by Jeremie Fincher

Contrary to my previous beliefs, The Young Guns are not a group of outlaw cowboys taking refuge with a kindhearted rancher. That 90s film is not even where the 'new kids in town,' got their name. The Young Guns are a force to be reckoned with in the music scene of the City of Anchorage. Unfortunately, I have yet to catch them in a live setting, but I was lucky enough to catch a three song practice they allowed me to sit in on. These jokesters are full of laughs, charisma, and talent. They welcomed us and set the mood with a few jokes when I walked in with the photographer, but then got straight to work.

(left to right: Jenni May Toro, Dustin Murr, John Cripps Jr., Ivan Molesky, and Matt Eley)

Anchorage Night Out would like to thank Mark Farnsworth for his photography work with The Young Guns.

They played three songs for me, "Little Lolita," "High Frequency," and "Shake It." I certainly haven't heard anything like it before, and I immediately fell in love with what I heard . The Young Guns are a mixture of rock, pop, and dance music, all tied up with a pretty little bow we like to call "indie." I felt a lot of 80s influence listening to the set, and contrary to the norm (with 80s music), I liked it. During the interview, the band confirmed this vein of 80s influence. Joy Division, New Order, and Missing Persons were all named as influences and fan comparisons. This combination of music genres have been done before, but not like this. This neoteric twist and the talents of this specific lineup make me want to put the label 'indie retro wave.' I don't know how terribly accurate that description is, but I would like to stress the "new" sound with a classic heartbeat. It's a delight to the senses; a few of them.

The Young Guns are a unique collaboration of local Anchorage musicians. John Cripps (lead guitar and founder) and Jenni May Toro (lead vocals) had worked together previously in The Audio, a former Anchorage rock band, whom with limited material, made a huge impression on the scene in 2010. Ivan Molesky (bass) and Dustin Murr (drums) have been a locked-down-tight rhythm section before, in former local indie band Wolf Electric. I feel like The Young Guns allow these two to open up a bit more. Last, but certainly not least, Matt Eley (guitar, keys, vocals), originally selected for bass guitar, was referred to the band through a friend, Mark Bourdon, bass player for Turquoise Boy and Historian, who was too busy at the time to audition.

The Young Guns were originally a six piece, with a full-time keyboard player. Things didn't quite work out, though, says Jenni May. "Honestly, we wanted to be a six piece, we thought it would be really cool, full sound, and it was overwhelming. We thought Liz would be happier pursuing other music."

"With six people, there are scheduling, transportation, and gear issues," says Matt.

"It takes a small team of people just to make sure I leave the house with pants on, so ..." jokes Ivan.

"It was a mutual thing." says John.

When asked what inspires the Young Guns, the resounding answer was 'Bear Tooth burritos.'  "Well, that's what inspires us now, to keep going," says John Cripps. Jenni says she writes from experience, she writes from her life. She was inspired by a recent break-up, and felt the need to express this musically. She told John she needed to 'jam it out,' so they did. This is probably where the aggressive side of their music comes from. "Well, I'm writing through a breakup right now. A lot of it is angry, but it's also really poppy, so you're not gonna know!" John later joked that the Young Guns were like 'make-up sex on a guitar and a mic.'

We also talked about influences the band had. The Sounds, Interpol, The National, Metric, and Phoenix were all mentioned. Ivan joked that he "really likes Neil Sedaka." I had to look it up, and it made me laugh. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Sedaka We also got on a long tangent about dialysis, Stella the dog (pictured), Sonny Bono, miniature weiner dogs, and the up-and-coming Young Guns merchandise, including panties. It was an interesting interview to say the least.

The Young Guns have long term plans for recording an album with Twisted Penguin Productions, a Spenard-area recording studio, but have another secret agenda. "We're going to record a demo or two in, what a couple weeks?" asks John. "We're gonna record before we record, ya know?" They started recording in early December in a 'clandestine location.' Very top secret.

"We've got the intention of recording the best demos that we can in the next couple of weeks. We don't want to rush the recording, but we need media. We have to have something so people know what we actually sound like before they come see us." Matt Eley explains.

Dustin chimes in, "We have a lot of Facebook likes for absolutely no reason, other then we've asked our friends to 'like' us, and they trust us. We're also bribing them with dinner. It's Marketing 101. I'm all for it." The Young Guns have devised a system of social marketing. They've used the order of their Facebook 'likes' to determine each fan's "Young Gun number." For example, I'm Young Gun #56, and damn proud of it. This band loves giving things away, and they have decided to give away a date with the Young Guns. When their Facebook page reaches 500 'likes,' they are going to pick a random Young Gun number and take that lucky fan out for dinner and drinks. The band likes to socialize, anyway, after their band practice, so they figured they'd get to know a lucky fan.

Go to www.facebook.com/younggunsak and make sure you 'like' their page and enter to win!

The Young Guns are focusing on the demo and recording, and playing a few more shows here in town before planning a tour, but they said they would be interested in plotting an in-state tour with a local band or two. "Fairbanks to Homer," speculates Dustin Murr. If you and your band are interested, contact the Young Guns on their Facebook page.

These last two photographs were lent to us by Joel Adams Photography, and are from the recent "12 Days of Christmas Pub Crawl" at the Anchor Pub & Club. This concert, themed "Nine Ladies Dancing," was part of a huge co-operative fundraiser for "Pump Up The Kids," assembled by Collaborative Minds, a local non-profit aspiring brainstorming group. Twelve businesses downtown worked together to raise over $5200 dollars for these kids. There is still time to donate, so please go to http://www.947kznd.com/pages/11403650.php and fill out a pledge sheet for one of the kids on their list. Also, check out Anchorage Night Out's blog entry on Pump Up The Kids, just click the next picture!

Remember to scoot over to their Facebook page and give them a 'like.' They'll like you back, and they might like you enough to take you out to dinner and drinks. They might even make you famous. In fact, on January 21st, the Young Guns will be playing a show with Shy Bones, The Sweeteners, and Alex The Lion. If they've reached 500 likes, they will make one lucky fan "famous" and announce the winner of the "Date with the Young Guns." You may have to be present, at the show, to win. Come show this new group some love, get some love back!

Jeremie plays bass guitar in Anchorage rock band Robots Helping Clones and is an Assistant Editor at Anchorage Night Out. You can reach him at bands@anchoragenightout.com.

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