Young Man is actually the musical moniker of Colin Caulfield, a singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist who is currently living and going to school in Chicago. I did not know that until I spoke to him on the phone this afternoon, nor did I know exactly how thoughtfully planned and orchestrated Young Man truly is. In addition to discussing his upcoming show at CMJ and a European tour in November, Colin spoke candidly about his new album Boy, about comparisons to established artists, and the future of Young Man.

BnB: When did you first become interested in playing and writing music?

Colin: I grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota. I didn’t have too much experience with music, but I liked it. My dad was a big listener, and he would play me things. I played in some bands when I was younger,  like 16; I was a drummer. I didn’t start playing guitar and piano and singing until college, when I couldn’t bring my drums to school. When I got to Chicago for college, I started writing music. And now here I am.

Is Young Man your personal project, or is it a collaborative effort?

It’s becoming more collaborative now, in terms of live shows. I’m really focusing on that with the band I have going. They have input, but I still write all of the music. The next two albums are much more…autobiographical so it’s very personal.

 

 

What about your new album Boy? Did you write/play everything yourself?

I played everything myself. ‘Hands’ was the only collaboration. That was the last song I finished. I had it about three quarters finished, but it wasn’t sounding right. I went to Paris for awhile, and met a producer there. He helped me finished that song. But otherwise, I played and wrote everything.

A lot of your songs are intimate and expressive of many emotions. How do you get to that place mentally when you’re going to perform, either live or in a recording studio?

As far as recording, I did all of Boy in my room. So, I didn’t really have to get into the mindset, I could just do it. When I was in the right mood, it was very easy. Whereas in a studio, in the futre, I’m not sure how it will work there, or how I’ll be feeling. As far as Boy went, it was really easy to lay down what I was feeling. But live? It’s a very different atmosphere. There are definitely emotions present, but it’s not quite as intimate.

Have you heard of other people comparing your sound to other groups that you either agreed with or disagreed with?

Definitely. I mean, the one that is always mentioned is Animal Collective. I think that’s because of the way I was singing on the record, and also the electronic vibe. A lot of people seem to pick that up from the sound. They were a huge influence at the time I was writing; I was very much in that phase. A lot of people say John Lennon, especially my songwriting. I appreciate that one more (laughs). Also, some people talk about Brian Eno. The music is still layered, but it’s pretty minimal.

Many of the songs on Boy are about growing up. Did you feel as if you were reliving your childhood while you wrote this album, or were you feeling like a child in the adult world?

That was in a way, reliving my childhood. That was the last point of my life when I was feeling like a kid. In a way, it was about me coming to terms with not being a kid anymoere, trying to understand how to deal with first of all, being an adult as well as hanging onto my youth and how it’s important, how it can be done while still embracing the age I’m at. There was a lot of reliving: it was an emotionally draining process. And because I had to get into the mindset of sort of how a kid would write an album. I wanted all of the elements of the album to reflect that vibe and aesthetic. Not just lyrics, but the instrumentation.

You’re playing a CD release show in Chicago before traveling to Brooklyn for a CMJ showcase.  Is this the first time you’ve played a big showcase like that? Have you played any festivals?

Well, we haven’t done anything like South by Soutwest as the band was only a few months old. We just played Governor’s Island in New York with Local Natives a few months ago, and that was with 2,000 plus people. That was a lot, it was like a festival. But this will be a learning process. Especially because you play so many shows at CMJ, I don’t understand how we’re going to fit it all in. I’m very excited to learn about the process and see how it goes.

Do you have any future touring plans or goals?

We’re going to Berlin and Paris in November for some shows. We’re actually playing a festival in Paris. As far as the futre, it’s kind of unclear. We’re all in school, and I don’t know what the band is going to want to do after we all graduate. I just want to tour, and I’m taking the live shows very seriously. I was so focused on recording and just perfecting the product. The live shows are much more organic eperience, it’s more exciting. As far as bands that tour- it’s an intersting questions. We went on a lot of little tours this summer. They were all really great, but I’m not sure that our music meshed as well with theirs. They were kind of unsure of what to think of us- The Dirty Projectors are a big inspiration, their live show is so impressive. We’d like to go on tour and learn from them.

In a few years, how do you want to look back on this project?

That’s a good question- we definitely have two more EPs and two more full lengths coming. Because then it will have run its course, this Young Man project. I’ll be getting older, and I don’t want to keep writing about growing up. That doesn’t mean it won’t feel complete: I’m thinking of every aspect from beginning to end. I just want to look back on it, a serious reflection on youth and growing up and events that everyone deals with. But I also want it to be a very personal experience, and I want to feel like I’ve grown a lot.