5 Questions With: Young Gun Silver Fox
Ahead of their upcoming release, the band answers a few questions
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An argument often made in the court of public opinion is that AOR & AM Gold are dead; both live on only in childhood memories or as something you can enjoy only ironically. Young Gun Silver Fox is Exhibit A for the defense.
Young Gun Silver Fox are singer-songwriter Andy Platts and multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee.
Reviewing the duo’s 2015’s West End Coast earlier this year, I wrote:
“On West End Coast, they have put together a fantastic homage to the Gold Coast, with every song taking the listener back to the days of analog AM radio classics in the mid-to-late 1970s. Listening to West End, it doesn’t take long for the influences to start jumping out.”
What is it about Southern California that’s so alluring? I can never quite put my finger on it. Sure, the sun & sand matter. But there are other more abstract qualities that draw people in like moths to a flame.
Plenty of bands have made music celebrating the Golden State, but few capture the overall vibe better than Young Gun Silver Fox.
Ahead of their 4th studio album, Ticket to Shangri-La (due this fall), they’ve released “West End Jet,” a track they describe as an instantaneous summery jam of folky disco perfection that beams brightly like the golden hour.
In that earlier review, I mentioned that when I was 6 or 7, my parents and I drove from Oregon down the California coast to San Diego — and in a lot of ways, I’ve never left.
YGSF’s Andy Platts shares a similar sentiment, explaining, “I always come back to [the band] like taking a drive to the coast, and I just smell the ocean and the air and it’s like ‘wicked I’m back here again’ and I can just kick back and enjoy it.”
I’m still in love with the sun, the ways the sun sets over swaying palms, and every possible stereotype SoCal can offer.
Young Gun Silver Fox is clearly in love with the place as well. Let’s hope they never leave.
Recently, I had a chance to connect with the pair and ask them a few rapid-fire questions. Here’s what they had to say (responses are lightly edited for clarity).
1. Describe your style in one sentence.
Platts: Babies making babies
Lee: SMOOTH!
2. What was playing in your house growing up?
Platts: I was born in ‘79 and grew up in Hong Kong, so from memory, my folk’s record collection was a mix of mostly 70s British and a little American pop rock…with some hellacheesy South East Asian ballad singers thrown in for good measure!
Lee: 70’s Radio…. We are talking classic Soul, Funk, Disco, Jazz, and all kinds of Rock and Pop.
Also, I was hearing my Dad’s Easy Listening, and movie soundtracks plus lot’s of 50’s and 60’s music too. Foundational stuff.
3. What are you listening to these days?
Platts: The last few albums I listened to in full were Across The Water by Carwyn Ellis, Holograph Tapes Vol.1 by Orchid Mantis, and Aerial Boundaries by Michael Hedges
Lee: Khruangbin I love them. They are a really quality group.
4. What are your 5 Desert Island Discs?
Platts: My favourite records are nearly always linked to key memories or important people in my life…
Scott Walker - Scott 3
Sly & The Family Stone - There’s a Riot Goin’ On
Joni Mitchell - Shadows & Light (Live)
Beatles - Love Songs (70s Capitol comp album)
Steely Dan - Can’t Buy A Thrill
Lee:
Steely Dan-Aja
Shuggie Otis-Inspiration Information
Marvin Gaye-Let’s Get it on
Earth Wind & Fire-I Am
Stefano Torossi-Feelings
5. Your sound evokes a lot of AM Gold greats (Ambrosia, Doobie Brothers, etc.). If you had to pick just one, who would you want to collaborate with?
Platts: Donald Fagen would be an amazing collaboration for sure. Maybe I’d finally learn how to write a good song…!
Lee: Michael McDonald-he possesses one of the greatest voices and most unique tones of all time, in my opinion.
Click the record to listen on your platform of choice:
“West Side Jet,” by Young Gun Silver Fox | Ticket To Shangri-La, 2022
Connect with the band: Instagram | Bandcamp | YouTube | Twitter
What’d you think of this one? Did it whisk you down highway 101 to a land of palm trees and ocean breezes?
Thanks to Andy & Shawn for their time, and thank you for being here.
Kevin—
Love Young Gun Silver Fox - big fan of 'You Can Feel It' from their first album.
Dude, Just click on it, searching for something for my playlist tomorrow. This just made the cut. The first concert I ever saw was Atlantic Rhythm Section (still underrated), but it set my taste for that smooth 70s blend of soft rock, pop, R&B, synth disco, phenomenal musicians - studio and known. Steely Dan, Seals & Crofts, Looking Glass, and even Sniff n' the tears had a smash, Driver's Seat.
keep the hits coming, and great interview, I learned a few things about process