Artist of the Week- Beck

¿Q

ue Onda Guero? Born & raised in L.A., Beck must have heard that often from friends. Armed with phat beats and phat lyrics, Beck managed to cross-over from the indie scene to the mainstream and back to the indie scene over the years. Growing up in the melting pot that is L.A., Beck was exposed to every type of musical genre out there, which shows in his music. Beck is one of the only artists (other than Radiohead) who is not afraid of experimenting with his music. You often hear weird sounds, voices, instruments in practically all his music. Beck was first heard on KCRW and still plays there often, so don’t be afraid to visit their website and search his name. He made a name for himself with his first big hit “Loser”, which he followed by his mainstream hits: “New Pollution” and “Where it’s At”. Although he enjoyed mainstream success, he was never really heard from on mainstream radio again. Despite that, Beck stood true to his “sound” by releasing “Mutations” & “Midnite Vultures”. Both received Grammy nominations without much airplay. In 2002, Beck flipped the script by releasing Sea Change, by far one of the most personal albums I have ever heard. Prior to the release of the album, Beck had broken up with long-time girlfriend Leigh Limon, which is said to be the inspiration to the album. His best song by a country-mile is “Lost Cause”, where he shows a side of himself not known to most listeners! Without question, this is a MUST hear for any music lover; even for those who are not big fans! Heartbreak turned into success when Rolling Stone named the album one of the 500 greatest albums of all-time and he received high praise from all critics. As a Beck fan, Sea Change, is one of those albums that only comes along every so often. Sea Change was named one of the top 500 Great Albums by Rolling Stone. Beck is not afraid to take risks with his music; he is a true artist, preferring to stay true to his artist integrity. In the years that followed Sea Change, he pounded out 3 more albums: Guero, The Information & Modern Guilt, which all received high praise. Beck just re-released his first bootleg album on CD, One Foot In The Grave. Unfortunately, Beck is not touring right now, but he is currently working on new material. He is in the studio working on a cover of Velvet Underground’s, “Sunday Morning.” Beck is a busy man, recording a new album, being a scientologist and throwing down some tacos at the King Taco in East L.A.! I really enjoy Beck as an artist and if you haven’t truly given him a chance, then please discover him as a true artist. You will not be disappointed!