Young Empires are coming back to Cincinnati to play MidPoint Music Festival! Young Empires are Matthew Vlahovich, Jake Palahnuk, and Taylor Hill. Their story began in the fall of 2009 with the help of Craigslist. Within two weeks of forming, the band began rehearsing and booked their first gig shortly after, putting pressure on the musicians to write viable songs, practice relentlessly, and become savvy in sampling and analog drum machine programming. Taking advantage of the proliferation of inexpensive recording devices, the band isolated themselves on a rainy weekend in January 2010 in a motel room and self-produced and recorded four demos that gained significant attention on the blogosphere and hit the charts on Hype Machine. The upcoming two years proved to be a globe trotting adventure for the band, being jet set to cities including Bogota, London, Los Angeles, Paris, Stockholm, New York and Miami to perform with the likes of Jamiroquai, Foster The People, Chromeo, Tanlines, Bag Raiders, Sleigh Bells, and Dragonette, and at festivals like SXSW, CMJ, and Brighton’s The Great Escape.
Their debut album, The Gates was released on September 4th via Votiv Records and it is a triumphant tour de force, deftly delivering chant-worthy choruses and weaving together head-bobbing beatcraft with avant-pop melodies.
We sat down with Taylor Hill prior to MidPoint Music Festival!
Tell us about the new album, The Gates…
The Gates is a collection of songs that will take you on an uplifting mood driven journey. We intended it to leave you with a déjà vu feeling for each song. The album is quite diverse and a far step from what we had written in the past.
For those who have not seen Young Empires live before, what can they expect?
High energy paired alongside good vibes and music. Be prepared to participate in a dance filled hand clapping party.... so don't be shy when you come out to see us!
What has been the most memorable moment of the year thus far?
The album release day was a great day. All of our work and patience had finally paid off and we were able to share what we have created for you all. We also celebrated with an intimate show in our Queen St. West hub in Toronto. We invited all of our friends and family out.
What is next for Young Empires?
For us it's about writing more music and playing shows. We also dabble in fashion from time to time so keep your ear to the ground because we are releasing some cool stuff in the near future.
Enter to win a pair of 3-Day Passes to MPMF HERE!
Don’t miss Young Empires at MPMF on Saturday, September 26th at The Taft Ballroom at 11p!
