Creativity

Over the last 8 or 9 years of bass playing I’ve realized one of my greatest downfalls, and the greatest downfall of most artists, creators, and dreamers...we’re stuck waiting. Waiting for the time when we’re recognized and celebrated as good enough.

In this day in age we post videos on YouTube, tweet our experiences, track the views, monitor the comments, and hope for recognition. Or worst yet we never post that video or that lesson because we haven’t been recognized as being “good enough”. I’m here to tell you that’s a lie, that’s a myth, and that’s what is holding all of us back! Recognition does not quantify our worth and waiting for it will suck our lives of creativity and rob this world of what we have to offer.

Bass playing, music creation, artistry, and the whole of life for that matter is made up of the moments between recognition and celebration…those are the moments of growth and production. Where inspiration meets implementation!

We are all created, and in turn we are all creators. We don’t have to, and shouldn’t, wait for the celebration of our peers. It is ingrained in us to create and that’s exactly what we need and exactly what this world needs.

Am I the best bass player in the world? Nope. Am I even the best bass player that I know? Nope. Heck, I’m not even the best musician in my household. Does that say anything about my ability to offer some beautiful creation? Nope!

When it comes to bass playing you may know everything I know and you may be better at it than I ever will be…but you have not shared my life experiences and I have not shared yours. In that alone it’s easy to see that we can share and learn from one another.

So keep creating, keep stretching, keep experiencing the little moments, and keep sharing! The world needs it!

~ Inspired by Chapter One of "Cold Tangerines" by Shauna Niequist

Album Artist statement + Design by Brandon Hill

Enjoy this statement from the designer of our album artwork for "your chance"...

Artist freedom was exceptionally encouraged by Luke and Becky on this project;
a rare thing among client-designer-relationships. Their desire was to employ me
to simply interpret their music visually. It would be difficult to not to involve my
personal interpretation so I thank them dearly for that freedom.
The Pinwheel: The pinwheel is us. We’re not invisible, we’re not undesireable,
we’re bright and strong. We’re not misfits in the unfortunate way, but beautiful
strange misfits. As an artist and a believer, I was struck by these words of Beckon
Q’s song, “Your Chance”. I couldn’t stray away from this concept of a strange but
colorful object–with all of its detail of life’s characteristics rendered through tiny
icons. The illustration was created digitally through photography and small shapes,
each painstakingly placed to create movement and emotive flow. This kind of
illustration is therapeutic and exciting at the same time.
The back image of the pinwheel takes the concept to God’s perspective. If we
are these unique but beautiful pinwheels, what does it look like in our weakest
moments, when we’re shattered and destroyed? My answer is in the image: God
sees us with all of the same beautiful detail, the love isn’t wained, and we remain
art ready to be hung in a gallery. We are not a mistake, there is a reason.
Brandon Hill
bhilldesign.com

Lifest. Oshkosh, WI

Ever heard of it? A fine little town all on it's own I guess, but what made it extra special thus summer was a little fairgrounds called Sunnyview, the site of Lifest 2009.
Trip bio:
We rented a Zipcar (check em out www.Zipcar.com) to fit all of our gear in as we headed out of Chicago on Wednesday night. The five of us settled in for the 3 hour and change drive up north.
After a couple stops for food and coffee, we pulled into our hotel around 12:30 am. Did we all 5 sleep in one room? Umm heck yes we did! Poor Becky is all I can say with us crazy cats she had to deal with. Who did I cuddle with all night? None other than our little elec. rocker Scotty. It was right nice. :)
In the AM we got our coffee fix on and headed to the great fairgrounds. We got there around 8am and got all of our gear loaded in and jammed a quick sound check. Meanwhile, campers lined up for the showers. Quite a sight to see.
We had three sets that day and we felt good about rocking each one of them. It was a great venue and really cool to meet some if out Twitter followers at the show. (hi Kendra)
We debuted a new tee that weekend and I think it was a hit because that's all people bought! I guess we'll have to out our ok'd shirts on sale huh? :)

On another note, sorry to be MIA on the blog as of late! If you're feeling ignored, be sure to follow us on Twitter because that's where our continual action is going on. www.Twitter.com/beckonq or @beckonq

Peace, love and all good things
Luke

Park Grill Memories…

101.9FM’s Party in the Park is always a sweet time for Beckon Q. We began playing it years ago and have loved it. Particular memories that stand out:

1. 4 yrs ago: Opening for Howie Day and The Afters. A flood of screaming teens flooded the stage on a hot and sunny day. We met our original drummer, Ricky, at this show. He loved our music and asked to join instantly!
2. 2 yrs ago: Rain poured down on the Park Grill hours before load in/sound check. And miraculously the clouds cleared just in time for the bands to get gear on stage. The show went on and we had a blast with the survivors who braved the weather.
3. 1 yr ago: Hot, muggy Chicago weather caused Luke’s acoustic guitar string to break during our set. We learned to improvise on the spot while he quick switched it out. Seamless. Beautiful.
4. This year? We have some surprises up our sleeves! Help make memories with us at the show this THURSDAY at 4pm at the Park Grill underneath the Bean in Chicago’s downtown.

