http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/;kw=[13193,145809]

Ex-Panic! at the Disco Pals Mine the Sixties for Young Veins Debut
Plus, watch Ryan Ross and Jon Walker rock new track “Change” live

By Erica Futterman
May 06, 2010 7:24 PM EDT

Last July, emo-pop sensations Panic! at the Disco announced they were splitting up over creative differences. But some of the bandmates were clearly still seeing eye to eye: While working on Panic!’s 2008 release Pretty. Odd., guitarist Ryan Ross and bassist Jon Walker formed such a strong songwriting partnership, they decided to soldier on with a new project dubbed the Young Veins. “Ever since Pretty. Odd., we’ve been writing songs together, so it’s been a gradual thing,” Ross tells Roling Stone. “Once we knew we were going to be doing this ourselves, it freed us up to do exactly what we wanted.”

With their debut Take a Vacation! (out June 8th), Ross and Walker delve deeper into the ’60s pop influences they experimented with on the slickly produced Pretty. Odd. But the resulting disc is far more raw than fans might expect — and that’s a good thing. Over 11 tracks clocking in at 29 minutes, Ross and Walker deliver loose, garage-rock gems that come off sounding like a dusty 45 you’d find at a garage sale. Tracks like “Change” (check out the live clip from an Atlanta show above) feature bright harmonies that call to mind the Beatles’ “She Said, She Said” while “Young Veins (Die Tonight)” feature chiming, Byrds-inspired guitar riffs.

To cut Vacation!, Ross and Walker relocated to L.A. and dissected classic California music from the ’60s, from the Nuggets box sets to Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound production. When it came time to record, the duo assembled an ace crew of musicians to play on the album, including Rilo Kiley drummer Jason Boesel and Phantom Planet bassist Alex Greenwald, who co-produced the disc. Ross’ girlfriend Elizabeth Berg (who sings in the all-girl band the Like) also pitched in backing vocals. “One of our last days in the studio was on my birthday,” Ross recalls. “So a bunch of our friends came down [and recorded] for the last song on the album, ‘Heart of Mine.’ ”

Ross and Walker are currently gearing up for a mammoth tour in June and July, including an opening spot with Rooney and a slot at this year’s Bonnaroo. After recently wrapping up their first headlining tour last month, Ross feels more confident than ever onstage. “Doing this first tour was really interesting — in the beginning I was really worried about doing all of the parts right,” Ross says. “But by the end, I was just having fun.”

The Young Veins’ Tour Dates:

June 11 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
June 16 – San Diego, CA @ Wave House
June 17 – Anaheim, CA @ House Of Blues
June 19 – Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda Theatre
June 20 – Agoura Hills, CA @ The Canyon Club
June 22 – San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s
June 23 – Orangevale, CA @ The Boardwalk
June 24 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
June 25 – Vancouver, BC @ The Media Club
June 26 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
June 27 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
June 29 – Denver, CO @ The Marquis Theatre
June 30 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
July 1 – Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note
July 2 – Little Rock, AR @ Juanita’s Cantina Ballroom
July 3 – Shreveport, LA @ The Collective
July 5 – New Orleans, LA @ Republic New Orleans
July 6 – Pensacola, FL @ Seville Quarter
July 7 – Orlando, FL @ The Social
July 8 – Gainesville, FL @ Common Grounds
July 9 – Tampa, FL @ Crowbar
July 10 – Atlanta, GA @ The Loft
July 11 – Charlotte, NC @ Amos’ Southend
July 12 – Greenville, SC @ The Handlebar
July 14 – New York, NY @ The Fillmore at Irving Plaza
July 15 – Dewey Beach, DE @ Bottle & Cork
July 16 – Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon Club
July 17 – S. Hackensack, NJ @ School Of Rock
July 18 – New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place
July 19 – Farmingdale, NY @ The Crazy Donkey
July 20 – Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance