Wise, Young & King

Wise, Young & King - Emerging Artist Spotlight

Wise, Young & King


Feb 29 2012 - We love exploring new bands and when we run into some new music we like we make it a mission to get a hold of the artist(s) and ask them for an interview to get to know them or their band better. Our first Emerging Artist Spotlight focused on Toronto based hip-hop act BoudahBless and Radical Joe. Today however we go back to rock and roll and get a chance to speak to Wise, Young & King.


Our first experience with this band was on September 1 2011. It was a late summer night when we went to see Saga play a home town gig at The Sound Academy (review here). Opening that night was a band who blew me away. Here is what I wrote about that band in my original review of the Saga show:


"... before I describe my Saga experience, allow me to first give a worthy mention to the opening band. Wise, Young & King from Ottawa were playing one of their first gigs in Toronto - and to their largest audience to date confirmed by their lead singer. The band's website describes their style as "ferocious riff driven rock n' roll debauchery with a retro vibe and infectious sound." Totally spot on. These guys had a tough challenge ahead of them when they got on stage - to enchant an audience that was here strictly for Saga. Not only did they step up to the challenge, they blew the crowd away. By the end of their set I declared myself a fan. Vocalist Alan Charlton's voice reminded me of Ian Astbury, in fact I felt like they had an evolved sound of The Cult during their mighty heavy guitar years. It is great to see good rock still alive and well and passing down through the generations. I predict a great future for this band and will be sure to see them when they are back in Toronto."


I contacted the guys recently and was delighted that they were willing to give us an interview.




1. Hey guys, thanks for taking the time out to talk to us. Let’s start off with the obligatory introductions. Who’s in the band and what instrument do you rock?


WY&K: Thank you for having us. The band is comprised of the following line up: Alan Charlton - Vocals, Myles Bell - Guitars, Alex Scott - Drums, Colin Wolfson - Bass.



Wise, Young & King


2. We were introduced to you when you opened for Saga in September 2011 in Toronto. Were you fans of Saga before the gig?


WY&K: Opening for Saga was a great experience for us and was our biggest stage to date. We had all hear of Saga, but none of us were familiar with their stuff. So we must admit that we had to go online to check them out. We thought they put on a good show; those guys have been doing it for so long, they are pros. For us that night was very memorable - we were mostly excited to play in front of classic rock fans and we also got to meet a bunch of new people and share our music with the crowd that seemed to really like our sound.


3. Not sure if you read the recent interview with Dave Grohl on Billboard, but the interview title was “Why Rock Will Never Die & Why 2011 Was His Best Year Ever”. So tell us your thoughts – Why do you believe rock will never die?


WY&K: Rock and roll is an attitude, not just a genre. It's about forging your own path. There will always be hormonally unbalanced teenagers, uptight parents and blaringly loud electric guitars. In recent years kids have resorted to dance music or rap music as there source of rebellion (because their parents listen to 'rock and roll'). However, if we continue to look into the future, the parents will be fans of dance and the kids will rebel on rock again. It is a cycle. See the 1980's and the resulting grunge-rock explosion of the early 90's. So rock and roll is almost due to take over once again. Plus Neil Young said so.


4. Why will 2012 be your best year ever?


WY&K: 2012 will be our best year yet because we are always growing, both as people and as a band. If 2012 isn't as good as 2011, well then w - T-Mak World

Wise, Young & King singer and classic rock fan Alan Charlton raises an important, if self-serving issue facing classic rock ‘n roll.

All those classic tunes by The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Deep Purple are now 40-plus years old, and they aren’t getting any younger.

Indeed, there’s been so many reissues, remasters, commercials and Broadway musicals and other spinoffs of classic rock albums, one can’t help but wonder if the genre itself isn’t developing arthritis like so many of its aging fans.

Admit it. Classic rock needs young blood if it’s going to survive.

But there is signs of new life on the horizon with Ottawa’s Wise, Young & King.

“How many times can you listen to the same music?” Charlton asks.

“I get tired of listening to the same music over and over. If we don’t make some new music, eventually, we won’t have anything to listen to.”

Comedian Bill Cosby joked once that “Nothing separates the generations more than music. By the time a child is eight or nine, he has developed a passion for his own music that is even stronger than his passions for procrastination and weird clothes.”

That might have been true during Cosby’s time, but that wasn’t the case with Wise, Young & King.

A band since 2007, guitarist Myles Bell, Alex Scott on drums, bassist Chris Terkuc and Charlton began jamming to the vintage vinyl their parents listened to. The big names of the 1960s. The Doors and The Beatles.

“I was very influenced by Robert Plant, Jim Morrison and even Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder. They had so much emotion in their singing. We try to take that style and update it. The blues, only nastier,” Charlton says.

They recorded their debut album Wise, Young & King in October, around the same time that the band made it to the finals of Live 88.5 FM’s “Big Money Shot” new music search, and winning $10,000.

It’s a strong guitar rock record, one that doesn’t feel like a retro homage to a previous generation, although it’s selling just as well with boomers, maybe better, than it is with disillusioned teens.

This is one recording that begs to be played on vinyl. Loud.

