Young Mothers

Since James over at Ft Lowell Records first told us about Young Mothers, with that awesome little living room performance video on YouTube, we've been firmly in their corner.

So when we got our FLR001 7 inch this week, we were pleased to find some Young Mothers' bonus material in there, a little four song EP. And though all four songs are great (I Just Wanna Know! is as perfect as lemonade in summer), it's the closing "Living In The Graveyard" that really brings it. Zachary Bennet-Toporek is singing his heart out, but the band sounds very tight. Very polished production goes a long way.

The guys were kind enough to give us permission to post the song, so we'll keep it up here for two weeks or so. We definitely recommend checking them out.

And if you haven't purchased the 7 inch, then why not? Both of those tracks are great as well. - The Shimmy Shake

James Tritten (guitarist for Tracy Shedd) has set up a label called Fort Lowell Records. It is a 7inch Only label, releasing limited runs of 500 Colored Vinyl for artists out of Tucson, AZ.

First up is Young Mothers, who already have an album – Arts and Crafts – under their belt, with this pleasing single consisting of Come On, The Cross and Good Swords. This single is an interesting hybrid of classic pop songwriting and indie rock allure. Come On, The Cross and Good Swords possess enough Beatlesque vibes to interest powerpoppers and dark folk energy to appeal to fans of Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses and Bon Iver - Power Of Pop

Good news for vinyl lovers. Musician and producer James Tritten of the newly founded Fort Lowell Records kicks off with a single by the Young Mothers, a five-piece from Tucson, AZ.

Songwriter Zachary Bennett Toporek has come up with two pop songs that can stand the test of time. Come On, The Cross is driven by a Pixies styled guitar and vocal parts that explore different tempos. The flip-side Good Swords is slower with Sixties West Coast harmonizing.

“Come On, The Cross” b/w “Good Swords” is released on 7 inch green vinyl, limited to 500 copies. Cover art by photographer Alaina Brownell, who is still using analog equipment. Release date: April 20. Vinyl challenged? Look for it at the usual digital outlets. - Here Comes The Flood

Young Mothers – Come on, the cross
Det ganska nya skivbolaget Fort Lowell Records kommer inom den närmsta framtiden släppa färggranna sjutumsvinyler (limiterade, såklart) från artister från Tuscon, Arizona. Först ut är Young Mothers och deras Come on, the cross som finns tillgänglig för inköp från och med 20 april. Smaka på a-sidan här Young Mothers – Come on, the cross Share - No Modest Bear

Zachary Toporek hails from Phoenix. He plays guitar and sings with Tucson's own Young Mothers, proud papas of a 7-inch single on Fort Lowell Records called "Come on, the Cross." Toporek is obsessed with pop music and will never get over the Beatles. Most mornings he can be found running around the Fourth Avenue area listening to '60s and '70s soul music and sweating out the sins of the night before.

TW: What was the first concert you ever saw?

ZT: No Doubt, Cake and The Vandals, 1997. I was in fourth grade and thought that the concert counted as three because there were three bands. I felt real cool.

TW: What are you listening to these days?

ZT: Elyse, the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, Motown. I recently threw out most of my music collection and have been rebuilding it with music from my friends.

TW: What was the first album you owned?

ZT: No Doubt, Tragic Kingdom. Couldn't escape that band or that record in the late '90s.

TW: What artist, genre, or musical trend does everyone seem to love, but you just don't get?


ZT: Rock music without hooks. What is that?

TW: What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?

ZT: Late '70s-era Elvis Costello and the Attractions. To see "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes" live like they played it on the record, that's a dream.

TW: Musically speaking, what is your favorite guilty pleasure?

ZT: Alright, Still by Lily Allen. I bought that CD as a gift for my mom and ended up hearing a few of the tracks driving around in her car. It's some catchy music and every once in a while it's funny.

TW: What song would you like to have played at your funeral?

ZT: The Beatles, "Let It Be."

TW: What band or artist changed your life, and how?

ZT: Michael Jackson. He taught me about the boogie.

TW: Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?

ZT: The Beatles, Abbey Road. They may have already known it was the end, but at least they were trying to keep it together and get along one last time, and you hear it in the music. - Tucson Weekly

YOUNG MOTHERS
Come On, The Cross b/w Good Swords
7” release limited to 500 copies

Young Mothers’ debut single on Fort Lowell Records is a hearty and fun surprise. The seven incher, pressed on nuclear green vinyl, is a delight. Its a yin and yang of emotion rich in catchy melodies and grounded efficacy. On “Come On, The Cross” the band delivers an atypical pop song that is both feverish and sugar laced. It echoes artists like Matthew Sweet and the monochromatic backbeat of T.Rex. On “Good Swords” the track segues from tender Elliot Smith balladry to guttural vocals the likes of Dave Grohl. It’s a tender song that attacks and heals inside just a few minutes, like sudden rage in the midst of trying to hold back tears. Singer Zachary Bennett Toporek does a lot with small amounts, like ending an uplifting lyric like “So lift up your voice and sing for me” before growling through the rest of his sinewy vocals. It’s a beautiful song that belies genre typing. Toporek pours it on, making the b-side somewhat more engaging and memorable than its counterpart. Young Mothers released Arts & Crafts in 2008 to much acclaim. But these tracks show something interesting on the horizon for the band. - Bootleg Magazine

New Tucson based label’s 01 release, Young Mothers smack of classic psyche tinged pop a la T Rex, Raspberries, Big Star, and dare I say some Beatles in there, but with a nice desert warmth. Good harmonized vocals and good epic chords and melodies. Side two is guitar+vocals. Great stuff.

