| On the fast track |
By: Melissa Kaelin, Special to the Daily News
|
Posted: Tuesday, November 3, 2009 12:03 pm
|
 Email  Print
|
OWATONNA — When Randy and Joan Young look back on their son’s fast track to fame under the name “Owl City,” they can hardly understand it.
Just two years ago, Adam Young, 23, was working in a local warehouse loading crates into trucks for shipping. But this week Young’s single “Fireflies” climbed the charts, landing at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles — one of the most recognizable charts in the United States.
Now, “Owl City” has laid claim to Minnesota’s first national number one hit since 1998. But two years ago, Adam Young’s music was still competing with a furnace and a water heater in the basement of his parents' Owatonna home.
“In the basement there’s a furnace and a water heater,” said Joan Young, Adam’s mom. She said because it was hard for Adam to hear his compilations over the sound of the appliances, he would wait until his parents were asleep to make his music.
“Those would interfere with his recording,” said Joan Young. “At night, he would just shut them off, and his dad and I would wake up just freezing.”
On top of the ticking and gurgling appliances, Adam’s makeshift studio was also privy to his dad’s remodeling project — something Randy Young said has been ongoing for years. His dad guessed the noise of the labor of love might have been a bit distracting for Adam when he was trying to mix a new track.
But both Randy and Joan Young knew their son had something special. They said for years, Adam just played in a band with three of his friends — making music for fun. But there was one night that, in the retelling of the story, the couple both realized was significant.
Randy Young said his son would never just come out and ask them to listen to a track he had just finished. Instead, Adam toiled away late at night, working on computer equipment that lined a tight corner in the basement. But his dad does remember a particular occasion when Adam shared one of his mixes and stole his parents breathe away.
“One night he played a track for us and it just floored us,” said Randy Young. “We thought, ‘There’s something more going on here.’”
Outside of that one night, though, Adam’s parents maintain that they are just “regular people.” And they said with Adam, their only child, being so shy, it was hard to picture anything big ever coming their direction.
The couple last had the opportunity to see their son perform live in Des Moines, Iowa, when they attended one his concerts. Randy Young said so many people walked out on the stage, like the keyboardist and the percussionist. An entire line of newfound stars made their first appearance as the crowd got steadily louder.
“There was a crescendo in the music,” said Randy Young, “then our son walked onto the stage.”
New to being a father of a superstar, Randy Young said it was bewildering to see Adam come alive as an onstage personality. He said he was much more animated and natural on the stage than he ever was in social situations in person.
“It was a total shock,” said Randy Young. “Adam sat at the edge of the stage during the performance and started swinging his legs, and the crowd was just reaching for them.”
But the social factor wasn’t the only thing Adam’s parents found surprising in his rise to fame. They marveled at his computer skills, his love and talent for creating new music, and his ability to do that all in the confines of their own basement.
“It’s the farthest thing from a recording studio,” said Randy Young.
Adam now owns his own home in Owatonna, with its own home studio, complete with concrete walls and acoustical foam. He is currently in Texas, completing a cross-country tour, but the musician always looks forward to returning to his small town home.
He will just no longer have to record his music with microphones, broomsticks and duct tape. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Top Jobs | Top Homes | Top Cars
| Top Jobs | Healthcare
Part-time Opening
in Faribault, MN to work w... | Education
Do you have a passion for children and
famili... | General
Do you have a passion for children and
familie... | Sales
New Media Sales
Specialist
I-35 Target Media,
... | Education
Prairie Creek
Community School
Charter sch... |
| Top Homes | R & R 4-Plex
1 & 2 BR Available from $570-$650
Garage $4... | Loft Style Apt.
Exceptional Large 2 bdr.,
Hardwood Floo... | FARIBO APARTMENTS
Located in the beautiful downtown area
... | 4 BR apt 1,050 per month. Section 8 welcome.
Utilities in... |
| There are no current ads for this category |
|
Digg
Del.icio.us
Facebook
MySpace
StumbleUpon
Google
Yahoo!
