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WMHS cello-playing grad rocking the country
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February 25, 2009 | 03:08 PM
Michelle Young of East Setauket has been playing the cello since she was 7 years old. Now 26, she is the cellist of the Brooklyn-based indie rock band, Kittens Ablaze.
But music wasn't her first career choice — far from it. After graduating from Ward Melville High School in 2000, Young studied the history of art and architecture at Harvard University. She then set foot in the fashion world as a buyer for Abercrombie & Fitch in Columbus, Ohio, before moving back to New York to work for J. Crew and Calvin Klein.
Then, in April 2008, she left the retail industry to do some "soul searching" in Southeast Asia. Upon returning to the United States after a month, Young decided to attend graduate school at Columbia University to study urban planning.
Even as a child, she never dreamed of becoming a professional musician, said Young, who also plays the piano. She was inspired to pursue a career in urban planning while attending the Juilliard School in Manhattan for several years because she "got to see New York really transform itself," Young said. And after years of "almost purely classical" training, "nothing clicked" for her in the world of music, she said, "Until I met my band."
The cellist, who was introduced to the band by a mutual friend in July 2007, said their coincidental meeting helped her realize, "Life is such a great ride." Kittens Ablaze, a six-piece Americana indie rock band with cello, violin, guitars, bass, piano and a drumming lead singer, released its debut album, "The Monstrous Vanguard," in January to a sold-out crowd at New York City's Mercury Lounge, according to Young. The band is currently in the midst of a 2008-09 winter tour, including performances in Charlotte, N.C., Knoxville, Tenn., Baltimore, Md., and Cambridge, Mass., and has been invited to perform at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas next month.
Young, whose musical influences include Radiohead, Cursive and Wolf Parade, said she hopes "people hear our music and enjoy it.… I think we have something unique to contribute. It's been a life-long process trying to figure out what music really meant for me."
Young's father, Shug-Hong Young, said he's glad his daughter has found an "outlet" for her musical talent. "Whatever she's doing, she's trying very hard," the East Setauket resident said. "She enjoys the company [of her band mates] and enjoys doing music." Shug-Hong Young, a cardiologist in Port Jefferson Station, said his daughter has always been "very independent" and has "ideas of her own."
As for Kittens Ablaze, its members are constantly playing music, according to their cellist, whether they're on stage or in a hotel parking lot. "If we're anywhere, we're playing music," Young said. "It doesn't stop." She also noted that performing on stage is "definitely a rush," and live shows have become "very second nature."
The band, which performs regularly at New York City venues including Mercury Lounge and Union Pool, has been compared to groups such as Ra Ra Riot, Defiance Ohio, Arcade Fire, The Decemberists and Cursive, according to Young. The band has received mention in New York magazine, Vice magazine and The New York Times and has become one of the few unsigned bands to receive regular rotation on Vice's internet TV channel, VBS-TV. For more information, visit www.kittensablaze.com.
In addition to continuing her music career, Young said she looks forward to being involved in the urban planning field as well. In August, she will travel to Peru, Bolivia and Brazil to conduct research about redevelopment. This will be followed by earthquake relief work in Pisco, a city south of Lima, Peru. "I think it's important to have multiple things going on," the talented musician said. "I think if you're open to it, life takes you to a lot of interesting places."
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