As the ghosts of so many mondo-cool
rock shows of years gone by bounced off the walls of the empty pool that is Manhatan Square Park, The Younger Gang conjured bluegrassy boogiemen and specters of its
own. This string-driven quartet takes the vintage patina of old-tyme music and applies it to a slightly modernized sound.
And we’re not just gonna thank/blame the electric
guitar for this one, either. That’s because before you set off two-steppin’ to the band’s exuberance, you’ve got to
acknowledge the attitude — an epic lyrical view and a willingness to walk the
plank. As the bowl slowly filled with the faithful, the band rocked sturdy, tight
and right. Michelle Younger’s voice was bright and penetrating — to the soul,
not the ears — as she kept up the rockin’ RPMs on her
banjo above the rest of the band’s boogie-a-go-go. The majority of songs seemed
minor-keyed and plaintive but The Younger Gang still buttered them in joy…
infectious joy I still feel this morning.
This article appears in Sep 17-23, 2014.
