Young Lords

When they first formed, NY rockers Young Lords set out on a mission to reinvent Southern country music. The fivesome instead ended up creating an alternative rock mash that is as far from country as you can get. The quintet's music has taken them from stages in New York City all the way to the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, TX and beyond. What began as an acoustic project quickly turned into an electrified band anchored by brothers Blair and Reed Van Nort (vocals and guitar, respectively). The five-piece, rounded out by four-string rattler Maxwell Kamins, tub-thumper Anthony LaMarca, and second guitarist Adam Gerard, describe themselves as a "modern rock & roll band whose sound pays homage to the past." The Nort brothers and co. take an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach to their music -- legendary acts like the Stones, Zeppelin, Iggy Pop, the Sex Pistols, and the Clash echo in the band's sound. Modern influences like the Verve and Oasis also find their way between the grooves of the band's songs as well. From Blair Van Nort's gasoline and razor-blade vocal style to the fuzzed-out double guitar attack of Adam Gerard and Reed Van Nort, and the sloppy but cool backbeat laid down by Kamins and LaMarca, Young Lords offer up greasy pop-punk songs that are entertaining, if not a bit esoteric. 2008's Rodeo Songs showcases the band's full-throttle alt rock form. ~ Todd Sterling