Musical Connections

I think it’s safe to say that I was obsessed with music in high school, specifically punk rock in its exciting variations (ska punk, Celtic punk, and skate punk being some of my personal favorites). I have many fond memories with friends at various concerts and venues throughout high school and college, and plenty of misadventures, too (including the time I was almost trampled in a mosh pit– so much for harmony on that one– oops!).

Honestly, though, as my musical preferences have evolved (well, sort of) over the years, I find that I’m more tuned into the messages behind music rather than just the sounds of the voices and instruments, and I have a soft spot for bands who seem genuine and insightful. I still love alternative music, but my current favorite band of all time, Young the Giant, is more amazing than just good music. I was initially hooked by Sameer Gadhia’s angelic voice (seriously! Give him a listen), but all the guys in the band simply seem like genuinely good people, and the lyrics are creative and thoughtful. I dragged my loving husband to two of their concerts in recent years, and they were hands down some of the best concerts I’ve experienced.

There was no chance of getting trampled this time around because YTG fans are a diverse group of kind and intelligent people. At both concerts, I saw multiple people reading books while waiting for the show to start, and at the one in Chicago, a couple of kind college kids pointed my husband back to me when he left to use the restroom and then couldn’t find our spot in the crowd. Nobody pushed anyone or started a fight, something that amazed me, having come from a variety of somewhat rougher concert scenes. There wasn’t drinking to the point where people become belligerent and stupid. Instead, multiple people chatted with us, danced with us, and told us we were a sweet couple.

Sameer (vocals/percussion/some guitar), Payam (bass), Francios (drums), Jacob (guitar/keyboards), and Eric (guitar/keyboards) all genuinely seem like good people that I would love to chat with over coffee. Alas, they are all cool celebrities, and I am just silly little me, so we’re probs not going to be chilling over coffee anytime soon…But I also get the impression they wouldn’t make a person feel unworthy or othered in the slightest, so you never really know.

Their latest album is American Bollywood; Sameer says it is inspired by his parents’ immigrant story, and in fact all the singers are immigrants or children of them: “My parents are Indian. Francois, our drummer, is from Montreal. Jacob I met the first time he ever came to America, the first day of middle school. He’s British. Payam is of Persian descent, and Eric is Italian and Jewish” (Gadhia on NPR). I find that I am drawn to immigrant stories and experiences, likely because many of my friends and relatives are immigrants or first gen/second gen children of them (including my husband– and my children, I suppose). One of my novels features an immigrant MC as well, so it is a perspective I want to learn more about. And now I’m going to throw another Sameer Gadhia quote at you: “For me, being a first generation American, it’s that sense of belonging and that sense of home and identity is not there. There’s a paradox of culture and trying to find a place that fits in between those worlds is what I’m searching for. I think the end of it is that this… it is me; it is with me all along. I have to create that place and it doesn’t physically exist, but I have to be okay with myself. And so then there’s a mental health issue to this as well, of being okay with yourself and understanding that you are your identity” (Atwood Magazine).

I feel like they have meaningful stories behind their other albums and lyrics as well, which isn’t as common nowadays. Home of the Strange (2016) the band called “an external search for your place in the world and your place in the narrative of America,” and Mirror Master (2018) “an internal reflection of self, and where you fit in with your own versions and your own ideas of who you are, especially in what America is now”.

I could quote and rave about Young the Giant forever but suffice to say that they’re my absolute favorite of all time, and they should be yours, too! 😁 I’ll leave you with my all-time-favorite YTG song, the evocative, sexy, and superbly guitar-packed “Eros” (from the Mind Over Matter album, 2014; yes, I own all of these CDs because I’m not cool enough for Spotify). Oh! And then, “Superposition”, too, because it’s the sciencey love song I never knew I needed that has spoken to the very depths of my soul. It’s a must-play at the 20-year wedding anniversary party my husband doesn’t know about yet that will totally be happening in 2031. 😉❤️