Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
I think the great Bowie himself would be delighted by the sweetness of Astrid Young's folkie rendition of "Modern Love" - Matuya Brand, Weekly Dig Read
Astrid Young is a different kettle of fish. She plays an acoustic set tonight too - but hers is hard, heavy and exhilarating. The low end of her twelve string is heavily used so the music has an eerie undercurrent that is reminiscent of Alice In Chains' Unplugged.
It's dark, it's brooding but it's very, very interesting. There's a lot of bile and anger dwelling underneath Astrid's songs as well as a sense of paranoia and she has an uncanny ability to twist a lyric on its head. "Where will it end, where will it end? Assuming we begin," she screams at one point. This results in an atmosphere that never allows the listener to feel comfortable. She seems to come at you from all angles and at the end of a song called Matinee, the title track to her new acoustic album, she left me feeling like I'd had an argument with her without ever having knowing what it was about.
In the space of this one song her voice goes from being as gentle as a lullaby to being very emotive and sensual then suddenly, as if from nowhere she bellows out a wail that shakes you to your knees and is, simply put, terrifying! It's like a whole doomed relationship in five minutes. Friendly beginning, steamy encounter in the middle and a horrendous break up at the end. Powerful stuff.
It's been an emotional ride this evening and I've been very pleasantly surprised. They've a few more dates around Holland - I'd definitely recommend you check them out, you might be surprised too.
- Underwater Amstrerdam
"... Astrid Young is Highly underrated ..." - LA Weekly
Discography
Astrid Young Discography
Ohm and the Secret Sources "Exit From A Dream" (Ohm Records 1984) bass & b/g vocals, progressive
Sacred Child "Sacred Child" (Target 1986) lead vocals, 80's Metal
Sacred Child "Sacred Child" re-release (CBS/Black Dragon 1989)
Blackthorne "Afterlife" (1994, background vocals) Graham Bonnet, awesome & heavy
Neil Young "Harvest Moon" (Reprise 1992) background vocals
Ben Keith "Seven Gates" (Reprise 1993) background vocals: X-Mas album
Dramarama "Hi-Fi Sci-Fi" (Chameleon 1993) background vocals
Neil Young "Unplugged" (Reprise 1993)
Neil Young "Event of the Season" (KMV Live Bootleg 1993)
Astrid Young "Brainflower" (independent 1995) lead vocals, keyboards, AAA
Nancy Wilson "Live at McCabe's" (Epic 1995) background vocals
Scott Joss "Souvenirs" (Little Dog Records 1996, background vocals)
Shrubbers "National Boulevard" (Independant 1997, background vocals)
Sacred Child "Sacred Child" re-release (Must Have Records 1997) same shit, different vintage
Neil Young "Road Rocks Volume I" (Reprise 2000) background vocals
iST "Pokalolo Paniolo" (War of the Gargantuas/Inbetweens 2002) lead vocals & bass, stoner rock
Neil Young "Are You Passionate" (Reprise 2002) background vocals
Astrid Young "Matinee" (Inbetweens Records 2002) acoustic guitar & vocal album
Ad Vanderveen "The Moment That Matters" (Blue Rose 2003) background vocals
Rebecca Trujillo "Munda" (Munda Music 2003) keyboards
Various Artists "Spiders From Venus" (Skipping Discs 2003) cover of Bowie's "Modern Love"
Various Artists "Borrowed Tunes 2" (Sony/BMG 2007) cover of Neil Young's "Sleeps with Angels"
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Though there is much diversity in her music, Astrids soul lies at the heart of each style
she explores. It is difficult to define myself, because Im different all the time she says.
Years ago people used to tell me - youve got to focus, pick one thing and it really got
to me, like I was missing the mark somehow, but in reality no matter what style I am
expressing, it always sounds like me. Case in point, compare the stoner-rock iST
release Pokalolo Paniolo to the haunting darkness of solo acoustic Matinee on
which Astrid played every instrument, including an original RCA Theramin, Celeste
and glass flute. Many of the same songs are represented on each album, and in
completely contrasting styles. Ninety percent of the songs on the iST record were
written that way, with just an acoustic guitar in the living room. Its not really a big
stretch to make a song heavy, but if you cant sit and play it on a guitar, or a piano, from
beginning to end its not much of a song, is it?
Playing music since the age of five, Astrid Young has explored a multitude of
instruments in a range of styles, from classical to heavy rock, with a healthy dose of
blues and country in between: her discography dates back to 1984 and boasts over
thirty releases, from bands that she has played in to artists for whom she has sang
backup or played with as a side-person.
Some notable co-writes include Bernie Taupin & Martin Page, Lisa DalBello,
Nancy Wilson (Heart) and the late West Arkeen (Guns & Roses). Other artists with
whom Astrid has had the pleasure of working with both live and in the studio include
Neil Young, Ann & Nancy Wilson, Graham Bonnet, Johnny Cash,
Nicolette Larson, Gerry Goffin, Graveyard Train, Dramarama.
Links
