Sperry Presents:
Young Rising Sons & Hunter Hunted

Tickets: $15. ON SALE 5/22 at 10AM

Young Rising Sons
Fueled by a fierce chemistry and brother-like camaraderie, Red Bank, New Jersey-based foursome Young Rising Sons deliver anthemic alt-rock that’s uplifting and infectious but unshakably honest. As heard on their debut single “High,” lead singer/guitarist Andy Tongren, lead guitarist Dylan Scott, bassist Julian Dimagiba, and drummer Steve Patrick give serious depth to their stylish, summery sound through fearless recognition of life’s less-than-sunny moments — a dynamic that inspired SiriusXM Alt Nation and tastemakers across the globe to greet “High” with lavish praise and BBC Radio 1’s Zane Lowe to name the song his “Next Hype” track upon its release last spring. With Tongren’s voice showing a dizzying range and undeniable sweetness, Young Rising Sons’ upcoming self-titled debut EP channels that spirit into songs marked by both supremely melodic hooks and a rare soulful intensity.
“Young Rising Sons” builds off the band’s pop-perfect sense of songcraft with left-of-center touches like fuzzed-out basslines and deep electro beats. A blissed-out, whistle-laced track, “High” shows off Tongren’s acrobatic vocal skills and gives a nod to the fact that, according to Scott, “as a band we were low for a long time, and now the highs are finally happening and it’s a really cool feeling.” Honoring Young Rising Sons’ blue-collar background, songs like the piano-driven epic “Red and Gold” hone in on “that hunger to get where you want to be in life and knowing that you need to just grind it out and write your own destiny,” as Tongren explains. The percussion driven, “King of the World” perfectly captures the joy and power of shaking off negativity, while the slow-burning “Turnin’” starts out tense and moody before bursting into its chorus and bridge’s glorious gospel-esque harmonies.
Founded in 2010, Young Rising Sons came to be when Scott, Dimagiba, and Patrick (all New Jersey natives who had played music together throughout high school) saw Tongren performing an acoustic set at a New York City bar and approached him about singing for their newly formed band. “They asked me to jam with them and everything just clicked right away — we were friends first and bandmates second,” recalls Tongren, who grew up in Ohio and studied music at The New School. Bound by a love of melody-minded songwriters like Tom Petty and high-energy punk bands such as Green Day, Young Rising Sons struggled to find considerable success with their music over the next few years, but continued to push forward with their songwriting and playing. “We were really just going on faith and the fact that we’re best friends and wanted to maintain that, regardless of whatever ended up happening with the band,” notes Scott.
Then, in late 2013, mutual friends introduced Tongren to New York based producers Shep Goodman and Aaron Accetta, who were immediately floored by the scope of Tongren’s voice and quickly got to know the entire band. “They all had such a great connection and we felt an instant chemistry with them too, so we started collaborating and guiding them to help take the band to the next level,” says Goodman. “We love that they’re making music that’s got some heavy qualities to it, but in the end is so positive in a very real way,” he adds. After signing with Dirty Canvas Music (Goodman and Accetta’s New York-based production company) and recording a batch of new songs, Young Rising Sons released “High” along with an accompanying black-and-white, laid-back, sweetly playful video shot in their home turf of New Jersey. Following the post-“High” buzz, Young Rising Sons soon landed a deal with Interscope Records, then started working on their EP.
With plans of devoting the rest of the year to touring and creating their full-length debut, Young Rising Sons are continuing to come up with songs that expand their sound and mine their many eclectic influences. True to the band’s brotherly vibe, Young Rising Sons take a decidedly collaborative approach to the songwriting process, with Tongren and Scott serving as the main melodists and lyricists but all four members contributing ideas. While that all-for-one-and-one-for-all mentality forms the core of the band, just as essential to Young Rising Sons is instilling their songs with a certain down-to-earth optimism. “We all got into music because of the way it makes us feel, so now that we’re in the driver’s seat we’re going to try to make other people feel good and passionate,” says Tongren. “We really believe in that give-and-take between us and the listener,” he adds, “and we want to do what we can to help people harness that hopeful feeling and create something for themselves out of it.”

Hunter Hunted
To say that Hunter Hunted have accomplished a lot in a short amount of time would be an understatement. Since the band’s inception in January of 2013, they’ve been included in MTV’s Artists To Watch, Nylon’s “Bands to look out for,” Starbucks’ “Pick of The Week”, Teen Vogue’s “Jams of the Year,” Billboard magazine’s “Scouting Report,” and KCRW’s “Bands We Love.”
With standout track “Keep Together” making the rounds on TV shows like “The Vampire Diaries,” “The Real World,” and “Pretty Little Liars,” the band has performed everywhere from “Conan” to The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. A few months since their Billboard-charting debut EP, the band is keeping busy, doing a U.S. tour with Fitz and the Tantrums, a Midwest tour with the Mowgli’s, dates with Weezer, and a fall run with FUN. This spring they head out on a two month tour with Twenty One Pilots, followed by stops at Bonnaroo, Sasquatch, Governors Ball, Firefly, and a number of other major festivals.