Sharing art makes me feel vulnerable. Sharing a piece of you that cannot be objectified, that is so truly you. It is scary releasing new music to the public, because as soon as you do, it becomes a shared receptacle to which others can attach their own opinion and meaning. What makes it scary is also what makes it worth doing.
There is no ONE right way, no ONE sure-fire path to success, and it is usually the path itself that should be most cherished.
Obstacles become monsters in your head; evil horrible creatures. Obstacles are sometimes good things. Sometimes they just ARE - not characterized as good or bad, but just as things like ancient mossy rocks that are a part of the human experience.
I think some people have a different idea of what the band Young the Giant is. We're normal guys. We're down to earth. We like doing other things besides music although for the past three years music has been our life. We're not trying to be too pretentious. Some people take that as a red flag. They say, 'these guys are boring' or 'they don't have anything flamboyant or left field-ish to say,' but if they don't like that then they don't like that. That's who we are. Just even tempered people. We're not too crazy.
I worry myself sick about emotional pain, and then I either get on the mat, or get on my bike, and just stop thinking. Sometimes it is hard to let go, and in this modern age, letting go is considered a sign of coldness and a weak mind, but I think it is the exact opposite.
Our band tries and be as personable with fans as possible because up until the last two months it's been very bearable and easy to get to know fans on first name basis, especially the fans who come to multiple shows. Now its getting a little bit harder with new people and it's a little overwhelming so we're trying to strike the balance of being a very public band that establishes a relationship with the audience.
I try and get on my yoga mat at least three times a week, and if I don't, things start to unravel. I admire routine and ritual, but I am not inherently good at keeping a schedule. I eat at different times every day, I wake up at different times, I change my mind about things I was so sure of the day before. Perhaps I am too passionate, too willing to bend the rules in the name of fun, or to pass the time, or who knows what? Being on stage is truly what puts it all into perspective, and after I get on stage, I take a moment to reflect, and I am set for another 24 hours.
Let's find a way to love each other. Seriously, it can't be that hard. We can even be analytical about it, and work on a cost analysis model. We just need to find something that everyone believes in, that everyone realizes is greater than all of us and our human history combined.
Sometimes I'll go into an interview not knowing what it's about or who it's for. Sometimes I'm a little bit more prepared. I've been in certain interviews where they ask me questions that I know nothing about. Like obscure albums and they want to know my favorite song and I don't even know what to say.
Me and my bandmates grew up with the internet music scene. So we're well versed in how to interact with the online fan base. Obviously MySpace several years back was the main mode of transportation. I found out about so many great bands through the Myspace band of the week feature, it was my goal to be on there. But it's changed a lot. We have a couple social media people helping us out, but for the most part we always oversee our Twitter. We look at a lot of our Facebook stuff. We try and keep in touch with as many people as possible.
