BIO

“Music is all about connection,” expresses solo artist William Beckett. “Performer gives to listener, listener gives back to performer. I respect my fans and their inevitable evolution of taste and experience. The only constants in life are change and the necessity of music. THAT is why I don’t make the same record over and over again. I’m not trying to cater to an audience or lower the bar to some level of “relatability”. I write real songs for real people about real experiences. The connection is the skin, the meat and the core. The whole apple.”

Having toured nearly non-stop for ten years as frontman for The Academy Is…, Beckett has built up an incredibly dedicated and supportive fanbase around the world. Though massively proud of the band’s accomplishments and experiences together, their eventual disbanding as a group in late 2011 allowed for Beckett to begin the next era of his career, as a solo artist. After returning home to his roots and family in Chicago, Beckett began pouring his heart and soul into a trilogy of EPs — Walk The Talk, Winds Will Change, and What Will Be, as well as the Pioneer Sessions album (a collection of twelve acoustic versions of songs from each of the EPs) — all of which was self-released in 2012.

On August 20, 2013, Beckett released his debut full-length album on Equal Vision Records, Genuine & Counterfeit, which was recorded in his hometown of Chicago, IL with producer Marc McClusky (Weezer, Ludo). “This new record is nothing less than my greatest musical accomplishment,” Beckett confides earnestly. “And after writing and releasing the three EPs last year, working with Marc McClusky was a no brainer. While we shared the same vision for the album, we were also constantly pushing and challenging each other to lift it to next level.”

Beckett announced his signing to Upstate NY-based independent label Equal Vision Records in February 2013. The label’s current roster includes Say Anything, The Dear Hunter, Saves The Day, Eisley, and more; With an equally impressive alumni roster that includes the likes of Coheed & Cambria and Circa Survive. “I’ve been a fan of EVR and its roster since I was listening to The Stryder and Saves the Day in high school,” Beckett shares. “After our very first conversation, I knew EVR was a perfect fit for me. I was able to make the exact record that I wanted to make.”

Genuine & Counterfeit embraces Beckett’s expansive vocal range, pop sensibilities, quirky yet soothingly hypnotic melodies and distinctive narrative lyrical twists; Offering his most diverse stylings and personal material to date. Genuine & Counterfeit also features guest vocal appearances from Say Anything’s Max Bemis and Mayday Parade’s Derek Sanders.

As a solo artist, and with The Academy Is…, Beckett has toured with the likes of KISS, Fall Out Boy, Motion City Soundtrack, Cobra Starship, Plain White T’s, Mayday Parade and more. Though his early solo tours have focused on an intimate, stripped down set – fans can expect future tours to expand greatly over time into a full band, in-your-face experience with Beckett handing off the guitar and taking over the stage with his signature charismatic and mesmerizing stage presence as a frontman. Becke

tt has just wrapped up the 2013 Vans Warped Tour, where he performed on the Acoustic Basement Stage with fellow tour veterans Vinnie Caruana (I Am The Avalanche/Movielife), Craig Owens (Chiodos), Ace Enders (The Early November) and more. He will next head to Australia to tour alongside Anberlin and The Maine, followed by two separate US tours this fall/winter, (one of which is yet to be announced).