Band Profile: The Young Shaven

There’s a music scene brewing in Istanbul, and it has been for the past few years. It’s no longer all cover bands and Türkü. It’s a great place for it, too, because — as cliche as it sounds — Istanbul is where east meets west, and that has always worked out for music. (Of course, while the music is good, the audience is still low in numbers, but that’s a whole ‘nother article.) A lot of my personal favorite Istanbul-based bands are a result of this very mix, with The Young Shaven being a prime example: Their current line-up includes Archie and Jake, American expats on their third year living here, Volkan, a Norwegian-born Turk and my favorite guitar player in this city, and their new drummer Xavi, a half-Chilean, half-Spanish beast of a drummer with experience playing all kinds of music, who is currently playing in three bands. Not only do they come from different places, they belong to different eras as well. Their sound contains hints of 80s’ glam rock, 90s’ punk, and 2000s’ indie. But it takes more than a few keywords to describe their sound, and more than a few bands make their list of influences.

The Young Shaven were born when Archie went to Burgazada to watch Jake and Volkan’s band at the time, called simply Volkan Karaman, perform at the famous Paradisos Sessions. After the show and over a few beers, they realized that they all write their own songs and decided to help each other develop and perform those songs. Since then, they’ve been performing regularly around town, in bars, clubs and even once at a wedding (which was, in fact, their first show). Now, a year later, they have a roster of 19 songs to their name. They recently recorded 14 of these songs, which are currently in the post-production phase, so hopefully we’ll get to hear them soon. In addition, they’re also planning a small national tour this summer with fellow Istanbul-based band Klan, where they will be hitting Eskişehir, Ankara, Izmir, and more.

What really sets The Young Shaven apart (and why you should check them out on tour this summer) is that they are, in my opinion, one of the best live acts in this city. Their sound is tight and varied. Everyone in the band sings, and after a few shows, you’ll be singing along with them, too. Last, but not least, you get to bask in the glow of frontman Archie, whose on-stage persona reminds one of Iggy Pop, David Bowie, and a slightly more insane Prince. I’m really not a good enough writer to explain why they are so enjoyable to watch live, so I guess you’ll just have to go and see them yourself!

Lucky for you, The Young Shaven will perform this Friday, 22 May, with Vostok-6 at Pendor Corner in Küçük Beyoğlu (for more information, check out the Facebook event) and they will also be playing in Yabangee’s second installation of We Are All Refugees on Saturday, 30 May. To get more updates about their shows and upcoming release, visit the band’s Facebook page.

This profile first appeared on Arya Afshar Mohajer’s blog.