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

City band. City matters...

We’re an “urban” band…well…kind of. Here’s why kinda:

We live in the city, we play shows in the city, we pay city taxes, we share small places, we have to pay to park…EVERYWHERE, we ride the el, we ride buses, we run into a homeless person every time we step onto the street.

We also have the world at our fingertips, ever heard of Starbucks, I can be at one of 7 of them faster than you’ll finish reading this. We also all didn’t grow up in the city, we’re transfers in. That means we’re either crazy, or we have the means to make it work. (the latter is the truth). We care about the city and thrive on it, that much is true, but do you?

2008 was the first year that the world population lived in cities more than rural areas.

Cities matter. They are influential hubs, but they are also destitute and more urban dwellers than not have quite a different view of city than Beckon Q does.

Check out this site: www.theplaceswelive.com

We hope it makes you think and inspires you. Why do you live where you live? Does it matter? Does it matter how other people live?

We think so.

Beckon @ Subterranean April 18

Beckon Q is pretty excited...well, we're excited all the time. But right now we have a lot shaking and happening and there is going to be news to follow about this.

However, right now we have some really great things that you can directly experience.

First, our whole album is now available for you to listen to on our myspace page!!!

www.myspace.com/beckonq

Second, we have a sweet show that we're really excited about at Subterranean in Chicago IL on April 18. Get details on our page or check out the event page
We have some new songs that we will be debuting at this show so don't miss it. Don't let your friends miss it (plus, it's always fun to share in a experience with your favorite people) share this event with everyone you know. We would love a great turnout because the more the merrier, right?

Peace, Love, and All Good Things,
Nate
Beckon Q

Wow, it's been a twile!

Ok, so it's been awhile. Sorry. You know, stuff happens here, stuff happens there, and before you know it it's been 2 weeks and 6 days since our last blog post! OUCH.

What have we been doing? Well, pretty much tweeting our faces off...
Do you follow? If not, you should start:

Nate's twitter
Becky's twitter
Scotty's twitter
Luke's twitter
Chris's twitter: TBD aka MIA, non-existent, in the works, unavailable, up and coming, soon.

That should give you enough to do for now, right? Be sure to say hi and to follow the Beckon Q tweets of course!

new ideas

Do you like new ideas? We like to think we do...

Recently, I did a little presentation for an MBA class I'm taking at DePaul University in Chicago on new ideas. Some other colleagues in the class participated as well...Mike, Stephanie, Erin, Alejandra. The presentation centered around the book: Myths of Innovation, ch. 4 by Scott Berkun.

My wonderful Prof. Dr. L. Gundry suggested I send it on to Scott. I did and here's what Scott had to say about it: http://www.scottberkun.com/blog/2009/myths-of-innovation-the-movie/

and here's the vid...

That's my little story.

How do your ideas apply to how you listen to music? If you write music, are you doing it in a NEW way? Interesting...

Luke
Beckon Q