Helping our brother Andy Young

Andy calls me brother. It’s casual and low key for him……but it always registers with me. Any of you have heard him say it to you in the past. I know I’ve heard him say it to many other people, but still, it matters to me……and still it’s genuine. Whatever he asks me for, big or small, he always follows it with an earnest “Thanks brother.” We’re not brothers, obviously, but after years and years of working together, I know what he means……and I like it…..because his calm, honest, sincere presence makes it feels like we are. We’re brothers in arms, after all. We have caped up for the same cause for 200 nights a year for the last decade plus…..me at the door, Andy at the board.

The door staff is the first impression people get, but Andy is the important impression.

Everyone relies on Andy.

“Can I get more kick drum in my monitor wedge?”

“Can we check 5 bands in 4 hours, then strike the stage after the 3rd support act is done?”

“Can you make our lead singer sound less like a hedge hog?”

Fan or musician, co-worker or blood brother, we all rely on Andy…..and no show you played and no show you loved and no show you worked would have been half as good without him doing what he does. And I’m not talking about mixing music – I’m talking about being an honest, funny, upbeat, hardworking, talented, constant in our club.

And now he needs us.

Not to help carry guitar cabinets. Not to move monitor wedges. He needs us for real shit. He needs us in the real world. This isn’t a blown low end amp or a headline band that shows up 10 minutes before doors. This is cancer. This is where he leans on US. This is where we step up for HIM.

Andy and I are nearly the same age. I won’t drop that number on anyone, but I’ll tip toe around it by quoting lyrics that might give it away……and I know he won’t object, because it’s the mother fucking Hollies……and nobody loves classic rock like Andy Young.

“So on we go

His welfare is my concern

No burden is he to bear

We'll get there

For I know

He would not encumber me

He ain't heavy, he's my brother”

If you’ve played a show……if you’ve seen a show…..if you’ve worked a show……..if you’ve thought about live music or been moved by a band on a stage…….then this man is as much my brother as your brother……and now it’s up to us to help him with this load.

--Derek Powers--

Andy had surgery on Monday, June 29. We're all expecting that to be successful, and that it will lead to his full recovery. But Andy will need some time to rest and recuperate, and he won't be behind the mixing board at the Cradle for a while. We have created this campaign to help our brother through these days where he's not working, and the medical expenses are adding up.

There are many reasons why we ended up in the Triangle. A job, perhaps college but, let’s face it, the vibrant music and arts scene is probably why most of us are here. It’s the confluence of metropolitan and pastoral living, and the people are truly what makes it feel like home. If asked to choose a resident who exemplifies that, a good portion of us would pick Andy Young.

Musicians who have been fortunate enough to take their craft out of town know it’s the sound people that are the wildcards. They not only make or break the show while it’s happening, they set the tone for the night well before that. They are the ambassadors to the clubs, and let’s just say many of them forget that.

Not Andy.

Not ever.

To be a guest of the Cat’s Cradle is to be in the hands of a team of professionals. Anywhere you go in the world you hear this from the people who have played there. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve heard “Andy the sound guy” and “southern hospitality” in the same sentence.

Over the years I’ve had the great pleasure of discussing such important topics as world politics, Szechuan food, and Molly Hatchet with Andy. I always walk away from those potentially controversial chats in a better mood. Time with him will brighten anyone’s day. You almost forget that he’s so frighteningly good at his job until you’re playing the show. In fact, it’s because of Andy that I started dropping down to face level during soundchecks when there is something to be discussed with a club’s staff, as a form of respect.

Our friend has had some close calls with his health over the years, though you’d hardly know it from his demeanor. It’s taken him away from his duties more than a few times, and it’s happening again. The Cradle did a great job doing what they could for their staff during the pandemic, but huge health costs falling on the back of a lean year is a cruel joke being played on a man who deserves only the best.

In any other even semi-developed country on this earth Andy would get the treatment he deserves merely by walking into a hospital and asking for it, but not here. So it’s up to us to extend dignity and kindness to one of the most dignified and kind people many of us have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I can hear Andy making some self-effacing joke about the former, but it simply means “worthy of honor and esteem,” and few people have earned that more than him.

Andy’s not the kind of guy who would ever expect anything, or consider his life a soundcheck leading up to this moment, but it’s showtime, my friends, and we need to pour out for him. Please help in any way you can.

--Alex Maiolo--