See you there!

Becky
www.BeckonQ.com

Music Fuel

From the day that I could walk or move music has always been the
forced that has fueled my life.
It was the reason I went to high school, college, and now going back
to school to become a better musician and someday a teacher.
I have never wanted anything more than to be a musicians playing shows
and making people groove like they would never groove before. That's
why i became a drummer I feel like no one makes or breaks the groove
like a drummer, I grew up watching many great drummers such as
Beauford, Rich, and Barker and from day one I was amazed. Me being a
very soft spoken person drums allow me to express myself in ways that
I feel only other people who love and appreciate music can understand.
I have always felt that musicians are storytellers who speak a very
unique and special language, and that the only way to understand this
language is to open up your mind, hearts, and ears in ways you have
never done before to follow the story. Every song written, every note
played, every lyric sung, and every drum hit is a part of this story
and to miss it is to miss something unique and special in itself.
Which brings me to Beckon Q what story does our music tell? I think
our music tells a story of hope, determination, and no matter what you
do, who you are, and what society may say you can succeed.

I love the vibe we have as a band, I love the instant chemistry we
have had every since I joined the band, I even love how hot we all
look on stage because y'all all know we do. But the thing I love the
best about this band is the fact that our songs are uplifting, the
tell the story of hope, and they encourage people. We are not just
trying to be famous, make a lot of money, and act like there is
nothing else going on around us. We are also trying to promote hope,
being subjects of change, and show that you can have fun onstage and
still stand for something. So here is what i propose next time you
come to a Beckon Q show listen to our music in a different way, let
each song really be heard by your hearts. Then find one of us and tell
us what story was being told for you on the night, because I can
guarantee everyone's story and hearts will be different.

Chris

Campaign No Day Job: Part 2

What do you want to be when you grow up?

If you could do anything in the world as a career, what would it be?

As kids, our imagination is a part of us from the start. We did nothing to create it. It just was. I remember my imagination being so tangible, I felt like I could reach out and touch my dreams. That if I jumped, I really could fly. I really could be Rupunzel and through my bedroom window my prince would come to rescue me. But at a certain age, that imagination began to disappear. Why? I’m not completely sure. About the time when my childlike self started getting taller and taller, my imagination dwindled. And now I strain to rekindle it. I envy adults like Gordon MacKenzie, author of Orbiting the Giant Hairball, whose imagination is alive and beautiful. Grown up MacKenzie used his imagination as a vital part of his career at Hallmark. His imagination is a part of him, and has not disappeared.

I believe what caused this diminishing imagination for me was when I started to get bad grades in Math and History, and developed the notion that I’m not good enough. I needed to pass these classes to be valued in this world. Do you ever feel that way? Like you have to be great at a multitude of things in order to be great? I do.

But what about the few things that you love to do and are great at? Maybe you have a mind for marketing. You love coming up with creative ideas that will help promote a product. Or you love writing. All you want to do is write and inspire.

In my humble opinion, it’s time to begin putting all of ourselves into what we do best, and most importantly, what we love to do. For me, it’s songwriting and singing. I want to do this as much as I possibly can. I want it to be my career. As a band, Beckon Q wants to be able to put aside all of the extras in life, things that aren’t our strengths, to focus on what we do best… making music, getting to know our fans, and engage in community with you.

What do you love to do? What makes you come alive? Tell us.

I dare you to dream big!

Peace and love,
Becky

Beckon Q

I am a music fan

I am a music fan. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t become a musician because
I love music so much. Nowadays I get so wrapped up in production and
all the goodies that go along with the music business that I forget
about the music. My iTunes is filled with such a huge variety of
genres. If it’s good to my ear then it’s just good. I remember back
when I was a kid my dad would play bands like Journey and Supertramp
and my mom was a big fan of The Beatles and The Monkees. I remember
listening to Prince’s Purple Rain and Madonna’s Like A Virgin with my
cousins. When I started finding my own musical influences it came in
the form of what is known as grunge. To this day my fave bands are
Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Nirvana. Later on bands
like Foo Fighters, Filter, Incubus and Dashboard Confessional were
added to the list. I can go a lil country with Keith Urban, a lil pop
with Justin Timberlake and a lil hip hop with JayZ.

The most intriguing performance ever came from a guy named Butch
Walker. I was at the Hard Rock Hotel in Chicago with Escape From
Earth who opened for Butch. I wasn’t really interested at all. I
actually sat on the couch in the lobby and listened and never even saw
him playing. All I know is that he had captured me with acoustic and
voice that night and the rest is history. I go to all his shows. I
have all his records, his old stuff with Marvelous 3, and a bunch of
the artists that he has written and recorded with. Butch Walker is a
genius. All it took was that one night and I was hooked.

I’m guessing that maybe some of you have had this experience… maybe
even while listening to BECKON Q. I just want you guys to know that I
love music and put all my heart and soul into creating something new
or putting forth my best efforts to enhance songs that already exist.
My hope is that we can put a smile on our fan’s faces, provide a
little bit of an escape, cure whatever might be illing you, and just
have the time of our lives together!!

XOXO
Scotty