THE PROMISE

Another year has gone by in the journey that is Young's Modulus--and what a year it has been! We launched into 2017 playing Shady Park on Mike's birthday and a rainy January night. In March, we played Tempe History Museum's LOUD VI event with Japhy's Descent and Dead Hot Workshop. We played several shows at Tempe Center for the Arts as well as various shows around the valley, including opening for Kirra and Tantric at The Rebel Lounge. Also, we had the opportunity to appear on Fox 10 AZ Morning and  "Laces Untied" was played on ALT 93.3's Homegrown with Mo's segment and won the Friday replay for a chance to play one of Mo's Local Showcases. Momentum was high and we started to track new music, back at STEM Recording, for release in 2018--so much promise!

Later in the year and not too long ago, Gary and Ryan made a decision to leave the YM lineup. Gary can be found playing with his project, The Dusty Ramblers and  Ryan continues to support a number of other local rock greats behind the stage so, you will be sure to catch him at a number of shows around town. We wish them both the best as they were a big part of evolving YM into the next phase!

Currently, the promise exists to take production to Los Angeles. The hope is to be in the studio sometime before the end of the year while writing and development of songs continues remotely with the producer. Evolution is always a bittersweet thing when it involves the loss of pieces in order to make room for growth, opportunity and promise. While YM may look a little different on the other side of this phase, know that the even though it may not seem like there is movement externally, rest assured that there is! There are many working behind the scenes to ensure that YM emerges in an almost unimaginable way--that is their promise to you and the dreams of those closest to this. Transformation is messy, externally quiet, sometime hurts a bit and always results in something greater than what existed before. YM's intention is to transform, not into something unrecognizable, but something that has broader impact and feeds the souls of all it touches.

Stay tuned for updates about production of new songs, road trips to LA and introductions to the expanding YM team. See you soon!

Moving On

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2016 has been a banner first year for Young’s Modulus! We hit STEM Recording with Curtis Grippe at the helm to record our debut album, Somnambulist, in late 2015 and had a solid album release show at Last Exit Live supported by local music mainstays Japhy’s Descent and Ghetto Cowgirl in July 2016. On top of that, local rock station KWSS 93.9 gave it their stamp of approval and we made an appearance on the TMI morning show with Beef Vegan and got more support from the afternoon block and Dani Cutler of Dani’s Diner.  Local artist Deon Doughty of www.azrockandroll.com gave the album his take with fantastic artwork capturing the feel and message of the album. And Mitchell Hillman, well his love for the local scene and the generosity he has shown Young’s Modulus is immeasurable. From his weekly “What’s Going Ahhhn?” to making two of his “Best of” lists in Phoenix New Times for singles and albums from local Phoenix bands—numbers 19 and 22 respectively no less! All just the tip of the iceberg of what was 2016 for YM.

With rapid growth and success come the need for rapid change and adjustment. Shortly before the album release show, YM guitarist, Todd had to step away to focus on taking care of his physical health and The Ryan King swooped in to play the show and quickly became a permanent member of YM. Shortly after the album release show, the remaining original lineup of Young’s Modulus (Mike, Sean and Tom) parted ways and Mike and Ryan put together another lineup that is unmatched in talent, passion and desire to make good music for the world to hear. We wish Todd, Sean and Tom nothing but the best.

Without further ado, we would like to reintroduce you to Young’s Modulus!

Mike Johnson—Lead Vocals/Guitar

The Ryan King—Guitar

Tim Caggiano—Bass

Gary Smith—Drums

Gary and Tim are no strangers to the local and national scenes so prepare yourselves for a transformative experience when you hear us play live! We also have plans to be back at STEM with Uncle Curtis for preproduction in the spring and another album for you all later in the year. In the meantime, we already have some awesome shows lined up for early next year including another stint with Japhy’s Descent and Ghetto Cowgirl. We are especially excited for the Tempe History Museum’s LOUD VI event where we will warm the stage up for Dead Hot Workshop!  So, get ready for an absolutely rockin’ 2017 with us and always remember to #RockLocal.

Our Road

GOING FORWARD We did it! Well, you did it! Hell, we all did it! On July 15th, we celebrated the release of our debut album Somnambulist. Friends and family gathered at Last Exit Live to hear two of our favorite bands open the show; Ghetto Cowgirl and Japhy's Descent. The list of "thank you's" continues to grow as the community continues to embrace and support us. Of course there is Uncle Curtis from STEM Recording--always there guiding and supporting us. Thomas Laufenberg, you're a genius and consummate teacher. Deon Doughty for the amazing interpretation of our music in the album art.

Most recently we have gained friends and support from Mitchell Hillman who has been incredibly kind, generous and genuine in his reviews of our music. Also, KWSS and Beef, thank you for taking a chance on the new kids and supporting us and the show. After the show, we were imparted with some sage advice; this is a community and the community looks out for one another. It works because of the reciprocity that exists in this community. And then, we were welcomed. Not as in "you're welcome", but rather welcomed into the community. There was no better way to end an already perfect evening than with that.

LOOKING BACK

In early June, our guitarist Todd parted ways with Young's Modulus due to ongoing health issues. It was a difficult decision for all of us, but Todd needs to be healthy as does the band. We wish Todd nothing but the best and good health and he will forever be a part of Somnambulist and for that, we are grateful. As the saying goes, "when one door closes, another opens" and Ryan King willingly walked through ours and boy, are we glad he did! Ryan was an integral part of Somnambulist as well since he works at STEM with Curtis and worked with Young's Modulus on the album staring with preproduction. It was clear that after only a few practices together that Ryan was going to become a permanent member of Young's Modulus.

So, without further ado and in the spirit of GOING FORWARD, we are happy to officially announce the NEW Young's Modulus with Mike on lead vocals and guitar, Tommy on skins, Sean on bass and.....Ryan on guitar! We could not be more excited and there is already so much in the works for us. Mike and Ryan are already writing, talk of a Somnambulist tour is on the table and plans to return to STEM next summer is being discussed. Also, the website is going to be revamped and of course, shows, shows and more shows!

The success of Young's Modulus in our year together is not lost on any of us and we plan to keep the momentum going. And with you and the community that we have been embraced by, anything is possible and we intend to achieve it and pay it forward every step of the way. #StayTuned and #RockLocal