ask you. Are you guys fans of the Sopranos, or were you to young to get into them?
Dylan: Yes, I’m more of a fan of traditional mob movies. Sopranos is good, but I like Goodfellas, Casino, a Bronx Tale.
TMN: A Bronx Tale is a great flick.
Dylan: That’s all I watched when I was a kid. I would sit there in a Guinea tee and a gold chain. Wait, maybe you shouldn’t write that. Actually, nevermind. I’m a Jersey Italian.
TMN: I’m Italian too, so I think we’re both in the clear. Actually, Casino and Goodfellas are my hangover movies! Anyways, What’s one food related thing you miss from home while you’re out on tour?
Andy: Fat Sandwiches and surf tacos.
Dylan: Pizza!
Andy: I’m from Ohio originally, and being introduced to the Fat Sandwich is an experience I’ll never forget.
TMN: What is this “Fat Sandwich” you speak of?
Julian: New Brunswick, New Jersey. Rutgers Campus. That’s where it started.
Steve: How it started was, some kid was like, “all the food I want when I’m drunk, I want on a sandwich.” And now ever pizzeria and food truck have their version of a fat sandwich. For example, my favorite is the Mojo. So, on a roll, you have Chicken Fingers, Cheesesteak, Honey Mustard, and Mozzarella sticks.
Dylan: There’s also pizza though. Everyone always talks about New York, but New Jersey? Best pizza on the planet. I’ll go on record and say, if you want good pizza, don’t go to Manhattan. Go to one of the other Boroughs for pizza. And New Jersey, of course.
Collectively: NO!!!
Andy: No, it’s fucking not! It’s such bullshit. We get such a bad rap. I’m not even originally from New Jersey, and I feel like I get the most offended by that shit. Seriously.
Dylan: Anyone from New Jersey is going to be offended by that shit. It’s a good place. Families go there…it’s just a good place.
Andy: It’s beautiful.
TMN: Does Chris Christie need to lose a few?
Dylan: (Laughing) Yes!
Steve: He’s alright. He’s good people.
TMN: If you could change one thing about Jersey, what would it be?
Steve: Nothing.
Julian: I would go back in time and make sure the Jersey Shore never got made.
TMN: This has nothing to do with New Jersey, but if your music were an animal, what would it be?
Steve: A Siberian Tiger!
Dylan: I was going to say a Crouching Tiger!
Julian: A Velociraptor?