Come On the Cross: epic upbeat wall of sound pop, with great guitar

Good Swords: Pretty guitar arpeggios to start, vocals + guitar taking the finest Simon and Garfunkel ever did to the next level - KZSU Zookeeper

James Tritten was sick at home one weekend and spent it diving back into his collection of 7-inch records. A one-time staple for up-and-coming indie bands, it's been overtaken by the ubiquitous mp3 files.
Revisiting all that music and artwork he loved led Tritten to a simple thought: if wanted to see more vinyl in the world, he'd start a record label to do just that.
By the end of the weekend, Tritten (who plays guitar with his wife, Tracy Shedd's band) had a name, a logo and a plan. When Tritten and Shedd moved here from Floria in 2006, they were already huge fans of Tucson music, so when it came to picking a name, he selected Fort Lowell Records to make a clear statement about the label's commitment to Tucson.
"This is the kind of record label that documents a scene," he said. "For me, I'm marking my time in Tucson. Tucson has a scene already and I like just tapping into that and capturing what's happening in the city."
Fort Lowell Records is releasing four 7-inch singles this year: The Young Mothers (April 20); ...music video? on july 13; a Tracy Shedd and Wet & Reckless split 7-inch in the fall; and a fourth record yet to be determined.
Zach Toporek, singer, songwriter and guitarist for The Young MOthers, said that when Tritten contacted the band about Fort Lowell Records, they were excited not only to have a lavel, but to stand out from the crowd with a colored-vinyl album.
"I would really be happy to see this bloom into a big community thing. I'd love to continue developing relationships with the other bands that James releases," Toporek said. "Fort Lowell is going to be a good community-building enterprise and it's nice to be a part of it."
To maintain a consistent visual identity to the label, Tritten is handling the graphic design and he recruited photographer Alaina Brownell to provide artwork.
"Twenty records later, I want to look back and feel like 'Yes, they all look like Fort Lowell Records," he said. "I want people to look and see that image and know exactly what it is, that this record is coming out of Tucson and it is good."
While Tritten hopes for a bright future for Fort Lowell Records, he said that right now it's just a thrill to hold the first 7-inch in his hands. Smiling, but not joking, Tritten said he wouldn't mind a tombstone that reads: "He put vinyl into the world." - Zocalo Tucson Magazine

Fort Lowell, who I talked to a little while back, just released this single for Record Store day and is available on their blog. Young Mothers are from Fort Lowell's backyard in Tucson and James randomly came across them after sticking around after a friends band and seeing them play live.
Zachary Toporek is the lead singer/songwriter force behind this single.

The A-Side 'Come on, the cross', has a real Doug Martsch vocal style that comes out in the
minor chord changes all within that major melody, harmonized into layers of optimism. Definitely pop, the vocals are the centerpiece mixed way up front, and it has all the guitar work from a Built to Spill track. Harmonic solos and Zack goes the range from falsetto to layered growl, that's the difference between their similarly heavily produced guitar, Zack allows himself a greater range of emotion and is at home equally on acoustic as he is working within this layered studio arrangement.

The B-Side James told me was one of those tracks that he'd always had in mind to record but wasn't fitting into their full length easily...that's the story of every great B-Side. 'Good Swords' is an acoustic layered fingerpicking hushed track, very much Elliott Smith style. Half whispered, pushing the vocal out and really letting go towards the end again going further than Elliott ever would, demanding your attention. One of those slow burns that completely destroys with subtlety and impressive intricate guitar.

On Fort Lowell a pale green vinyl, hand numbered with digital download card. - 7 i n c h e s

While I'm still a little bitter than Young Mothers' frontman Zach Toporek bolted for Phoenix a while ago, I just have to forgive any guy who can write beautiful little pop songs like this one, which he posted to YouTube last night. Come back to Tucson, Zach! They don't love you like we do! - Tucson Weekly

Young Mothers live at Club Crawl - Fall 2010 - Tucson Weekly

Young Mothers live at Club Crawl - Fall 2010 - Tucson Weekly

Tough choices tonight musically: The Great Cover-Up moves from the Rialto to Club Congress for a night (look for tonight's schedule on the blog later), but there's also the Young Mothers record-release show at Sky Bar.

These guys are, for my money, one of the two or three best bands in town and are following up their excellent 7" release on Fort Lowell Records, so they seem like an act you should appreciate while they're still here.



- Tucson Weekly

"Though it would be filed under indie-rock in a record store, and despite the relative rockingness of some of the 10 tracks here, the album makes a pretty strong argument that Toporek could pass as a traditional singer-songwriter if he chose that route. Instead, he’s got a great band—Andrew Bates, Tommy Cormier and Ryan Slater—fleshing out his songs, which vary greatly in mood and feel, but still manage to sound of a piece.

Have Some Fun opens with “I Just Wanna Know,” a midtempo winner that comes with a slight twang, though it would never be mistaken for country. With its religious imagery, “The Second Coming” is a sequel of sorts to “Come on, the Cross,” and a worthy one, with Toporek singing, “Well, man makes plans, and God just laughs / That’s the way it’s gonna be / The second coming of the Lord will tell you anything.” The deceptively titled “The Story of Woody Allen and Mia Farrrow” relates the tale of “the belle of every CYO dance” with a nifty, dirty guitar break; it builds layers as it progresses.

Elsewhere, “Helpless Child” is slinky but not quite funky; “Raincloud” is a ballad with a slightly retro vibe, residing on the corner where the ‘50s and ‘70s shake hands and make friends; “Lyin’ in the Sun” opens as an exercise in minimalism before taking on a solo John Lennon vibe.

The album, which was recorded and mixed by Toporek himself, sounds great and makes a fine argument that “Come on, the Cross” was no fluke."

-Stephen Seigel, The Tucson Weekly - Tucson Weekly