Youth Group Recent News

Youth Group on AOL Spinners

Mon, 21 May 2007 00:05:00 -0700

The Interface had a chance to sit down with Aussie Rockers Youth Group.

Check out their live performance and interview over at spinner.aol.com!

Youth Group live @ SXSW

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 00:04:00 -0700

Did you not get a chance to head down to South By South West this year?
Check out some live footage and interview at www.thepalestra.com's SXSW showcase. Hosts of the site Nick and Julie came to Texas for SXSW to highlight bands performances and interview them. Youth Group was one of them!

Check out: Youth Group at live SXSW

Conversation And Cold Beverage With Youth Group

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 00:03:00 -0700

Australia's Youth Group have once again landed on American soil after a 3 year whirlwind of playing South by Southwest in 2003, getting their 2004 album Skeleton Jar picked up by Epitaph Records and befriending Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie while opening up for them on tour in 2005. picture left - Danny Allen, Toby Martin, Alicia Lyman

Through his friendship and connections to the music director for the internationally popular show The OC, Youth Group was exposed to more of the American market when their cover of the 80's hit single Forever Young by Alphaville was featured on an episode and on the show's compilation Music from The OC: Mix 5 in fall of 2005. Last year they played Australia's Big Day Out music festival and opened up for Coldplay throughout their Aussie tour and since have seen their popularity grow and grow.

Upon arriving at the AKA Lounge in Orlando, front man Tony and drummer Danny took the time after load in to sit down with us and drink a few Coronas while enjoying a beautiful afternoon downstairs on the patio of The Pine Street Bar and Grille. They appeared to have no pretense, no big scheme or hunger to make it big and explained how grateful they are for all of the opportunities they've received in their career thus far.

We chit chatted for a bit about the process of making the music videos featured on their website and what how they felt about making them. Danny said, That was just like an enjoyment thing back then, especially with those videos because no one really saw them [laughing] you know? I think here [in America] pushing the video market you only get played on one show pretty much.

Toby quickly stated, Yea but there's also a really good reason to make video clips in Australia if you're a small band. There's a show called RAGE that will play pretty much every video that they get, they may only play it once but it's a national broadcast. Danny added that It's not hosted, it's just videos back to back now with the internet you can look at the playlist and watch whatever you want. Clearly, this band has not needed to rely on music videos to reach their audience and the music speaks for itself.

After the guys grabbed a quick bite to eat and finally took the stage, it was evident that their performances are as equally moving as their music. Everyone in the room seemed proud to be witnessing a show so rare and intimate. Youth Group evoked a response from the crowd that summoned an encore and even stuck around after the show to autograph their merch for the fans whose love for the band will no doubt soar to enormous heights for years to come.

MVWire
by Alicia Lyman

Youth Group make Filter's #1 pick of the week!

Thu, 22 Feb 2007 00:02:00 -0800

Check out the front page of Myspace Music and you'll find that Youth Group's new album "Casino Twilight Dogs" has been selected by Filter Magazine as the pick of the week!

"Australian foursome Youth Group return with a stellar follow up to their acclaimed 2004 album Skeleton Jar. Casino Twilight Dogs - out now on ANTI Records - once again captures an innocence, a down-under yearning, with melody and imagination, and perhaps a little more bristling than before."

Youth Group will be touring the US through Mar/April, and you can stream their new album in Filter/MySpace's THE BOOTH.

Youth Group receives 4 stars in Spin Magazine!

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 00:01:00 -0800

Spin Magazine reviewed the stellar new album from Youth Group. Check out what they had to say about the Australian Indie Rockers sophomore release, Casino Twilight Dogs.

Spin Review

Hear the new Youth Group album, Casino Twilight Dogs, in-full!

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 00:12:00 -0800

The new Youth Group album, Casino Twilight Dogs, is set to drop on 01/30/07, and you can hear it in full right now! Produced by Wayne Connolly (The Vines, You Am I), and mixed by Rob Schnapf (Elliot Smith, Guided By Voices), Casino Twilight Dogs is the stellar follow-up to last year's critically acclaimed Skeleton Jar.

You can preview this album in the audio player found on the official Youth Group Epitaph artist page, located at the link below!

Youth Group Artist Page

We have a Youth Group Flash player set up for you to hear this album at the link below:

Youth Group - Casino Twilight Dogs

Youth Group get a great review from Musicforrobots.com

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 00:12:00 -0800

I like to be surprised. I like to give the benefit of the doubt to a promising band. Youth Group's last record, produced by Chris Walla, sounded a little too much like a Chris Walla record for me. This new one, Casino Twilight Dogs, is something else entirely. It reminds me of the best elements of James, which is a good thing. It's one of those commercially loaded albums that still somehow sounds perfect to me. A great crisp weather driving record.

I'm glad that I gave them a second chance, because I love the new album and it's quickly made its way into my regular rotation.

This song is one of the standouts, and I think Anti made the right decision in laying this out as the first single. It's a nice little jam, showcasing the singer's stellar voice, and with a nice string arrangement. I'm a fan. The guitar work is also subtly explosive - especially on the band's cover of Alphaville's Forever Young, which is a stone cold jam.

