When you see a band live for the first time we tend to be extra judgmental, criticizing the band from the pitch of vocals, rhythm of the guitar and how heavy the drummer plays the snare.  When The Young Rapscallions took the stage last Thursday night at the Viper Room I was anxious to see what the buzz was about. Putting extra pressure on The Young Rapscallions is Chris Mintz-Plasse, the band’s drummer; it makes you ask the question, “Is the band legit or is it just another fun project?” About 3 minute into their set I was sorry I ever doubted them; The Young Rapscallions owned the night. The Young Rapscallions are comprised of Taylor Messersmith on bass, Jonathan Sanders on vocals, Chris Mintz-Plasse on drums and Nick Chamian on guitar. Taylor’s bass playing mimics that of John Paul Jones, Nick’s playing resembles Mike Einziger of Incubus, Chris, as described by his band mates is simple, heavy and precise and Jonathan is a mix of ska, blues, jazz and straight rock vocals.  I had a chance to ask the guys a few question after their show last Thursday night:

What do The Young Rapscallions play for?

We all play for the love of music and we enjoy making music together. We’ve been playing together for awhile and we all have that love for music so we think it comes across when we play.

How did the band come together?

Me (Nick) Taylor and Chris went to middle school together and then we met John in the 9^th grade. We all grew up in the Woodland hills and West hills area. The band started with Chris and me jamming together. I was a bass player originally, I just wanted to learn guitar and he wanted to learn drums so we learned together. Taylor randomly wanted to learn bass and Jonathan had a great deal of showmanship and he was also a  singer. We were all friend so we were like, let’s do it and that was the start of the band.

What makes The Yong Rapscallions different from other bands?

Our band is very free; anyone is free to do what they want. There’s not one guy saying this is my song and were going to play it like this. We believe that when you let everyone express what they feel, that’s when you create something that’s bigger than just one person.

How do you think Chris’s popularity has effect the band?

There’s people who come to the show based solely on that and that’s all they’re looking at, but that’s to be expected because of his popularity. But then we have people who come with that in mind and actually like the music. It’s good and bad, but we just want to play music and hopefully people can appreciate our music at the end of the day.

What do you guys think about before you take the stage?

Warmth and stillness, that’s our mantra; warmth and being comfortable inside. Before we play our main goal is to be really calm, cool and not to fuck up.

The Young Rapscallions put on a great show Thursday night. They’re musicians who know how to play and most importantly they are simply a great group of guys who care about their fans. During our interview each member took time to thank any fan that came up. This loyalty to fans has ultimately created a solid fan base; the floor was packed with The Young Rapscallions fans screaming and singing along. Their goal is simple, “To make great music and to never do something that we’re not ready for; our goal as a band is to have fun playing music and hopefully not starve in the process.” This band has a solid foundation and endless potential. The guys were also kind enough to share with the Viper Room that their first full length album titled, “Everything Vibrates” will be released in late August and will include 11 songs. The Viper Room would like to give a big thank you to guys of The Young Rapscallions for taking the time to chat with us. This is Roman for the Viper Room and I’ll see you at the next show!

Written by: Roman w/ interview assistance by Sara Casandra.