| The OWL and the ADAM [YOUNG]... |
| Written by Shahlin Graves |
| Sunday, 22 August 2010 17:29 |
 How does one go about getting to OWL CITY exactly? - I ask of one Mister ADAM YOUNG. He replies with the instructions of: "Second star to the LEFT and straight on 'till morning. It's sorta like Neverland, but cooler." Right on. It's this whimsical world-view and endearing phrasing of Young's, that has charmed hearts all over, and pinned them firmly to owl-loving sleeves. As the only child in an immediate family of no musicians, it wasn't until a fateful weekend in June of 2007 when his parents were away that Adam would write the songs that make up his debut self-released digital EP. From a small U.S. town of about twenty-two thousand, Young secreted himself away in his parent's window-less basement writing and recording, attracting 40 million Myspace plays in just over a year from word-of-mouth. Adam himself, went from one-man keyboard wizard “hunched over a computer" with two self-released albums to his nom de plume, to a top-ten charting major-label album debut in his home-land. It seems that 'Fireflies' also helped light the way for the rest of the world to find the path to Owl City, with the UK also sending the single to Number One. His favourite Disney movie is 'Finding Nemo'. His favourite flavour of pop-tarts is S'mores. He named his piano after Audrey Hepburn... and his favourite kind of candy are "Runts, except for the bananas". Yes, Adam Young can do no wrong. I tell him that fans wonder if video games play an influence on his music - as 'Cave In' apparently has a part that sounds almost exactly like a level on 'Spyro 3' - and the boy is genuinely thrilled. "Really?! I never knew that! I'm influenced a lot by the music on 'Wave Race 64'. I think it's brilliant." Adam Young gives as good as he gets. Ask him a more ordinary question such as 'Do you have a message for your New Zealand fans?' - and the response is a simple "Hi". But the twenty-four-year old's humour shines through when describing the world of Owl City he has created for himself. There's even a fun game to be played when reading the below - spot the many, many food references! ...and if you happen to hope at adopting a pet owl with Adam someday, he's determined to name it Eglantine - just so you know.  COUP DE MAIN: You visited New Zealand and Australia for the first time earlier this year whilst touring with Cobra Starship! What was it like touring with the Cobras? OWL CITY - ADAM YOUNG: It was extraordinary, impassioned, spirited, vigorous, ardent and ridiculously severe. I had a lot of fun. CDM: Do you have a memorable anecdote from the Cobra Starship tour? ADAM: A few of us were out on the town eating Turkish kabobs and they were so tasty, we forgot about our show. We ended up running back to the venue but somehow got ourselves lost on the way. We asked everyone around if they knew where the venue was and that got us even more lost. Fortunately, we made it back minutes before the set was supposed to start. Turkish kabobs rule. CDM: What was your favourite adventure that you went on while in New Zealand? (Do you remember taking photos with a disposable camera for a NZ photo tour diary? [View HERE] THANK YOU for that!) ADAM: Yes I do! Except I think someone stole it from me and I didn't get it back until that night. I remember taking a lot of pictures of the stuff in my hotel room. Sorry about that! I had a super good strawberry milkshake in Auckland. CDM: When can fans expect the next Owl City album? Will you be playing any of the new songs in November for us? ADAM: The next album is already full of surprises, though I still have a lot of work left to do. I always forget how BIG the process is of actually making a record. It's easy to conceptualize and daydream - and that often makes the endeavor seem easy, even trite - but when you write, produce, engineer and mix everything yourself, it tends to take a long time to do anything. And when you're a perfectionist little monster, it makes it even harder. But it's a blast and I wouldn't trade the opportunity for all the ice cream sandwiches in the universe. Who knows if new songs will be played in November!! TOP SECRET! CDM: How have you found playing live? Do you prefer recording in a studio, or touring? ADAM: I'm a studio guy. That's really what I love the most. I'm so fascinated with audio gear and recording techniques and whatnot, it's pretty mesmerizing. Touring can be a lot of fun though.  CDM: What was it like working with Relient K vocalist Matt Thiessen on songs from 'Ocean Eyes'? How did his involvement come about? ADAM: It was wonderful. I've been a fan of his work for a long time and he was on my "dream" list of artists to work with. I took a shot in the dark and sent him some demos for 'Ocean Eyes', we hung out and immediately hit it off. Such a blessing! CDM: Has the success of 'Fireflies' exceeded anything you could have ever imagined? Number Two single in New Zealand even! ADAM: YES. I haven't the words to describe how overwhelmed I am. I'm absolutely speechless. CDM: Burj Al Arab in Dubai, is a long, long way away from Owatonna, Minnesota. Why did you decide upon a photo of Burj Al Arab for the 'Ocean Eyes' album artwork? ADAM: I saw the photo and everything clicked. I'd been searching high and low for a photo that would encompass the two words "Ocean Eyes" and was having a lot of trouble finding the right one. It had to be perfect. When I stumbled across that photo, I knew I could stop looking. CDM: Avery Lipman, the co-president of your record label Universal Republic Records has said that he had to give you "the record business 101" upon meeting you. What are the most important things you have learned about the music industry from Lipman - and also from your other experiences - since that first meeting? ADAM: I'm still trying to be a sponge, soaking up all the information I can. The ins-and-outs of the record business are mighty important to brush up on here and there (because they're constantly changing) but at the end of the day, the lingo and all the industry stuff is all the more indicative of where my heart truly lies -- behind the music and not so much the industry. I'd rather leave the business to the real pros and just crank out the tunes. CDM: What else can you tell me about SKY SAILING, aside from the already released facts? Why did you decide to not release the Sky Sailing songs under Owl City? ADAM: I knew early on that Sky Sailing would be it's own thing - and anything else I wrote via different musical directions would be secondary. I wrote 'An Airplane Carried Me To Bed' three years ago and before I got a chance to release it, I had this Owl City idea. One thing led to another and I've finally found a spare minute to release the Sky Sailing record. It's strange because both bands are from the same guy, the same mind, and thus, have a common thread throughout, but I've always found the two projects disconnected enough to support the decision to keep them as separate entities. It's also a lot of fun, having two creative outlets. CDM: You've written that: "If I wrote music for movies, this is what my film scores would sound like." - about your other musical project Port Blue. What film released this year would you have loved to have written the film score to and why? ADAM: To be honest, I haven't seen a lot of movies this year. I really enjoyed 'Toy Story 3' though. Composing for a movie like that would be a dream come true for me. It's kind of a lofty dream, but nothing would be more surreal if ever I got the chance to write for feature films.  CDM: You previously worked loading delivery trucks at a Coca-Cola warehouse - what other jobs have you had before becoming Owl City full-time? ADAM: I worked at UPS loading package trucks on the night-shift. I worked in the frozen foods department at a grocery store called Hy-Vee. I also built industrial dehumidifiers at a local factory. Gnarly stuff. CDM: Our generation seems to have endless insomnia problems... (I'm writing these questions at 3AM)... Why do you think this is? ADAM: I'm not sure. Something about the Internet and Facebook and iChat and stuff? CDM: We love The Album Leaf! Why did you decide to bring them along to play on your upcoming return to New Zealand and Australia tour? ADAM: Because I love them as well! Jimmy is a genius and I've always been a fan of his work. It's kind of a dream come true for me to be on the road with him. Click HERE for Adam Young's OWL CITY NZ TOUR DIARY - exclusive to Coup De Main.  |
