By Brian Tucker

For a time Caleb Bodtorf didn’t understand what people meant about the chemistry he and fellow band members of Old You shared onstage. The Charleston, South Carolina act, who performs at The Whiskey on Saturday, play a mix of rock and jazz that leans towards the late 60s and early 70s musically. It’s playful, eclectic, and has an energy both sneaky and uncaged. Their onstage presence is like three brothers and one sister who get along fabulously.

“Talking to older groups around (Charleston) and hanging out with bigger touring bands I understand that many lack friendship, love, and respect,” Bodtorf says. “Many are just playing to play or trying to make money. I am very lucky to be able to play with such good people. It’s definitely a family.

While Bodtorf minored in Music Composition at the College of Charleston, Old You’s musicians are mostly self-taught, a curious detail given their tight, nuanced live performance. Lead singer Young-Mi Feldsott has a torch singer’s smoky timbre and a smooth, warm style (she created the album artwork for So Steady).

Their music has broad textures – Bodtorf’s varied and prickly guitar playing is freewheeling while the rhythm section is a healthy mix of power and flourish, be it swing influenced number “So Steady” or “Sleuth” that moves from a jangly, sultry rhythm to blistering jam band guitar. And Feldsott’s throaty vocals are sassy, smoky, and inviting (imagine Grace Slick in an out-of-the-way club).

“I think for the most part it comes organically. We all have fairly different tastes in music so when we sit down for the writing process there are several directions we can take a tune. “B.E.C.” has an upbeat funky (vibe) while another one has a chill, Jazz-Hip Hop feel. I think this stems from playing all sorts of venues and clubs. You can read a crowd, and certain versions are more appropriate for different audiences.”

Bodtorf cites the band as still young, beginning in 2009 and playing covers for over a year. Currently they have an impressive EP of original material called So Steady. Though they added their own flavor to The Police’s “Walking on the Moon” at the Soapbox recently, they’re moving beyond covers. 

“We have three or four hour’s worth of cover tunes. I’d say we’ve given most of them our sound and style.”

More with Caleb Bodtorf

Did the band came together at school, or playing in bands around Charleston? If other bands, were they disparate styles?

Bodtorf: The group first started in early 2009 as an acoustic guitar driven trio focusing heavily on three-part harmonies. It was originally just Paul San Luis, Young-Mi Feldsott, and old friend Chris Parker who led the group. Old You and Magic Beans/The Catfish Noodlers, as some preferred, played predominately cover tunes at restaurants and bars around downtown Charleston, most notably Norm’s Pizza where the group held a weekly Thursday residency. It’s where Old You gained some of their first loyal fans.

Around this time John Pope, Paul’s childhood friend, was playing in several groups around town ranging stylistically from bluegrass to jazz and began to sit in and fill out the group. I was writing music and playing in a couple of unmotivated original bands who were content jamming out in a friend’s attic when I decided to get out and start performing live.

Having known Paul from the dorm life, I was invited out to start playing out with the group in late 2009. So the first six months of 2010 Old You slowly made a few transitions. Paul switched from acoustic guitar to bass. Chris Parker moved away, giving lead vocals to Young-Mi. John Pope began booking more and more gigs, and I began pushing original music. Old You’s first all original gig was August 25, 2010.

Is there an era of music the band subscribes, perhaps not in style but in attitude towards playing music?

Bodtorf: I think we have always looked towards the late 60s and early 70s for musical inspiration, whether it’s rock, jazz, or folk music. Something special occurred during that time, something raw, something emotional, and something poetic. That being said, we take cues from artists of today, and incorporate modern technology and sounds, but we definitely try to harness that emotion.

On the song “Abilene” there’s the lyric “my first melody came from Abilene.”

Bodtorf: Abilene is Young-Mi’s first guitar. The melody in the song was the first she ever wrote.

How do you know when a song is “working” for Old You?

Bodtorf: I suppose when we all get excited about a tune, usually a new one, is when it’s working for us, but I guess the ultimate factor is if its working for the crowd. When folks start to request tunes, you know that they are working.

In Charleston is the band “underground” or does the band have a strong rep around town?

Bodtorf: We are still a young group (in Charleston) despite being around since early 2009. We were playing covers the first year and a half. I think many people may see us still as a bar band, but that being said, we’re doing alright. Right now we are in the final steps in transitioning into a “real” band.

Until just recently we had been playing in Charleston at least three times a week. It was truly over-saturating us, why would someone pay to see us play for an hour when they could see us play a three hour set for free the following night? Now, we’re looking to play in Charleston at the most, once a month. So, in truth, we don’t really know how we are doing, I suppose we’ll know come October.

Performing with Futurebirds or Holy Ghost Tent Revival, what have you learned from those gigs?

Bodtorf: It’s really interesting to play with young touring groups who are just starting to gather a following out of town. Although we differ stylistically from both of these bands, we have definitely learned a few things. Both groups were able to keep a very high energy going throughout the night. Also everyone in the band sang, this is really something we are trying to incorporate again.