“The way we’ve gone is to go for the intensity of the songs. Our name is symbolic of our attitude to music. Smart, strong and in control of your destiny. We feel on top of the world.”

Wise, Young & King will be recording a couple music videos in a live performance at The Rainbow Bistro on Monday, Dec. 27. Opening will be Trainjumper and FutureSnake. Show time is 9:30 p.m. and cover is $5 at the door.

Full information is posted on their MySpace site.

denis.armstrong@sunmedia.ca

- The Ottawa Sun

I have seen the power, I have seen the glory. My faith in classic-rock inspired sounds is restored. Hell yeah. That was a great set at The Hard Rock Cafe. Zeppelin, Rush, maybe a bit of Sabbath, maybe a bit of STP. It's all fucking there. Thunderous, dynamic, and foot-on-the-amp power that makes you do devils-horns. Or air guitar.

- The Lonely Vegabond - Myspace

Q & A with Wise,
Young & King


Wise, Young & King's self-proclaimed mission to "create a new rock experience that echoes the heyday of rock'n'roll" is well under way: the Ottawa rockers have been catching the ears of the capital with a modern rock sound flavoured with serious vintage influences.

Currently polishing their full-length debut after three years together, Wise, Young & King are sure to make an impact in 2010.

The four-piece band consists of Myles Bell (guitar), Alan Charlton (vocals), Alex Scott (drums) and Chris Terkuc (bass). Ottawafocus caught up with them for a chat about rock, recording...and the origins of their mysterious band name!
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How did Wise, Young and King originally come together?

We started out as a bunch of friends who went to high school together. The band formed in our basements - it all stemmed from a general distaste for what was going on in popular music. All of us grew up in the suburbs of Ottawa: Stittsville, Osgoode, Manotick; but we now live in a crooked band house downtown.

How did you come up with your band name, and what exactly does it mean?

Our band name confuses people all the time. It can mean a variety of things, but it definitely is not our last names! It is meant as an attitude or a mindset: to feel wise, young and king of your own world. We enjoy the confusion, it means we’re on to something.

You draw a lot of influences from classic 70's rock. Were you captivated by your parents' music, or is your appreciation for classic rock something you came into later in life?

Growing up, all of us listened to our own music and had our own influences. We listened to the radio - Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Green Day, all that nineties rock - but classic rock is the common ground where we met in the middle.

Behind closed doors we listened to The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Zeppelin, Hendrix - it was all being explored. Some of us explored the classic rock side later than others, but we were all definitely bonded to it through our parents.

How do you combine your vintage rock influences with a more modern sound to create something original? Do you think there is any truly 'new' music left to be made, or is today's music all about remixing and reinventing genres from the past?

We try and take the best elements of all the genres that influence us. We don't play songs that all of us can't agree on. It is hard to make anything truly 'new' in today's rock music. I mean, really if you think you are the first to do it ...someone else probably already has.

When and where did you play your first live show?

We played our first live show together in October of 2007 at Capital Music Hall just sneaking in on the Headliners bill. It was a rush. We ended up closing the night. Playing live is the reason why you get in a band in the first place!

Tell us a little about your new album!

We recorded our album at Audio Valley Studio with Steve Foley, who helped with the production and some of the arrangements. This album was the product of several different band members and tunes we've had for years. We had to get these down first before we could move to our new stuff. It's a rockin' album that gives you a little taste of everything we are capable of.

When will the album be available and where can we find it?

We plan to release it online as well as local CD outlets. We are more concerned with getting the music to the people and we openly encourage free downloading. We don’t have an exact release date but it should be very soon.

You already offer some of your music for free download via your website. How do you feel about music sharing in general?

Filesharing has both liberated and oversaturated music for the listeners. It's a great way to get music out there and its the easiest way for people to get instant access. There is more music than ever before, but you have to get your music past the rest.

We see it as a positive tool overall, but there are negatives to it as well. More people hear your music, but when downloading is free ... it's not the most lucrative business! But then again, you don’t go into music for money in the first place. Today, if you’re going to survive as a band, the money is going to come from your live shows and your merchandise sales.





What's your dream venue to play?

We will play anywhere, anytime! In the end it’s all about playing live in front of inviting audiences. In Ottawa, we’re really hoping to play Bluesfest this year.

On the whole, do you find that the Ottawa music scene is a supportive one?

The Ottawa scene has been supportive of us and we love all the people who come and check out our music. It’s not the liveliest scene for new music, though. You can go hear a cover band at all the major bars downtown, but new music doesn’t quite flourish the same way. There are some good people here trying to start a music scene, though, and hopefully we can build from that.

What are your favourite places to play or see live music in Ottawa?

Bluesfest is the be-all, end-all of the Ottawa scene. Its an incredible atmosphere and there is a band to see every night. The venues we play the most are Zaphod Beeblebrox, The Rainbow and the Live Lounge. We’ve also seen some great acts play Capital Music Hall over the years and of course you have Scotiabank Place to see the heavy hitters.

In 10 years, you'd like to be...

Traveling around the world, playing our music for people...as long as we are creating and playing music, we’ll be happy. But we’ve definitely got some big aspirations. Why dream small?

- ottawafocus.com