Updated: 05/01/03

Based out of Florida, The Young and The Useless is an exciting hardcore metal band whose enthusiastic live shows and powerful recordings are beginning to garner them a good deal of attention. Their latest Thorp EP is packed with outstansing songs and a rockin’ cover of Anyway You Want It by Journey that is a lot of fun to hear. With shows including their Furnacefest appearance last year and threats of an extensive summer 2003 tour, Y &R wanna break the good noisy news into your town. Here is an interview I recently did with bassist Jacob Kaplan.

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in The Young and The Useless, and how long the band has been together.
My name’s Jacob, I play bass for The Young. We’ve had this current lineup for about two years now. Freddy, CJ, and Jordan have been playing together for about ten years and myself and Dean have been in bands together for quite some time as well.

Where is the band from and what is the music scene like there?
We’re from Central/West/South Florida. We live in five different cities. The scene’s cool… lots of bands. Lots of diversity… for a while it was dry, but it’s starting to pick up a lot.

If you had to describe your music to an elderly relative, what would you say?
Heavy metal!

What made you decide to call your band The Young And The Useless? It's a great name! Who came up with the idea?
I believe CJ, our singer came up with it after watching wrestling one night. We didn’t borrow it from an old band as some would like to think.

Is the Chris Staples who recorded your EP the same person who is in Twothirtyeight? If so, that's quite a difference in music there! How was that working arrangement?
Actually, we recorded demos with Chris, who is a friend of the band. Joey Butera from Avalon Recordings actually recorded the final CD. Both guys are cool. Chris couldn’t really handle the rock though.

Describe a live The Young and The Useless show for those who have yet to see you play.
Lots of sweat. Lots of effects, courtesy of Dean. Fred usually tries to break his drums. CJ dances pretty smooth. Jordan does this cool dance where he moves his feet back and forth. And I usually play with my mouth in the open position through the entire set.

did your show at the Furnacefest go? Did you get to meet Andrew W.K.?
Furnace Fest was really, really hot. There wasn’t a whole lot of shade by the side stage so most people huddled around a tree for shade. We had a blast though… so many great bands, so many nice people. I saw Andrew. Seems like a nice guy. Great show!

you ever played out here in Los Angeles or Orange County or plan to do so sometime soon?
Not yet, hopefully by the end of the summer we’ll make it out there. A few of our label mates (Diehard Youth, Scars Of Tomorrow) are from there.

much does Christianity influence your music and the lyrics?
We write lyrics based on life experiences. We don’t limit our songwriting to just one thing. CJ writes about what he’s feeling at that point and time.

How did you get in touch with Thorp Records?
We sent our stuff to Chad at Takehold and he sent out CD to Andy at Thorp. One thing led to another. Now Chad is interested in us again. Ha!

What made you decide to do the Anyway cover?
That’s a good question. I’m not sure. It’s a simple song. Pretty catchy… we actually hardly play it live, unless someone asks.

Who in the band is most likely to own a Britney Spears CD?
Freddy (drums)

Who in the band is most likely to quit the Young and The Useless and join a boy band?
CJ, he can dance.

How many members of Young and The Useless have fallen off a stage?
CJ had, but I’ve also seem Jordan and Dean eat it bad onstage.

How do you feel about non-Christian kids who still like your music but may not agree with the message?
When kids come to see us play, they’re not gonna hear us preach. They’re paying their money to see a band… just like when kids go to see any band whether they’re political/straight edge, etc… I think kids really wanna hear the music, not a bunch of talking.

What are the future plans for the band?
Record another full length. Practice a lot. See the world.

Do you have any messages for people who might be interested in checking the band out?
See ya this summer, check out our webpage, www.younganduseless.com, and check out some mp3’s. Thanks!

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