The Youngers

Artist Information

Biography

The Youngers - Heritage
Biography

heritage
n. Something that is passed down from preceding generations; a tradition.

In 2001 Todd Bartolo, lead singer/songwriter/guitarist and driving force behind roots rock outfit, The Youngers, acquired mounted bullhorns from Bill Monroe’s estate sale. The artifact from the bluegrass founder’s personal collection hangs from an archway in Bartolo’s home and serves as a daily reminder of the importance of heritage in his life and music. “Previous generations established foundations, that their lives and achievements would be the basis for future generations to come” said Bartolo, from the band’s home base of Mohnton, PA. He took that ethos and applied it to recording the follow-up to The Youngers debut, Output, (Obuck Records 2005) and headed to Hendersonville, TN to work with producer John Carter Cash, at the historic Cash Cabin studio. Cash, no stranger to musical tradition, only son to country legend John and June Carter Cash and grandson to Mother Maybelle Carter, had previously worked on his late father’s, American III: Solitary Man and American IV: The Man Comes Around albums as well as produced and co-produced albums with Marty Stuart, Shaver, Loretta Lynn, Emmylou Harris, and Willie Nelson "We wanted to record the album in a place that inspired us as much as the material did, and with its significance and history, the Cash Cabin, proved to be that place”, Bartolo continued. The resulting sessions yielded, Heritage, a collection of 13 brand new, well-written, thought provoking, and honest songs from Bartolo and his Younger co-horts Randy Krater (Bass and Vocals), Jesse Nocera (Guitars), Justin Schaefer (Drums and Percussion), and James Harton (Hammond B3, Piano) and is buoyed by performances from John Carter Cash (Percussion), Laura Cash (Fiddle), Ronnie McCoury of The Del McCoury Band (Mandolin), and legendary Waylon Jennings’ pedal steel player Ralph Mooney. The title track explores how past generations embodied love, standards, structure, beliefs, and practices and juxtaposes it with the absence of these foundations in today’s society.
Heritage is full of chiming guitars, anthemic choruses, soaring harmonies and story songs of working and hard life blues. From the hopelessly addictive sing-a-long opener, “Heartbreaker” to the pulsating, seven minute coda, “Downtown”, The Youngers have crafted a recording that celebrates the music they love and pays homage to their heroes before them. Bartolo wears his influences proudly on his sleeve, from the E-Street tinged, “Middle of the Night” , the Crazy Horse country stomp of, “In The Morning”, the McCoury mandolin fueled, “Big Ol’ Freightrain”, or the Byrdsian jangle of “Seat 24”, all in the capable hands of The Youngers, who shift effortlessly with each stylistic discipline. Heritage shines a light on the daily struggle, but celebrates the satisfaction and reward of a life’s little victories. Each listen reveals a new piece to life’s puzzle through unveiling secrets from the past.


“The Youngers are not just the cutting edge of where music should be right now, they hold to the roots. Their style is both unique and reminiscent of some of the greatest Rock and Roll of our time, timeless and groundbreaking.” -John Carter Cash

"I enjoyed meeting and recording with the Youngers. After listening to their CD and their blend of country rock with straight talking lyrics about the heart, the highways and the railways, I believe that they have put together a very eclectic and emotional project that should make any listener recall their own heritage." -Ronnie McCoury

Check them out on the TV show Inside Music Row with John Carter Cash at http://tinyurl.com/8ezlmt

Instrumentation

Todd Bartolo- Lead Vocals, Guitar, Lap Steel, Mandolin
Randy Krater- Harmony Vocals, Bass
Dax Bryan- Guitar, Vocals
Justin Schaefer- Drums, Percussion

Discography

The Youngers - Output 2005
The Youngers - Heritage- Produced by John Carter Cash released September 2008

Official Website

http://www.theyoungers.com

Audio

• Heritage - Heritage 08'
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• Highway 9 - Heritage 08'
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• Heartbreaker - Heritage 08'
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• Long Way Home
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• Arkansas
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• Rabling and Moving On
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Lyrics

• Heritage
• Highway 9
• Heartbreaker

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Quote [+ Show ]
  

  “The Youngers are not just the cutting edge of where music should be right now, they hold to the roo...“The Youngers are not just the cutting edge of where music should be right now, they hold to the roots. Their style is both unique and reminiscent of some of the greatest Rock and Roll of our time, timeless and groundbreaking.”

