Given that singer/songwriter/guitarist Christian Gough is only in his mid-20s, it's kind of disorienting to think that the Cincinnati Indie Rock band has been around for an entire decade now. But that’s exactly the milestone the group — also featuring Christian's older brother Jordin Goff (drums), guitarist Jackson Deal and bassist Jeremy Graham — is celebrating when they play New Year’s Eve at The Woodward Theater.
It's one of the perks of starting your (gifted and popular) band when you are only 14 — you get to celebrate its 10th anniversary when you are still quite young and at the height of your powers. The downside of starting a successful musical entity before you beginning high school? You have to ask your grandpa if you can borrow his Astrovan to haul gear to your first gig (more on that below).
The Yugos' Dec. 31 show at the Woodward kicks off at 9 p.m. and also features performances by locals Oids and Sylmar, as well as Toledo, Ohio’s ROVR. Tickets are $10 in advance (here) or $12 at the door.
We recently chatted with Gough via email about The Yugos past, present and future. (Check out CityBeat’s interview with the band ahead of the release of their 2017 album, Weighing the Heart, here.)
CityBeat: So you were 15 when The Yugos began? Freshman in high school or… ?
Christian Gough: Close — I was 14! So the summer after 8th grade.
CB: What is the actual Yugos origin story? Were you writing songs and decided you wanted to start a band, or did someone else notice you were writing songs and helped form a band around you?
CG: My brother Jordin and I were writing goofy acoustic songs together and decided to start a band. We liked listening to Flight of the Concords — but then we saw Pomegranates at Mad Hatter and wanted to make Rock music.
CB: Has the lineup stayed exactly the same since the very beginning?
CG: We asked Jackson Deal (current member) to play with us right away. Then, we found a friend to play with us at our first show and had a few different bassists for a while. It wasn't until just before our second album, Life Is Awesome And Then You Live Forever, that Jeremy Graham joined.
CB: How did you pick the band name?
CG: I named the band after the car. I had just seen Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist and thought it would be funny to name it after a car that sucks. But I couldn't even drive at the time so… maybe we should have name the band The Tricycles.
CB: Do you remember the very first Yugos show?
CG: We'd play at talent shows and birthday parties but our first "official" show was the winter of 2009 at Play by Play Cafe. The venue reached out to us on Myspace and sent me tickets in the mail to sell to my friends. We borrowed my grandpa's Astrovan and loaded up our gear (without cases) and stopped at Burger King. The Dukes played before us — they were older than us and it seemed like it wasn't a good fit because everyone else on the show were young kids like us. I'm happy we played with them because they gave us a supporting slot on their album release show — which was our second official show. We still talk to some of them now. (Love you Lucas, Luke, Randy and David!)
CB: How do you think the band has grown in 10 years?
CG: We're definitely a little bit taller and have the capacity to grow facial hair.
In all seriousness, we've gotten a lot better as musicians. The band has impacted our lives as individuals and as artists for the best. It's not always easy but we're really thankful for all of the people who have come to see us and supported our music in the last 10 years.
CB: What can people expect from your New Year’s Eve show? I’m assuming you’ll be playing songs from throughout the band’s life?
CG: Get there early — you'll see OIDS, ROVR (from Toledo) and Sylmar! We'll play some of the oldest songs and some brand new songs. It's going to be one heck of a party! Experience the most "Yugosiest" midnight countdown.
CB: You put out the single “Burning” this year, but you were pretty busy with Moonbeau in 2018. Will The Yugos be more active in 2019? What’s on the band’s agenda in the new year?
CG: Hopefully both bands will be very active in 2019. The Yugos plan to finish recording our fourth album and Moonbeau will be finishing our second.
CB: Do you think The Yugos will still be a band in 10 more years?
CG: Maybe! Even if it's just a show here and there. I can't see The Yugos ever being 100% over.
CB: What hopes and aspirations do you have for the Yugos in the more immediate future?
CG: Putting out a fourth album and having a whole lot of fun together!
Get more Yugos goodness here.
