Andrew Johnson

Five years ago I went to a show. I was promised free entry, good vibes, and beer on ice. I parked in a dark, barbed wire-enclosed alleyway off of Webster St. and walked into the bowels of an old brick warehouse. Music was to be expected. There was a local band trying some new things out. I remember wading into a small crowd filled with the friends and family of the musicians, and the vibes were indeed good. The band, which would release their first album on Spotify three long years later, was called Young Man Winter. 

Today, you can hear Young Man Winter all over the city. They have evolved naturally from their jam band origins of playing in vacant warehouse chambers, navigating forsaken catacombs with their cumbersome instruments and equipment. Their second album, Leading Light, was released on June 21st, and many of the tracks are (of course) inspired in part by the imagery and psyche of Worcester as well as greater New England.

I spoke with two members of the band, PJ McQuade (guitar/vocals) and Sergio Marcucci (guitar), about their lives, their music, and their methodology of crafting a record alongside fellow band members James Dunseith (keyboard/vocals), Chris Costello (drums), and Isabelo Cruz (bass).

“Sergio, James and myself were all friends years before forming what became YMW,” McQuade recalled. “Serge and I had been jamming off and on for a few years and had a few song ideas already going; James recorded this cool little solo EP and was familiar with basic home recording and sometime in late 2018 we decided to start the new year with a fresh music project.” Costello and “Izzy” Cruz would join later, satisfying the band’s original vision of a quintet. 

McQuade described the band’s influences as “a big ol’ salad of classic rock, alternative, shoegaze, classic indie and modern indie,” providing Neil Young, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Velvet Underground, and Pavement as several reference points. 

Their latest album had been years in the making. At the height of the pandemic, the band struggled with finding a consistent drummer and bassist, though they persisted to scratch their creative itches despite this instability. They were hungry for gigs and experimenting with new sounds and new song sketches. What soon emerged as five realized tracks eventually expanded into the Leading Light LP, an album that mirrors many of the themes the band and humanity as a whole had wrestled with over the past few years. 

“I guess it’s inspired by what was going on at the time –  bleak, strange days of locking down, isolating, worrying, but also the possibility of renewal and growth,” McQuade mused. 

Marcucci is especially proud that Leading Light is also now in vinyl form, a first for the band.

“The recording process was an incredible experience,” he reflected. “We were fortunate to record at Nine Point Studios with our dear friend, Robert Vann. Rob has created and built a first-class studio and brought in Greg Giorgio and Eric Sanderson (of the Augustines) to help us with the record.” 

“Music serves as a placeholder in time for me, so to have a tangible artifact that marks a moment in time with my bandmates will always be special for me. I’m really grateful for the journey and process that Young Man Winter has provided for me and the record captures those feelings for me,” he continued. 

The songwriting process for the band is a collaborative effort, most often workshopped over a period of time, sometimes weeks or months due to limited rehearsal time. 

“Most of our songs are built around a single guitar riff, chord progression or bassline,” McQuade explained. “Lyrics typically happen later.” He went on to detail the way several tracks on Leading Light were constructed. It was obvious by his account that there’s an amplified intentionality to their efforts and a growing thoughtfulness within the band about how any given song might sound when performed live. 

“Throughout the tenure of Young Man Winter, I think all of us have recognized the importance of space and flow within a song. Great bands have the ability to complement each other within a song, and that is something we have definitely improved upon,” Marcucci observed. “Not only does this impact the songwriting process, it also shapes what kind of gear we are playing as well, as we are always thinking about how the sound will shape a live audience.”

For now, their live audiences are mostly locals, born and raised under the bright lights of dripping neon mustard and the suburbs that surround Worcester, but there’s an ambition within the band to tour all across New England in the future. At the moment, their focus remains on writing and playing live shows. Their identity as a Worcester-based band has undoubtedly shaped and informed their perspectives on the importance of fostering a sense of community wherever they are.

“The more we started playing live gigs at Worcester staples like the Vernon, Ralph’s, The Raven, the more we heard that blue-collar, hard, buzzing sound from other local bands,” Marcucci noted. “We knew we had to capture that communal vibe in our music in a way that is simultaneously staying true to our sound as artists, but also recognizing where we are from.” 

If you would like to join and take part in that communal vibe, the same one I witnessed bud and bloom several years ago on a balmy June night in 2019, you can catch Young Man Winter at Starlite in Southbridge on Saturday, 9/21 and Husky’s Pub in Worcester on Friday, 11/29. You may also see what I saw, a tiny disco ball hanging high above the stage refracting the many colors and faces of Worcester.