February 15th, 2009 * Skull Alley * Louisville, KY
MP3: Young Coyotes - When I Was in the Fire
MP3: Young Coyotes - When I Was in the Fire
Rock and roll back stories are the best.
Take Adam and Zach for example – They were both playing in other bands, met on the road, and upon the dissolution of their respective projects, decided they were meant to be musical partners. One moved across the country to play with the other, and the result is Denver’s Young Coyotes.
And it only takes watching the two perform one song on stage together to know that all that has come before in their musical careers was leading them to this.
The rock-n-roll guitar and drums duo is not all that uncommon these days – White Stripes, Black Keys. But while those groups usually thrive on heavy distortion and messy musical demeanor, Young Coyotes set themselves apart with their precision – and overtly acoustic guitar. There’s no wall of fuzz here. Variation and experimentation are all achieved with Zach’s guitar playing technique – switching instantly from plucking notes to strumming hard; managing upstrokes and downstrokes as two completely different sounds. And behind him all the while, Adam makes sure no beat is unintentional. The two musicians play so tightly and inventively that it would be interesting to watch even if the songs were subpar. But subpar the music made is not.
Zach has a vocal tremor that can only be described as “longing.” Every breath he takes comes across as desperate and pleading, lacing songs like “When I Was in the Fire” with angst and immediacy. And the vocal interplay provided by Adam adds a unique “campfire” feel that makes the songs at once both personal and shared.
Sunday night’s set included most of YC’s two upcoming EPs (Look for March 3rd and March 10th release dates – with the first being provided free of charge!) The crowd was small, but the duo played without any reservations, seemingly thankful to just have the opportunity to share their project with people.
You should maybe expect big things…
And it only takes watching the two perform one song on stage together to know that all that has come before in their musical careers was leading them to this.
The rock-n-roll guitar and drums duo is not all that uncommon these days – White Stripes, Black Keys. But while those groups usually thrive on heavy distortion and messy musical demeanor, Young Coyotes set themselves apart with their precision – and overtly acoustic guitar. There’s no wall of fuzz here. Variation and experimentation are all achieved with Zach’s guitar playing technique – switching instantly from plucking notes to strumming hard; managing upstrokes and downstrokes as two completely different sounds. And behind him all the while, Adam makes sure no beat is unintentional. The two musicians play so tightly and inventively that it would be interesting to watch even if the songs were subpar. But subpar the music made is not.
Zach has a vocal tremor that can only be described as “longing.” Every breath he takes comes across as desperate and pleading, lacing songs like “When I Was in the Fire” with angst and immediacy. And the vocal interplay provided by Adam adds a unique “campfire” feel that makes the songs at once both personal and shared.
Sunday night’s set included most of YC’s two upcoming EPs (Look for March 3rd and March 10th release dates – with the first being provided free of charge!) The crowd was small, but the duo played without any reservations, seemingly thankful to just have the opportunity to share their project with people.
You should maybe expect big things…
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