Youth XL, Stephen Friedland at Best Video 9/30, 5 PM
Schedule
Thu Sep 30 2021 at 05:00 pm
Location
Best Video Film & Cultural Center | Hamden, CT
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Youth XL plays the Best Video Film & Cultural Center deck Thurs., Sept. 30. The show starts at 5 PM with Stephen Friedland opening.Youth XL is a charmingly irreverent indie-rock group based out of New Haven, CT. Led by singer-songwriter Alex McGuire, their live shows are a lively mix of catchy originals, curious covers, and a healthy dose of general silliness. With songs about learning Yoga, swiping right on dating apps, and texting your friends, Youth XL strikes a balance between cynical social commentary and a sense of optimism for the future. Their debut EP Text Your Friends (2020) is available on all streaming platforms.
Stephen Friedland -- the group Fat Randy’s principal songwriter, vocalist and guitarist -- has also been a sound engineer and co-promoter with Tiny Box Booking, Connecticut's premiere promotions vehicle, for nearly 5 years. During his time cutting teeth in the hottest local DIY venues the Nutmeg State has to offer, he has run sound for hundreds of bands, many of whom play music at the intersection of self-conscious indie rock and insular bedroom pop. In what amounts to some kind of gratuitous exercise in Musical FOMO and a totally epic test of being able to write songs that listeners without neckbeards can enjoy, (Randy) Alex G was born.
The album, recorded and mixed by Zack Abramo (Mesmer [fka Crag Mask], Vundabar) and Friedland, is surprisingly diverse in its scope, despite hewing to a more stringent stylistic theme than recordings past. The garage bombast of "Asymmetrical Bangs, Pt. I" and "Asymmetrical Bangs, Pt. II" pays homage to bands like LVL UP (and Friedland's very brief tenure at SUNY Purchase College, where so much of this genre of music originated), while "Not Now, I'm on Island Time" fuses Sinatra-esque croons with relaxed Hawaiian slide guitar music. At present, the album is slated for mastering at Dog Year Studio in Ellington, CT by Phil Lord (also of Mesmer), with a formal release date TBA.
ABOUT OUR SHOWS:
We ask respect for social distancing, please, and conscientiousness on masks. Not everybody is vaccinated yet and our venue wants to advise caution and consideration for others. Masks are optional outside but required if you go inside Best Video.
No cover charge but please bring cash for the musicians’ tip jar. This has been a real hard time for musicians, almost all of whom have seen their live performance income dry up. (There will also be a Best Video tip jar for donations.)
Parking available behind Best Video and on Thornton Street.
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Where is it happening?
Best Video Film & Cultural Center, 1842 Whitney Ave., Hamden, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
