The Grand Rapids Press - immediately
following the May 24, 1995 James Young Group concert in Grand Rapids, MI
James Young and gang harmonize,
rock steady
by Josh Newman, The Grand Rapids
Press
James "JY" Young still has a
bit of magic left in his bag of tricks.
The former Styx guitarist - first
gone solo, and now with his band the James Young Group - reached into the
same bag he toted while with Styx and pulled out a '90s version of his hard-edged
guitar virtuosity.
But JY wasn't the only one shining
Wednesday night when the band stopped at the Rocker for a free, WMMR 101.7
FM-sponsored show.
Formed two years ago as supporting
band to the then-solo Young, the James Young Group of bassist Hank Horton,
drummer Ken Harck, guitarist Michael Baran and keyboardist Lou DePasqua is
now a collaborative veteran entourage touring to support its new album, "Raised
By Wolves."
Although those who came probably
did so to see Young, the small crowd of 100 or so left wanting to see more
of the whole group.
The band quickly and easily made
clear that it is one of the more professional and polished bands in the business,
as it took listeners through a 90-minute musical history lesson.
Spanning nearly two decades,
the James Young Group performed some of its own material as well as numerous
Styx songs dating back to the mid-'70s.
But by no means is this band
a reincarnation of the legendary Styx.
"That's where we've been," said
Young after opening with a Styx tune, "but this is where the band is going,"
he continued, as the band launched into "Love
(And Love Alone)" from the group's new Whitehouse/Absolut [sic] release.
Slowly chipping away at a 16-song
set, the Chicago-based quintet may have felt an obligation to play the older
stuff, but clearly preferred cranking out the new tunes.
The opening guitar whispers of
"Don't
Get Mad" quickly turned into a heavy metal rager, while the ballad "Heart's
Not The Same," featuring the fretless bass playing of Horton, helped to
further establish the contention of the new material.
And though songs such as "Let's
Do It Everywhere," "Heaven
In Your Heart" and "Into
The Fire" were greeted warmly by fans, they by and large seem to have
come for the older Young material.
"Snowblind" a track from the
1981 release "Paradise Theatre," was the evening's highlight. The 1975 classic
"Lorelei" drew one of the biggest responses from the otherwise quiet audience.
"Miss America" the band's final tune before coming back out for an encore,
finally brought the crowd to life, drawing a few to the stage.
Though the Styx covers were hauntingly
similar to the originals, Young shared the vocals to achieve that effect.
Horton, DePasqua, and Barak [sic] added their voices, to evenly distribute
lead vocals on the night.
The quality of the vocals, including
superb backing harmonies, is what makes the James Young Group so good.
The sound is meticulous - tight,
clean and harmonious, with just enough of a rough edge to satisfy most any
classic-rock fan.
The James Young Group may not
be another Styx, but for James Young it's a logical progression - and a very
good one.
Josh Newman is a senior at
Aquinas College studying business and communications.