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| (photo credit: John Yingling) |
Not many musicians start their sets by reading poetry, and Bukowski at that. So if one thing’s for sure, Willis Earl Beal is not like many musicians. He is often tagged as an “outsider artist” (for as vague a term as that is) and aspires to be the black Tom Waits, in regards to the range between dissonant and experimental songs as well as creating beautiful ballads. A listen through Acousmatic Sorcery (currently streaming on the Reader’s website) yields both, an album featuring an out-of-tune toy piano, decomposing drums, raspy vocals, and single plucked guitar strings bathed in a healthy dose of no-fi production.
For the live show, Beal is the only one up there. Most of the music is pre-recorded and played on an old school reel-to-reel (or at least used as an aesthetic accompaniment). While his vocals on Acousmatic Sorcery are certainly the focus, his voice takes on a whole new power live. What’s most impressive is his dynamic range, transitioning seamlessly from an operatic vibrato to an eardrum puncturing scream. And while he wore sunglasses throughout most of the indoor set, he doesn’t come off as shy or “outsider” as the mythology has begun to describe him as. He’s clearly not looking to make conventional music, and is comfortable as a “fringe” artist, but I think this generation of music lovers disenchanted with conventional and recycled pop and rock songs want something different. That he recognizes his voice is good in a conventional way coupled with his still progressing musical talent makes the dichotomy that much more poignant.
For the live show, Beal is the only one up there. Most of the music is pre-recorded and played on an old school reel-to-reel (or at least used as an aesthetic accompaniment). While his vocals on Acousmatic Sorcery are certainly the focus, his voice takes on a whole new power live. What’s most impressive is his dynamic range, transitioning seamlessly from an operatic vibrato to an eardrum puncturing scream. And while he wore sunglasses throughout most of the indoor set, he doesn’t come off as shy or “outsider” as the mythology has begun to describe him as. He’s clearly not looking to make conventional music, and is comfortable as a “fringe” artist, but I think this generation of music lovers disenchanted with conventional and recycled pop and rock songs want something different. That he recognizes his voice is good in a conventional way coupled with his still progressing musical talent makes the dichotomy that much more poignant.
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