A new year to fall in love....

I fell in love again today. Maybe it's the season. Family, friends, food. Through the snow and ice, there's new life. New life to live, to share. Maybe I'm just extra sentimental because of something I ate. Regardless, I fell in love again today.

It's the simplest thing really. You're sitting on the floor at the foot of your bed with you laptop and guitar, 1 pick, 1 capo, no tuner, no socks, no distractions and it happens.

Practicing...but not really practicing to get anywhere. Checking out guitar tabs online for fun, writing new tunes and I stumble across some old favorites and just dive deeper in love again. Was it St. Patricks Day by John Mayer? Was it the idea of you, dreamgirl, or steady as we go by DMB? Maybe it was the new tunes I'm working on....regardless...

I fell in love with music again today.

Do you remember what that's like? Have you slowed down enough, really stopped to experience that moment in your life a long time ago when you listened to music because you couldn't NOT listen to it?

This new year, this 2009, take some time to fall in love with the music that really moves you, that really carries you. I doubt you'll regret it. Who knows, maybe Beckon Q can deliver that chance to fall in love again for you. I truly hope so.

All of the peace, all of the love, and all of the good things life can bring to you.

Luke
Beckon Q

Why I love music...

Hi everyone!
I was asked by a fellow band mate to write on why I love music and what music means to me. So here goes…

My love affair with music started when I was a little bitty girl singing in the church choir. I was so nervous singing Silent Night in front of a silent attentive crowd. I remember catching myself as I scrunched the side of my dress up in my hand as I held the mic in the other. But even though I had nerves, I loved it. I wanted to do it again, and again, and again.

In high school I decided, much like Luke, to teach myself guitar. It took quite a bit of dedication to learn this foreign instrument. After crossing that beginner’s hurdle, songs started flowing out. Many were full of teen angst and heartbreak but as many artists would say, the best songs are written out of raw emotion. And teenage years are full of raw emotion!

I believe there’s magic in what music does. It tells stories in ways that words alone cannot. If created with sensitivity and thought, music allows you to enter into what the artist is trying to share, linking us together in a mysterious fashion.

My soul sings because that’s all it desires to do. As lungs fill with air without us thinking about it, so my soul sings. I hope that is what you hear when listening to Beckon Q… our heart, our thoughts, our souls when you listen to these songs.

Peace and love,

Becky

Northbrook baby!

Why does it always snow in Northbrook?

I think it's so it makes it extra special to cuddle up with friends, drink coffee, and enjoy a cold snowy night the best way us BQers know how to...

Here's a sample of the evening...enjoy!

Shirts, shirts, and well...just two shirts

Did you know that we now have shirts for sale? That's right, sport your BQ gear proudly...

Couple of options here:
Uni-sex "city" shirt. Beckon Q is all over this city.
"Girly" flower shirt. Careful boys, this doesn't just look girly, it fits girly too...

Head to www.beckonq.com to pick yours up today! (and while you're there..check out the updates to the website! I think you'll appreciate the cleanup. We sure did!

Like what you see on the website, let us know! Could we do something different, we're all ears!

Peace, love, and all good things,
lq
BQ

Cubby Bear

Friday night...well, Saturday morning more like...
The first time the glorious fivesome got to actually play together. I'm biased, but it was magic.

Here's just a glimpse of how pimp it was...check out beautiful Scotty on electric.

Check out more pics on our facebook page (and while you're there..become a fan of course!!!)

I do need to say a special thanks to Tim Stopulos (www.timstopulos.com) for coming through in a pinch. My guitar decided to go quite on me that night and I needed an acoustic in a hurry. Tim leant me his Gibson without thinking about it and I'm much indebted! Thanks Tim! Be sure to check out his trio as soon as you can. They were great that night and we hope to do more shows with them in the future for sure.

If you were there, did you have fun? If you weren't...what do you think you missed? Hmm...?

Peace, love, and all good things...
Luke
Beckon Q

Free cubs gear! World series tickets!?

One never really knows what surprises await each and every Beckon Q
show these days...
At murphys bleachers (www.murphysbleachers.com) the other night, not
only did everyone get to listen to the smooth tunes of Beckon Q, as
well, listen to Micah Walk band (www.myspace.com/micahwalkband) ...but
the fine folks at bud lite decided it would be nice to hand out free
tshirts, buttons and even a pair of world series tickets to a lucky
winner! It wasn't me.... Ah well....

Needless to say, the surprises that come to pass at Beckon Q shows can
be quite fun and you should know we've got a couple surprises in store
for you at the next few shows.... So be sure to come out... can't wait
to see you there!

Venue Art and Wine show...

This past weekend, Becky and I were asked to hit up a grand opening show and head to Washington, IL for Venue Art and Wine. This place is great. Check it out here: www.venueartandwine.com

Some good friends of ours, Jeff and Julia Woods (www.jwportraitlife.com...the photographers that took all of our pics...) started this idea, then handed it over to 2 very fine ladies, Steph and Tiff to complete. (i think=) In any case, we dug the space tons. Now, no offense to Washington, IL, but it's not exactly what you'd think of when you think of hip, fun, trendy, cool...yet Venue is just that. The evening featured scultor artist Bob Emser, acoustic music compliments of yours truly, and a wine and beer menu that was something to boast about!

Hopefully some of the folk from Washington, IL will remember us and we can hit up the small town sometime in the future full-band...we'd love to.

