An Interview With San Diego-Based Group, THE YOUNG WILD On Their Debut EP, Touring With ZZ Ward and More!

Exhilarating and dynamic, THE YOUNG WILD are a buzz band primed for success. The San Diego based band are currently on their coast to coast tour with ZZ WARD. 

The band are known for adopting the cool chime of synth-pop and 80’s rock, cut with an allegiance to soul, Motown and precision grooves. It’s pop songwriting at its finest and the band’s live shows bring infectious energy to the stage.

Fairfax Recordings’ new signee have had several stops throughout North America including Nashville, New York, Minneapolis, Denver, Seattle, Los Angeles and more. The band will end their tour with a special hometown appearance at House of Blues in San Diego on October 18^th.

THE YOUNG WILD are Bryan B William (singer/guitarist), Gareth Moore (bassist) and Brandon Zedaker (drums) who met in college in San Diego. William writes the majority of the material; Zedaker, with his drumming and production chops, excels at shaping the studio work and understanding the mechanics behind a sonic experience. Moore exists as rare combination of bassist and hype-man, taking the songs from the studio and relating them to an audience in the performance setting.

The band are currently recording with producer Kevin Augunas (The Lumineers, Black Keys, Cold War Kids) and will be releasing their debut album in 2016.

Learn more about The Young Wild in the following All Access interview with them:

How did the band first come together? Why do you think you all work so well together? 

We all met in some form or another while living in Southern California. We crossed paths musically as many networks of musicians tend to do, and it was about a year ago we decided to form the group. I think the presentation and sound of the group sort of represents everything we’ve learned (musically/professionally/emotionally) up to this point – and everyone who has stayed the course has done so because they are willing to go all in.

How did you come up with your group name? What other names were you considering? 

I don’t recall any of the other names we were considering but there was indeed a long list. When I think about the band name ‘The Young Wild’ I think it has sort of a cinematic quality to it – it’s very open as far as band names go which I hope we can move away from as we continue to put out new music – but until then it’s probably one of the most interesting things about us.

Why do you think Fairfax Recordings fit the band’s music so well today? 

Fairfax carries a great musical legacy along with it – the elephant in the room is always “Oh, so that’s where Kurt stood and sang all the songs on Nevermind” or “Here’s where Mick Fleetwood first heard Stevie Knicks and Lindsay Buckingham sing’. We are constantly reminded that we are in good company. And although we’ve only just begun to incorporate the space into our sound it’s yielding some great results – we hope the ghosts of Sound City will be pleased.

How’s your summer been and how’s the start of your with ZZ Ward going? I am a big fan of her music so I’m super excited that you are touring with her! Have you been able to spend much down-time with her since the tour started? 

ZZ had been very good to us. She puts on a great show every night and works hard to make sure nobody leaves unsatisfied. It sets a great precedent for us as a new band without much touring experience. Be on time. Be kind. Be observant.

What have been some of your favorite shows? What do you think makes a show awesome? What venues are you excited to play at this current tour? 

Each city has it’s own flavor and every venue is a little different from the last. We liked playing in Austin, Nashville, and New York – mainly because we got a few days off in those cities and got to explore a little. I wish we could do that in every city we went to. A good show for us usually has to have one of three things; 1) decent sound 2) bathroom access and/or 3) an audience. If we can get two out of three of those we are very happy.

How would you describe the music on your debut EP, “For Now Not Forever”? 

It sounds like Synth Pop-Rock to me. It served more as a transition piece for the band than anything. Like a honest effort to try something else, refine what we wanted and embrace a sonic change. We learned a lot about each other during the time we spent making that EP – it helped answer a lot of questions for us personally and about what we wanted our band to be. A year or so removed from that experience I can honestly say we’ve definitely gone several steps farther with that refinement process – the new single ‘Not A One’ is a testament to that.

I just watched your cool black and white video for your song, “Not A One”. How creatively involved were you with the making of it? 

Glad you like it! The original concept was to put the whole band in a line and shoot a seamless performance in black and white with no cuts. I wanted to create a performance environment where we didn’t feel we’d be imposed upon by the camera, to look uninterrupted and alone. We always entertained the idea of moving the camera around but it wasn’t until the week of production we really solidified our decision to put the viewer in varied proximity to the band.

Another layer to the piece was that we shot most of the footage at 12 fps which doubled the playback speed. You see that the bands movements are very rigid and almost violent at times. Much like old Charlie Chaplin films or the animation style of Tim Burton comes to mind (The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride). Hype Williams was also an influence as he really championed this technique in the video for Busta Rhymes ‘Gimme Some More’.

We’re simply trying to create as many layers as we can in our work. It’s up to the viewer/listener how deep they want to go but there’s a lot more than what’s on the surface with our music and hopefully everything that goes along with it carries that same ideal.

How do you think being from California has inspired you as a band and your music in general? 

Well, like I explained in the first question TYW represents everything we’ve learned along the way about being in a band and putting out music. California has been the landscape for most of our experiences as musicians and we love living there.

What artists have consistently inspired you and the band’s music? Who would you love to work with in the future? Who would be your dream co-touring band? 

We enjoy a wide range of music but currently we have been listening to Jai Paul, Miguel, and lots of podcasts. Those are some of the current favorites while on the road. As far as a collaboration goes Max Martin is someone we really admire – also Mike Crossey and Jack Antonoff. Opening for The Killers would be fun.

Have you finished putting together your debut album yet? What was the most surprising thing to you about putting it all together? What part took the longest? 

LP1 is a work in progress but I can safely say that most of the heavy lifting is done. I think locking in the drums is taking the longest.

What do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope listeners take away from it? 

We just want people to enjoy it, share it, and go as deep as they want with what our band has to offer.