Wednesday 13 June 2012

INTERVIEW: YOUNG RIVAL

TRAINS, PLANES AND DINOSAUR HEADS?
Article By Madison Foster

Young Rival
can bring out a crowd. There's no denying that. So maybe that's why London promotion team Half A Dino booked them for a fundraiser show earlier in June. Hmmm. Although the boys from Hamilton don't have too far to travel to get to London it's always great to find out they're taking the trek. I mean, who doesn't like to rock?

Just finishing up a full length album and we can only imagine a tour will be just around the corner, which means these boys will be no strangers to the road. Well, I guess that might already be the case. With drummer Noah Fralick residing in Toronto and his band mates, Aron D'Alesio and John Smith (if that really is his real name....) sticking to their roots in Hamilton the boys are constantly finding themselves in a back and forth situation keeping the band going. But hey, they're not complaining.
When they started as a four piece with guitarist Kyle Kuchmey, (who went his own way back in 2009 leaving the others to make things work as a three piece. No hard feelings though) back in 2007 they were no strangers to the Hamilton music scene as they truly got their start in previous band Ride Theory. Ever since that time they have found support and success in their hometown. “ I've had thoughts about checking out some other places but ultimately (Hamilton) is a city that just has a lot to offer”, explain D'Alesio. “People from the outside don't seem to understand. They just see the smokestacks but I mean, it's got a really beautiful waterfront and stuff going on in the art scene. And it's exciting to feel like you're in a city that's really going somewhere. It feels like city is always on the cusp of something cool.” With two of the band's members living in and loving Hamilton it did create a bit of trouble when drummer John moved to Toronto for school several years ago. “You just make it work. You have to. I would come home when we had shows. I mean. Hamilton and Toronto are only a 45 minute bus ride apart. It just takes a bit more planning.”
In the two years since the band's self titled LP they must have seen a lot of buses... and planes... and trains while touring across the UK and Europe. Plus the usual writing and practising trips. But now they've finally completed another album (name yet to be released. But with a self titled EP and LP I say they take the Led Zeppelin approach). “We recorded the album at a little place in Toronto called Dream House (previously Tiny Apples, by the Horseshoe, off of a Lululemon... they think) and we did it with the same guy who did our last album John Drew, who produced and engineered it. So hopefully it's just a matter of months until we can start releasing some tracks off it.”

Fans of Young Rival can also prepare themselves with more excitement for a “potential” YR documentary in the near future.... Hopefully. There were originally plans for a Spring 2012 release date but of course the guys laughed when I brought it up. “We did a tour in the fall out west and a couple guys we know came and got a ton of footage of us playing,” Smith told me. “But right now we don't really know if it's gonna be used for a full documentary or if it's going to be footage we can use down the line. We played in a mouth of a Tyrannosaurus Rex in Alberta. We lugged all our gear up three stories and played a few songs there.”

“There's a lot of stuff up in the air right now but when it all comes down it's gonna be great!” - Aron D'Alesio

While you guys and gals are waiting for all of Young Rival's ducks to be in a row you can check out their website and take a gander at one feature I particularly liked - the “Indie Travel Guide.” A guide for people, especially those on tour who wanna know the best places to go in cities like Vancouver and Sudbury but are on a tight schedule. There's no guide for London as of yet but then the boys asked for a good breakfast spot to write about. I suggested Billy's. So check out Billy's while you're waiting too. (Hey! Maybe this could lead to a new sponsor?)

-Madison