Record Producer George Young Passes Away at 70
Australian musician and record producer George Young, who played a major role in the early influences and albums of AC/DC, passed away yesterday at the age of 70.
Young got his start in the early 1960s playing rhythm co-guitar for Aussie rock band the Easybeats, co-writing nearly all of the band’s repertoire, including the hit “Friday on My Mind.” Following the splitting up of the Easybeats, Young started his own production company and worked alongside his younger brothers Malcolm and Angus Young as they started AC/DC. George Young co-produces and played bass on several of AC/DC’s early and most successful albums, including High Voltage, T.N.T., Let There Be Rock, and Power Outage.
In AC/DC’s official statement on George Young’s passing, they said, “As a musician, songwriter, producer, advisor and much more, you could not ask for a more dedicated and professional man. Without his help and guidance there would not have been an AC/DC.”
City’s Sound Curfew Pilot Program Gets Six Month Extension
Last Thursday’s City Council meeting was a big win for the Austin music scene. After stakeholders all provided positive reviews of the city’s sound curfew pilot program, the council voted to extend the parameters of the curfew, which have been in effect since May 1st. Basically, the curfew allows music venues to play live music until midnight on Thursdays and 1 AM on Friday and Saturdays. These are each one-hour time extensions.
Austin Economic Development Department rep Kevin Johns said in a memo, “the results so far show the venues earning more revenue, venue staff and local musicians getting paid more, sound impact being managed effectively, and significantly improved communication and relationships between venues and nearby neighborhoods.”
The city council and Austin mayor Steve Adler are so pleased with the results, that despite only officially extending the program through May 1st, the city manager has been directed to draft language to make the pilot program permanent as early as February of next year.