• Quote [+ Show ]
  

  "I enjoyed meeting and recording with the Youngers. After listening to their CD and their blend of ..."I enjoyed meeting and recording with the Youngers. After listening to their CD and their blend of country rock with straight talking lyrics about the heart, the highways and the railways, I believe that they have put together a very eclectic and emotional project that should make any listener recall their own heritage." -Ronnie McCoury

• WNCW North Carolina [+ Show ]
  

  "The Youngers bring together hard-driving rock, alt-country, and a hint of bluegrass, along with cle..."The Youngers bring together hard-driving rock, alt-country, and a hint of bluegrass, along with clever, heart-felt lyrics....in other words, they represent the best in Americana today. They're great live, and they're great in the studio with this new release." Martin Anderson Music Director & Mid-Day Host, WNCW

• WXLV 90.3 [+ Show ]
  

  "The Youngers bring out the 'heritage" of roots Americana music in Pennsylvania . Listening to them..."The Youngers bring out the 'heritage" of roots Americana music in Pennsylvania . Listening to them is like imagining a group of older men on a store front porch jawing their life's tales while whittling craft with fairly sharp knives."Burr Beard Program Director WXLV 90.3FM
  

• The Philadelphia Inquirer [+ Show ]
  

  “On the Youngers' impressive debut, Output, Bartolo delivers well-crafted originals that belie the a...“On the Youngers' impressive debut, Output, Bartolo delivers well-crafted originals that belie the album's generic title. His songs tend to be streaked with melancholy, with Bartolo's hangdog vocals matched by mournful music that can be sweetly soothing when it's not kicking up the occasional rocking ruckus.”
  

• Asheville Citizen TImes [+ Show ]
  

  "The Youngers (nearly a decade old) are for anyone who appreciates tight musicianship delivered with..."The Youngers (nearly a decade old) are for anyone who appreciates tight musicianship delivered with a sound that's still just a little rough around the edges."-- Asheville Citzen Times

• Miles of Music [+ Show ]
  

  “Set with an old-school country/folk core, The Youngers craft a downbeat, bear-drenched sound that... “Set with an old-school country/folk core, The Youngers craft a downbeat, bear-drenched sound that "stirs rural" under Bartolo`s plaintive drawl. Casting bar-stool poetry and the eternal prose of the forever heartbroken, Bartolo leads the group through lethargic road house and slow-simmered alt. country, with the occasional jangly roots-pop number and bluegrass folk item thrown in for good variety. The rootsy rock of opening cut "Long Way Home" features some searing lap-steel solos, courtesy of Bartolo, sounding out the fanfare for the band`s ten track excursion through straight forward, yet emotionally wrought (and sometimes wrangled), set of tunes.”
  

• Taproot Radio Show, WCOM-FM, Carrboro, NC [+ Show ]
  

  “The press kit says to imagine a car crash between Hank Williams and Neil Young. Fair enough but I... “The press kit says to imagine a car crash between Hank Williams and Neil Young. Fair enough but I'd have to add that Kevn Kinney is the EMT that shows up. The soaring riffs of the opening track firmly peg the CD into a rock Americana gothic landscape that would indeed make Neil Young proud. But Todd Bartolo's world weary voice, despite the twang, has a rhythm and cadence that sounds surprisingly deep south modern for Pennsylvania boys. The Youngers have mastered an ensemble sound that few start up bands manage. No one dominates the song. It's clearly a song-writer's CD. The lead vocals are always front and center, but the guitar lines are clear and articulate and emotionally connected to the vocals. Add to it the occasional harmonica, lap steel, accordion, and fiddle and you have a CD that is good company while you're driving down the road.”
  

• Times-Dispatch-Richmond (VA) [+ Show ]
  

  “The Greater Philadelphia area is known for many things, but country music isn't one of them. Not y... “The Greater Philadelphia area is known for many things, but country music isn't one of them. Not yet, anyway. Todd Bartolo has been building a nice alt country/ bluegrass/ newgrass following in Berks County, about 30 minutes north of Philadelphia. His latest outlet is the Youngers, a band he co-founded in 1999 with bassist Randy Krater. They knocked out as much bluegrass as anything else during the formative years. "Bluegrass is pretty much where we started out," the 29-year-old Bartolo said by phone from his home. "At first, I wasn't really sure what I was going for. I just wanted to get together with someone. But I never saw myself doing that full-time." When the duo grew into a quartet, Bartolo couldn't resist the urge to turn up the volume. "The songs that I was writing weren't bluegrass material. I wanted to get a little more electric and it just evolved into a rougher, alt country kind of a sound." Suggested by Bartolo's girlfriend, the group's name comes from an infamous 19th-century gang of outlaws. The new Youngers' sometimes rocking, sometimes acoustic sound comes from the four members' collective influences, which range from Bob Wills to the Guess Who. "We all complement each other because we all have different backgrounds," Bartolo said. "I have a lot of old country influence in me from my parents. I also like the Americana and singer-songwriter stuff, Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan, Waylon [Jennings] and Johnny Cash. "Jesse [Nocera] has more of a classic rock influence -- the Who, Guess Who, Johnny Rivers, Chuck Berry. We're all into older stuff, roots rock and old country." Echoes of all those artists can be heard on the 10 cuts of the quartet's 2005 release, "Output." "'Long Way Home' is pretty much a rock and electric song," Bartolo said. "Later in the album, 'Arkansas' has more of an acoustic, laid-back kind of feel. It has a rootsy kind of sound." Bartolo is confident that he is bringing the Youngers to a part of the country that appreciates music like his.”
  

• WVIA-FM, Scranton PA [+ Show ]
  

  “The Youngers create outstanding original roots-rock with respectable dash of country influence, i... “The Youngers create outstanding original roots-rock with respectable dash of country influence, imbued with a classic, timeless quality.”
  

Setlist

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