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YOUNG LIVERS
THE YOUNG LIVERS ARE ON FIRE
By Zac Hobbs
Photos courtesy of No Idea Records
From the June 2008 issue of PRICK Magazine
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Gainesville, Fla. is a
town known for
breeding hardworking,
honest, and sincere
bands, and No Idea
Records' Young Livers are
certainly no exception. In
late 2007, the Livers burst into the punk world
with their debut full length, The New Drop Era,
molding the tried and true Gainesville style of
punk rock into a style completely all their own.
Self-coined as "thrash at a rock tempo," guitarist
Matt Farrell and Dave Hall blend melodic and
harmonized guitars over Chris Jordan and Mike
Carter’s brutal and driving rhythm section, complete
with gutted, gritty, and graveled vocals. The
metaphorical icing on the cake is how the Young
Livers came to formation, as Farrell explained it
to PRICK: "We all moved to Florida and met in a
bar." If that isn’t the foundation for building a
great rock band, I don't know what is.
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What sets Young Livers apart from all of the
other run of the mill bands out in the independent
music world right now is their undying dedication
and sheer fortitude towards doing what they love;
while many bands talk big about spending months at
a time on the road, Young Livers actually do it. Within
the first six months of the release of their debut LP,
the band has toured the east coast twice, with plans
to spend the rest of the year hitting up the west
coast and Canada. "This is only our second tour...but
we haven’t been a band for very long," Farrell
explains to us. "We are planning on being out as
much as possible now that things are moving forward,
so we plan on spending and saving wisely and
working as much as we can when at home." While
being on the road so often, certainly the band must
encounter their fair share of wild events — PRICK
heard about an incident in Clemson, S.C., where a PA
was blown and some drums were set on fire.To that,
Farrell replies simply and solemnly: "Clemson is
always rowdy and we always try and have a good
time on tour. There are always stories that create
amazing memories. I'm sure a fair amount of bands
have their stories of fire, nudity, and drunken
debauchery."
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While not out slaying crowds in dive bars and
DIY venues all over (or blowing up PAs and setting
drums on fire), Young Livers have found that they will
always have a place to call their home in the steam
and swamps of Florida. "Gainesville has a very
supportive community whether it be the bands, people in the community or the No
Idea office. We all wanted to be in an active band and people from parts have been
there to help us along the way." And what better thing to do while relaxing at home
than get tattooed? We like to get tattooed at Anthem Tattoos in Gainesville, most of
us have a fair amount of work from Sleepy Dave.
On the subject of tattoos, the Livers have quite an honest and modern perspective;
when we asked about the types of tattoos the band members like to get, Farrell
was quick respond simply "If you don’t get a tattoo that makes you laugh at or reflect
upon something, then it's a just an accessory." That idea is reflected very nicely on the
Young Livers' skin, as the band is covered in ink ranging from traditional styles to more
bold and abrasive and complex black and gray.The content of their tattoos range from
inside jokes, to homages to their favorite bands and inspirations, and lots of great artwork.
Hall, for example, has both of his forearms covered in beautiful bird imagery, and
Carter has a tattoo of the iconic No Idea Records' Stressface logo. And in a way, their
tattoos reflect their music quite perfectly: they don't give a shit who does or doesn't
like their music, they are just going to keep on making it and playing it regardless of
what anyone else thinks.
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Sometime between all of the tours, the Livers plan to write and record a new
album, which will most certainly be a treat for any fan of dirty and gritty punk rock.
"[Writing is] a long collective process that's sometimes painful. Each person brings
their own influence and inspiration," Farrell noted. "We try and challenge each other
to keep it feeling and sounding fresh and maybe innovative." Innovative or not, one
thing that can be said about Young Livers, it's that they are without question one of the
hardest working bands in the music world, and continue to carry the torch that legendary
Gainesville punkers set before them.With no thoughts of ever slowing down,
Young Livers are certainly a band that everyone will know in the near future.
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