Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 09/15/2019
(ALBANY, NY) -- Pop rock band Young Culture has announced that they will be hitting the road this fall with Homesafe, Kayak Jones, and Keep Flying. The full US run kicks off on October 23rd in Milwaukee and concludes on December 7th in Lansing.
Earlier this year, Young Culture celebrated an incredibly successful first week following the release of their new EP, (This Is) Heaven, available now via Equal Vision Records. (This Is) Heaven, the band's label debut, secured the #22 spot on the New Artist chart, as well as #53 Indie. The EP has been heralded by Billboard, New Noise Magazine, Indie Mixtape, idobi Radio, and more. Fans can stream (This Is) Heaven via Spotify and Apple Music, or purchase it online at youngculture.merchnow.com.
It's not often that a rock or punk band will make a hip-hop style mixtape just to clear their creative cobwebs. But that's exactly what Albany-based four-piece Young Culture did. Formed by school friends Alex Magnan (vocals) and Gabe Pietrafesa (guitar), who have been playing together for a number of years, Young Culture put out their debut mini-album, You, in the summer of 2016. It was followed up with a five-track EP called Blue. The former had a song, "Bedroom Floor" that featured Derek DiScanio from State Champs - a fellow Albany band - on backing vocals. The latter was co-produced by him and Seth Henderson, who's worked with the likes of Real Friends, Knuckle Puck and Sleep On It.
Young Culture - completed now by guitarist Troy Burchett and drummer Nick Cavin - toured those songs and began to build up a solid following, which remains strong today. But instead of working on new material for the band, the pair, fuelled by an inherent restless creativity, began to experiment, Pietrafesa sending Magnan different beats to write lyrics over just to keep their inspiration and creative juices flowing.
That influence is very much evident in songs like "Drift," co-produced by Derek DiScanio (State Champs) and Sam Guiana (Like Pacific, Coldfront). "Drift" not only redefined who Young Culture is as a band, but also reshaped the perimeters of pop-punk - although it should be noted that they're very wary of being confined to just that genre. As they should be, because there are many more layers to this band.
2018 ushered in a brand new phase of Young Culture's existence, evident in the their latest single "21 Days" as well as the rest of new EP (This Is) Heaven. They might now be just 20 years old, but both Pietrafesa and Magnan's attitude and songwriting ability display a maturity way beyond their years. And while this isn't an entirely new beginning, it certainly marks the start of something that's thoroughly unique, electrifying and engaging.
Young Culture released (This Is) Heaven on January 18th, 2019 via Equal Vision Records. To purchase, please visit: youngculture.merchnow.com.
Upcoming Tour Dates:
10/23 - Milwaukee, WI @ X-Ray Arcade (No Keep Flying)
10/24 - Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
10/25 - Minneapolis, MN @ Whiskey Junction
10/26 - Rock Island, IL @ Theo's Java Club
10/27 - Kansas City, MO @ The Rino
10/28 - Colorado Springs, CO @ The Black Sheep
10/31 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon (Funhouse)
11/1 - Portland, OR @ Paris Theater
11/2 - Coos Bay, OR @ Sky Bar
11/4 - Reno, NV @ The Saint
11/5 - Sacramento, CA @ Holy Diver
11/6 - Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction
11/7 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Hi-Hat
11/9 - San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick
11/11 - Tempe, AZ @ 51 West
11/12 - Albuquerque, NM @ Eclipse
11/13 - Dallas, TX @ Ruins
11/14 - Austin, TX @ Dirty Dog Bar
11/15 - Houston, TX @ Bohemeos
11/16 - Oklahoma City, OK @ 89th Street
11/17 - Springfield, MO @ Outland Ballroom
11/18 - Memphis, TN @Growler's
11/19 - Nashville, TN @ The End
11/20 - Lexington, KY @ Cosmic Charlie's
11/21 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade (Purgatory)
11/22 - Brandon, FL @ The Noise Box
11/24 - Orlando, FL @ Soundbar
11/26 - Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern
11/27 - Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
11/29 - Richmond, VA @ Canal Club
11/30 - Philadelphia, PA @ Voltage Lounge
12/1 - Brooklyn, NY @ Kingsland
12/2 - Somerville, MA @ ONCE Ballroom
12/3 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Underground
12/4 - Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Palace
12/5 - Lakewood, OH @ The Foundry
12/6 - Indianapolis, IN @ Hoosier Dome
12/7 - Lansing, MI @ Mac's Bar
COLUMNS
Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites... 10/29/2026
"I heard you're coming to The December 6 Christmas party only because I'm playing," laughed Dave Keyes as he discussed his upcoming gigs at The Lizzie Rose Music Room on October 24, Jamey's House of Music in Lansdowne, PA on Halloween and the Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation's holiday party on the aforementioned December 6 at McCloone's Supper Club in Asbury Park, NJ. "It's gonna be a hell of a band, Bernard (Purdie) is playing drums and Mike Merritt from Conan O'Brien's show is playing bass and Arthur Nielson from Shemekia's (Copeland) band is gonna play guitar so it should be a fun soiree as they say and then I have a gig with Benny Turner down at Jamey's so I've got some interesting stuff coming up."
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