It should be noted that 2006 was the year in which I rethought all my stereotypes about Australia. If you know me, you know what this mean. If you don't, you're clearly better off.

At any rate, the new Youth Group record comes out in 2007 on Anti records. Highly Recommended.

www.music.for-robots.com

Youth Group's new album get 4 stars from All Music Guide!

Mon, 04 Dec 2006 00:12:00 -0800

The Youth Group have been on quite a ride, two years ago they were total unknowns in the US, but in quick succession they inked an American deal in late 2004, released Skeleton Jar, toured the States twice, and placed two of their songs - "Shadowland" from Jar, and the specially recorded "Forever Young", on The O.C..

That latter number, an iridescent cover of Rod Stewart's 1988 international hit, acts as a taster for Casino Twilight Dogs, the band's third (second in the US) album, and their most accomplished yet. The Youths underwent yet another line-up shift between this set and their last, but if anything, it's only made them stronger.

Producer Wayne Connolly, who did an excellent job on Jar, outdoes himself here, creating an album that shimmers and shines, sparkles and glows. The Beach Boys Pet Sounds was an obvious inspiration, and one the band borrowed too, especially for "On a String", but there's plenty glamor and elegance shot through the set as well.

On "Sorry" the guitars are positively iridescent, on "Dead Zoo" they glow, and on the surging "Under the Underpass" they shine and pulse, just a bit blurred to bring out the song's epic quality. They reverberate on "Daisy Chains", as Connolly and the band slowly swell the sound, until it finally bursts forth in full majesty. But for all their luminosity, the Youths are capable of tougher stylings, as they prove on the more aggressive "Catch and Kill". In contrast, the haunting "Sicily" transmutes the sun-dappled Mediterranean into song.

Of course, the glorious music is only half the band's appeal, of equal import are their emotive lyrics and Toby Martin's sweet, strong deliveries. The themes range from the sarcastic - "Sorry", to the serious - "The Destruction of Laurel Canyon", written about the 2005 LA mudslides, and "TJ", a pensive number about the real life tragedy of a young boy who met his death whilst being chased by police. From the savage - "Catch and Kill," to the savoir faire - the ode to idleness "Start Today Tomorrow", Youth's poignant and thought provoking lyrics and storytelling style have pushed the group into the emo bag, but with their incandescent music, they're far too glittering to be left with that label for long.

www.allmusic.com

Youth Group win ARIA award!

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 00:10:00 -0800

Last night Youth Group picked up the award for Breakthrough Artist - Single for their hit "Forever Young" at this year's ARIA Awards ceremony in Sydney.

Previous recipients of the award have included Jet, The Vines & The Avalanches, and we it on good authority that Youth Group are absolutely over the moon over it all!

The photo below was taken at the awards ceremony and is compliments of the ARIA Awards website.

www.youthgroup.com.au/

Youth Group announce new album details!

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 00:09:00 -0700

Youth Group � the widely-heralded Sydney-based rock outfit � will release its 2nd U.S. studio album, for the Anti Label (home of artists such as Tom Waits and Neko Case) on January 23, 2007. Casino Twlight Dogs, produced by Wayne Connolly (The Vines, You Am I), and mixed by Rob Schnapf (Elliot Smith, Guided By Voices), is the follow up to last year�s critically acclaimed Skeleton Jar, and comes at a particularly exciting time for Youth Group.

The band achieved platinum sales and an Australian #1 single in March 2006 with �Forever Young�, a cover of an Alphaville track that was a staple on The O.C. last spring before playing Coachella and undertaking a hugely successful support slot on Coldplay�s trek down under.

Casino Twilight Dogs, which was recorded live-to-tape wherever possible, debuted at #10 upon its July release in Australia. And for Youth Group � which consists of frontman/guitarist Toby Martin, drummer Danny Allen, guitarist Cameron Emerson-Elliott and former The Vines bassist Patrick Matthews � the disc was an opportunity to experiment.

Case in point is �Catching & Killing,� which started from a riff and a title by Cameron and drum loops he had made from records by The Stone Roses and Arab Strap. From there, Martin says, �I tried to write some words from the title. The lyrics began as a cut-up of Australian Shooter magazine and ended up as a drunken free-form rant in the studio. We cobbled together a version from about 30 takes.�

Also counting �On A String,� a song inspired by The Beach Boys� Pet Sounds, �Let It Go,� a track inspired by Youth Group�s first-ever U.S. travels in support of Skeleton Jar, and the 2005 L.A. mudslide-homage �The Destruction of Laurel Canyon,� the inventive disc refuses to disappoint. Just ask Australia�s infamous radio station Triple J, which recently wrote, �Mainstream success has been a while coming for this Sydney band,� adding, �Singer Toby Martin channels some classic influences like The Byrds and Bob Dylan in many of these new songs.� Elsewhere, Drum Media declared, "It's one of the year's best albums, no question."

And with �Start Today Tomorrow,� Toby says the outfit found its finest moment. Calling it, �a paean to idleness,� Martin says the song � which boasts a beautiful string arrangement and bass courtesy of L.A. session legend Carol (Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Ronnettes) Kaye � �came from a phone conversation. Jane my girlfriend was putting something off and said, �maybe I�ll just start today tomorrow�. I wanted it to sound like a rainy day that never begins. It only ends.