Photographs by Shelby Suzuki (’16)
On the night of December 20, alternative rock band Young the Giant finished off their Mind Over Matter album tour with a final performance on Oahu.
A group of around 20 HBA students attended the concert at The Republik and listened to a wide selection of songs from the album, including some of the band’s older songs such as “Cough Syrup.” This was Young the Giant’s first time visiting Hawaii.
“I thought the concert was literally fantastic,” said senior Aaron Wilford. “Their live performance brought everything I’d heard in the studio version and unleashed it so [the songs] felt completely new and exciting.”
According to junior Shelby Suzuki, lead singer Sameer Gadhia’s dance moves added to the exciting vibe of the concert. “The entire band inspired me to just live a life where I can genuinely enjoy what I do,” she added.
Senior Amelia McKenzie recalls the concert as one of her “most memorable experiences of 2014.”
[one_third]“Tilly is so daring and creative with his guitar and he epitomizes rock and roll.”
Senior Aaron Wilford
[/one_third]For Wilford, the concert offered something more than entertainment; it was a chance to observe and learn from guitarists Jacob Tilly and Eric Cannata. Wilford plays electric guitar in his band, The Proletarians. “Tilly…is so daring and creative with his guitar and he epitomizes rock and roll,” says Wilford. “[His style] is rude and loud; he doesn’t care about manners but sounds great and connects to a part in all of us.”
McKenzie enjoyed the band’s performance of “I Got”, one of the more toned down songs from their 2011 album. “The song basically says that life will bury [us], but we will rise again. It gets me very motivated, and it really speaks to me during the hard and stressful times,” she explained.
Mind Over Matter was released on January 21, 2014. In an interview with Rolling Stone, the band explained their take on the album title. According to them, “the obstacles you create for yourself are the only things that can really destroy you.” They explained that it is the problems people enlarge with their mind that can really do the most harm rather than the tangible problems that stand before them.
The Young the Giant band members include lead singer Sameer Gadhia, guitarists Eric Cannata, Payam Doostzadeh, and Jacob Tilly, and drummer Francois Comtois. The Young the Giant concert was hosted by BAMP Project.
