Nick Young brings southern inspiration to Rachael’s

As he walked up to the mic, Nick Young made a few powerful strums on his guitar.
Clad in a plaid shirt and denim, it was just Young and his guitar on stage at Rachael’s Café.

This self-described folk Americana singer booked his show at Rachael’s as his final stop on his tour throughout the South and Midwest.

Young, powerful strums transitioned into improvised plucking as he casually chatted with the few in attendance before beginning his first song.

Though the coffeehouse was not full with people, all eyes watched Young attentively as he serenaded the audience.

Paired with each acoustic guitar melody were lines of lyrics filled with meaning and
emotion.  

Young sang about relationships, human interactions, going on trips and getting and losing jobs.

This lyrical simplicity was something Brooke Hill thought Young was successful in, calling him a good songwriter.

Paul Greiner observed a unique quality Young possessed apart from the typical Rachael’s act.

“He’s a more contemporary act than what you normally see here,” Greiner said. “All the acts I’ve seen here have been more experimental.”

Young’s Southern inspirations were visible as he sang about longing to return to Tennessee and hoping for a Southern sweetheart.  

Despite this difference, there was optimism about Young bringing a country vibe to Rachael’s and the Bloomington audience.

“He definitely won some people over,” Greiner said.

Between songs, Young maintained the casual atmosphere as he joked with and complimented the audience.  

Though this was his first solo tour, Young gave off the air of a seasoned professional as he made technical adjustments while singing and maintaining a consistent strumming tempo.  

Young closed his set with a single off his new, self-titled album.  

He said he valued the chance to play at Rachael’s specifically because of those in attendance.

“It’s fun to play to a crowd, but especially somewhere where there are musicians in the audience,” Young said. “I usually don’t get that opportunity.”

Though his tour is done, Young plans on keeping up his musical momentum.

With a single stop scheduled in Philadelphia in the next few weeks, Young starts up another tour throughout the Northeast in April.

This tour might be more than just him on stage, he said.

“I have this guy that’s like my bass brother that I might pick up,” he said. “It’s just better to have someone with you on tour.”

His first stop in Bloomington also made a good impression as he hopes to return to perform again.

“Just sometime when the weather’s better,” Young said.