So right after the crowd got going, already amped for Young The Giant’s set- the vibe was interrupted by a little post first song public service announcement- “people of the Troubadour- we have officially lost the keys to our van.  If anyone’s seen a key – that is not their’s- please give it us!”

Safe to say there were no shortage of surprises from then on!  The upbeat pop-rock was fun and the rambunctious crowd eagerly sang along, mouthing every word- making each audience member look like an overzealous back-up singer, and rightfully so!  Had I known all the lyrics to every song I’m not at all ashamed to admit I would have been right up there vying for a spot in the vocal ensemble as well!

The super set was slightly longer than I’d expected- but I didn’t notice as the time flew by with everyone rocking out in a mellow sort of sway.  I lost count of the songs the were strung together with an effortless ease that made one song just weave into the next- those are the best kinds of sets in my opinion, as it seems like you’re listening to a live rendition of the CD- performed specifically for your auditory pleasure only.

YTG cleared the stage and I met up with Sameer Gadhia, YTG’s lead vocalist for a little post set chat sesh in the front bar of the Troubadour.  Big mistake- Sameer rocked the socks of so many people we were interrupted multiple times by fans begging to get the inside 411 on their next performance.  Although after the sweet several song serenade, I couldn’t blame, as I was dying to know myself!

BNB:  So what’s up with the name change- you guys used to be The Jakes?

SG:  Yes- we used to be The Jakes.  We wrote Shake My Hand which was a previous EP we did and after we got signed we kind of wanted to be under a band name that we all felt equally a part of.

BNB:  So you settled on YTG?

SG:  You know- it took some time!  It was kind of hard for us to find a name that encompassed our previous body of work and then also made suggestions for what we could be doing in the future- and then we realized we were thinking too much about it!  So we just kind of screwed around and I was like “what about Young The Giant”- just kind of a random thing that happened, and they we’re like let’s do it!

BNB:  So you all grew up in the O.C.- born AND bred there or?

SG:  Yes we all grew up there- but we’re all from different places.  French-Canadian, Italian, Persian, Indian, and an Englishman!

BNB:  Kind of the United Nations of bands!

 

BNB:  Favorite local venue to play at- best vibe and such?

SG:  The Detroit Bar is a great venue- great sound, good people.  Always a really nice vibe.

 

BNB:  Main musical influences?

SG:  You know that’s tough- we listen to different things every week!

BNB:  Ipod heavy rotation list right now?

SG:  Innerspeaker, a band called Magic Kids from Memphis- just random stuff.  And of course, we always stick to our classics- like Neil Young.  It’s really what inspires us.  The past couple of years we’ve been working really hard on trying to find our voice, and I think we’ve found that.

 

BNB:  Well we get to hear it soon- your new CD is about to drop!  What’s the exact ETA on that?

SG:  October 26!

BNB:  Name of the CD?

SG:  It’s actually self-titled!

 

BNB:  Pre-show vices or rituals?

SG:  I always like writing a set list down- with pen and paper.  We all cheers each other on stage, do a little huddle before we go on.

BNB:  Yeah- I saw you guys dancing together!

BNB:  So “streetwalker”- that was by far my favorite of the set, had a little funk to it.  What would you say is your favorite?

SG:  I like “guns out” a lot and there’s a couple songs we don’t really perform live- just because sometimes when people don’t know you’re full repertoire it might seem out of place- but there’s a song on the CD called “islands,” a slower song- that’s my favorite.

BNB:  Well I can’t wait to hear it on October 26!

BNB:  Closing remarks?  Find the keys to your van?!

SG:  YES!  Someone help us find the keys to our van!

Clearly Young The Giant’s self-titled debut album will hold no shortage of songs you can’t kick off the heavy rotation list, so be on the lookout for that on October 26!  As for where to catch the United Nation’s of bands next, you can check out all their tour dates at www.myspace.com/youngthegiant.  Also, if you’ve found the keys to their van- please return them.  For all I know Sameer and gang are still at the Troub, wasting away again in musicville.  Although maybe it’s a blessing in disguise and we’ll get a repeat performance sooner than anticipated!