Meeting and Cover Art

So as a whole band we finally got together last night. It's been a really long time since we've been together and done anything as a whole band. It's been a lot of individual time in the studio with Demitri lately. Poor D has been putting in so much time on this record. He should be paid a million dollars or at least a million hugs.

Last night we talked about a lot of things to do with the record. First we listened to everything we've got done so far and it's pretty friggen amazing to see the progress we've made in the studio. Not just that, it's awesome to see the kind of progress we've made as a band since we wrote STILL back in 2006. Writing and recording original tunes like this is so satisfying. I know other musicians who make their living playing other peoples music and they would do anything to have the chance to write and record their own music with their own band. UY is a really lucky group to be able to keep it together this long and continue to improve as a band. I can't wait for people to get this cd, put it in their ipods/cars, learn all the words, and sing along with us at a show. Nothing is more gratifying than seeing people singing along. Looking forward to that.

So, one big change is that our trumpet player Aaron will be leaving on August 16th to go back to the mainland for multiple reasons. That changes our cd release date. We're giving ourselves one more week to put final touches on it and make it as close to perfect as possible. That also means that all cd release shows that we do once the record drops will not include Aaron. That's a huge bummer. We noticed a huge difference in band chemistry once Aaron got back into the group this summer and contributed to the vibe of not only the horn section, but the band as a whole. UY is an awesome mixture of 6 unique individuals. Without any one of us it just isn't the same vibe, sound, or band.

Another really cool thing we talked about was the cover art. We've struggled to get the themes going for this. The main idea that we have is obviously a sense of urgency. But how do we convey that through an image? Well, we talked about what we feel we have a sense of urgency for. The main focus of the band right now is somewhat similar to that used by considerably nefarious organizations. We want to target the largest amount of people possible in any situation, globally, by country, by venue, or simply individual people. We want to coerce people into action,but do it through music and not violence. We want you to dance, sing, think, buy our merch and music. We don't want you to be apathetic or stationary - we want you to take action because of our music. From this idea the cover art hopefully takes a huge leap into its genesis. Can't wait to see Aaron's art skills grab this by the juevos and make it a reality.

Other than that we talked about boring stuff like cd release shows, promotion ideas, and all that stuff. We're really looking to find a publicist type person help us get the word out into as many newspapers and mediums as possible, but don't have any real leads. Could/would you help UY promote the new album? Could you get a write up in your school/local paper? Could you place our ad on your myspace or blog? There's tons of stuff that could help out. What would you like to do to help? What ideas can you think of? We'd be stoked to have your help.

UY and CUBWORLD

A few months ago UY was asked to be the backup band for CUBWORLD at a show in Laie. Here's a link to some footage on youtube. It was a blast being able to learn someone else's music and not have to worry about being the singer and trying to entertain, but still be a part of the music. You can't see it from the footage but the crowd was great and the sound was awesome as well even though the recording doesn't do it justice. Check it out.

Oh...and by the way. We're hoping to have all the recording and mixing done in about three weeks! We'll be sending it off to be mastered and pressed here soon! Keep posted!

MIA

Let me apologize for the lack of communication lately. There's good reason. Here's a few reasons why I personally haven't been on the blog.
1. I started a new internship/job on June 16th and it's a full time gig. Music doesn't pay the bills or buy the diapers...yet!
2. When not at work we're in the studio wrapping things up. The record has all the drums, horns, and guitar tracks done as of today!

One killer thing that has happened lately is that we were able to have a great night at Boardriders in Kailua last week. Our good friend Danny Casler from National Product came out for our last set that night. We were kind of bummed about the evening because of the weak crowd (we were competing with the BayFest that was going on that night as well). But having Danny there was awesome. For those of you reading who don't know who National Product is here's a little history. NP started playing music around the same time as our original group, Rukus, started playing back in 1998. They kept their act strictly punk and so we did a few shows together back in those days. Since then, NP has moved to California and blossomed to become an amazing band that has toured multiple countries, developed a great sound, and really made an effort to live the dream of playing music for a living. Every time they come back to Hawaii we try to hook up and play a few shows together and keep in touch as much as possible. They're awesome dudes and it's always a blast to get together.

Great compliments came from Danny that night when he heard us play our song Desperation live. That one seemed to get to him. It was great to have an intimate venue to really let loose and have fun that night. Since that night we've been able to get in touch with a good friend of NP - Darrin from Goldfinger!!! It's been awesome to be in touch with a band that you've looked up to for years. Maybe something awesome can come from these cool new connections.

A few words on "connections." It's been amazing to think of the kinds of people we've met and been able to be associated with in one way or another through music. Also kind of frustrating since things haven't just "taken off" due to these associations. Here's a little list of bands we've played with and people we've met because of Upstanding Youth.

Buck-O-Nine, Goldfinger, Reel Big Fish, The Toasters, SUM41, Papa Roach, Pepper (actually it was the father of the front man who we met), Kelly Slater, and a few others. The thing is that each time we made these associates we thought that this might be the person who could really help our band. We really hoped that these associations would help us achieve some kind of greatness that we couldn't do on our own. So far that hasn't been the case. I don't think anyone else other than UY will be the reason UY "makes it." I think if it's ever really going to happen it's going to be because we made it happen instead of someone handing it to us. Or, maybe we just haven't met the right people yet. What you think?

Last Minute Gig

We just booked a last minute gig in Kailua at Boardriders. So, for all of you in Hawaii who check this blog out, we'll be playing from 10pm til 1am this Saturday July 5th. Come and shake it down with us!