Peace, love, and all good things.
Luke
Beckon Q

down time

the is what happens when Beckon Q isn't playing music.
we pretend to play music.
Nate and I can beat Becky any day of the week.
Jury's still out with Scotty and Chris...

see my bro dan back there on the kit. he's nice.
(Chris couldn't make this gig...)

peace....OUT!
lq
bq

Magic show

That might be what our new gig will be, a magic show. It just might be fitting after the session we had on Thursday. Nothing short of magical...

I think everyone is in for a real treat, it's a re-birth, if you will, of the Beckon Q sound. Funny how it just hits and you know it. We were all really really clicking on Thursday and you could just tell, this is it.

I can't even begin to talk about what happened to Overboard, Stay Here and Reason Why, and I certainly don't want to spoil anything...=)

For now, just know that Becky, Nate, Scotty, Chris and I, well...we're looking forward to the coming journey and hope you enjoy the ride...

Peace, love, and all good things, always and forever...
Luke
Beckon Q

Remember how sometimes you just mess up?

Well, maybe you don't, but I do. Often.
Like there was one time, when I was a kid and I had a pet rabbit (named Petey) when I left his cage door open overnight. ....Petey wasn't there in the morning anymore, but I could have sworn I saw him in the woods by our house a couple of months later!

Then there are other times that I mess up too...

Like with my friends. on this blog. because I do things too fast without thinking. (am I the only one!?)

Well I messed up big time because I was writing to you all here on a previous blog, looking forward to our practice time that was up and coming...and I completely forgot to mention our famed guitar player SCOTT DALHEIM!!! What was I thinking????

Yeah, go ahead Luke and leave out the person with the MOST experience in the entire group, the person who knows more people in the music world than the rest of us combined. The one with the most style points by far (thx: TOMS, trues, VOX, fender, etc, etc). The one who gives up his own time for no money to come make Beckon Q better than Beckon Q would be. Wow.

Who would forget this?

Me.

Scotty, I'm calling it out for all the world to see because I know you wouldn't even say or think anything about it, but man, I'm bummed it happened.

So, for the rest of you, isn't it nice to see this blog-hug that I'm givin Scott? Give him one too. Shoot a comment out and keep it rollin.

Can't wait to jam tonight. The duet (Becky and I) are going to spend some acoustic time together while the real fire jams (Scott, Nate, Chris) and then we'll wrap it all up with some together time at the end...should be fun!

Talk to you later.
Luke
BQ

practice makes perfect...

should we record our rehearsals? probably. they're hilarious! not to mention, SO much great stuff comes from them...

we're actually rehearsing Thursday night and I can't wait. I'll let you know in a couple of days what money moves come out of Chris on the kit, what groovy licks Nate throws down on bass, and what monster harms B and I shout out as well...

stay tuned...
Luke
BQ

Jam time N&L style...

So, Becky took off to visit some fam in NC (n. carolina) and so Nate and I decided we should rock it out jam style just for kicks. That we did.

It started out with a little stroll from my place to Nate's...gotta love living within walking distance to one another...I picked up some "Joy's Noodles" on the way. Try it, you'll like it. No doubt. Chicken coconut curry for Nate, straight up Pad Thai for yours truly. so good...

we rocked out the noodles as we listened to some tunes by "star" while we ate, caught up on life, talked about Becky (how good she is of course...) then pulled out some axes and went to town.

No secrets being shared just yet, but I will say we've got some surprises in store for everyone in the coming days, weeks, and months... Nate and I worked on some of them, if you know where our myspace is, you should be able to find some of them...but then we just plain played some notes (over and over again in a really fun pattern that sounds pretty decent and you'll just have to wait and see)

wow, we just can't play enough. it was great to live it up with Nate. truly the man of the century. do you know Nate? really? have you met him? do it, you won't regret it...

maybe he'll hug you. those are nice.
his bass is nice
goes well with noodles.

Cheers.
Luke

Cubby Bear

Cubs fans? Olympic fans? Beckon Q fans? Yes, yes yes....

Thanks to everyone that showed up at Cubby last night for the show! Had a great time with each and every one of you! (Chad, Lindi, Heather, Chris, Luke....I could go on and on...)

If you weren't able to attend...(gasp!) you missed a FREE show! No problem though, you just probably didn't know that you could still watch Shawn Johnson AND come to the show, right? Thanks to Cubby's plethora of TV action, I was even able to watch during our set, but don't let it leak that I was paying attention to the Olympics during our set, instead, perhaps we should focus on the fact that Scotty Dalheim on electric guitar last night was ON FIRE!

True.
Peace, love, and all good things...
Luke

Taste of Chicago

Summertime.

Hot air, cold drinks, short shorts, bbq, taste of chicago and blogging....
That's what you do right? That's who you are in the summer. You're a blogger? Well, you are if you ever want to finally get on the ball with this blogging thing and post some love for all to see! That is exactly what we intend to do. Right here, right now. Believe it.

This past saturday we had the wonderful opportunity to sweat our faces off and play our hearts out at the taste of chicago thanks to Bill Covert of Sarah Vanderhaar and the good folks at Best Buy. Thanks much to the both! We had a great time. Met some great folk and afterwards, ate some great food. (three cheers for turkey leg all over Nate's face!)

Our fearless first drummer Ricky joined us for the 90 minute set and didn't miss a beat (clever eh?). additionally, for the first time ever, we had Josh Katt on the electric guitar. we think he did a swell job. it's not easy jumping in with us picky persnickety folk and delivering, but that he did.

the day went so well in fact that we invite you to check out your local best buy store or bestbuy.com in the coming months and look for our debut album "Your Chance"! It'll be available soon there! Of course, you can always pick it up on our website at the "store" page too!

peace, love, and all good things.
Beckon Q