The all-in-one package that is Kyle Gray Young.
Minneapolis has once again added another artist to its list of residents. Kyle Gray Young most recently moved south from St Cloud and before that was born and raised in the Chicago area, where he got his start as a musician via high school band.
I first encountered Kyle Gray Young at FinnFest. He piqued my interest, as I had not heard of him at the time, and “new” talent to our Finnish-American community is always something to celebrate! At FinnFest, he mostly performed covers of Finnish songs and nailed them. Upon further research, I also discovered that he writes his own music, both instrumental and with lyrics. Some of his work strongly nods at his Finnish heritage. His English covers and spellbinding English lyrics offer little indication that he can also pronounce Finnish like Egotrippi’s Mikki Kauste and also accompany himself, no back up musicians required.
Most recently I ventured to Roseville’s Showtime Studio and Coffee to see another side of Kyle Gray Young, the composer, arranger, English lyricist, and English vocalist. I was delighted that two of my Finnish-American community friends could join me there to experience his English music alongside me. After ordering a vanilla cardamom latté with oatmilk (the entire menu is plant-based - and this latté was scrumptious), I sat at one of the middle of the intimate room’s tables to wait for the one-man show to begin.
He opened with a touch of humanity by saying that “Kyle is a little nervous, so I am going to open for him” and then dove into the lesser-known Bob Dylan song Don't Think Twice, It's All Right that broke the ice both for him and for his eager audience. This was no amateur cover of one of Minnesota’s most famous musicians, but rather a carefully selected hors d'oeuvre that introduced a bouquet of skills in a language only professional musicians can make look effortless.
Next Kyle Gray Young offered up one of his own originals, Dusty Guitar, which outlined the upcoming set and was humorous without being slapstick or reeking of desperation to win the audience over. Up next was another original, a twist on Paul Simon’s Born at the Right Time, that Kyle Gray Young had titled Born at the Wrong Time. Kyle’s song took subtle jabs at the megastar’s gall to claim that he was born at the “right time” and it has a better melody as well. Next followed two originals that Kyle Gray Young has released as singles: Loveless and In Your Eyes. I loved both songs’ playful, yet direct lyrics. The duo of originals was followed up by Gaelynn Lea’s Watch the World Unfold, a charming song which served as a reminder to be an active observer of our surroundings. He covered a few more, including How Do You Do It?, which is a song written and performed by Ida Metsberg a Finnish musician who is currently residing in New York City. Ida was also the Finlandia Foundation Performer of the Year in 2023. Kyle went on performing, even asked the crowd if it was ok if he skipped the intermission, for about 2 hours.
I left the concert venue feeling a renewed recognition of the joy of seeing live music. I also left with a sense that performance doesn’t have to be all about the performer, but rather can serve - at least in part - as a boost to fellow musicians. For example, I had not heard of several of the musicians Kyle chose to cover during this afternoon concert and have gained an appreciation for them through Kyle’s covers at this most recent show. What a treat to see such a generous, community-building gig on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
If you would like to catch Kyle Gray Young on stage (including some this week with the aforementioned, Ida Metsberg), you should put the following dates in your calendar:
