The Academy Is... rocks Lewis
Carlo Calma & Jenny Prokop
Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: Tempo
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The Academy Is… front man, William Beckett, just finished shooting a round of hoops at the Fieldhouse before sitting down and chatting with "The Flyer."
Beckett is no stranger to Chicago and its surrounding suburbs, being an alum of Barrington High School alongside bass player Adam Siska, so coming back home to Chicago was something Beckett felt great about.
"It's great to be back home especially after we've been on tour for so long," said Beckett. "We just got back from the U.K. and a show in Belgium as well."
In terms of coming to Lewis, Beckett appreciated the proximity of it being close to home, and felt that playing for a college crowd was fitting considering some of the material that they write as a group.
"Oh, it's great! It's a short drive to drive home after the show, it's great," said Beckett. "To play for people that are a little older and going through a lot of life changes [where] a lot of decisions are going to be made in your lives, that's exactly what we talk about in our music so I think that it's the perfect environment."
The boys have toured at various venues across the world, recently performing at Europe, but for Beckett, playing for fans at Chile was a memorable experience.
"We played at a festival at Santiago and it was incredible," said Beckett. "It's rewarding in a different kind of way than it is here because we've toured so much in the United States. A lot goes into it and we have to sacrifice a lot of time away from home in order to be there so it's sort of a double-edged sword. Of course we'd like to have some time at home, but to be able to play for people in foreign countries and for them to enjoy it, and to make their experience a memorable one, it's a good feeling."
For Beckett, the effort in writing material is inspired by his musical and lyrical influences, like Bright Eyes front man, Conor Oberst's work, and even films and literary works by Charles Bukowski provide inspiration.
"I consider myself a lyricist before a singer, before a performer, although I enjoy singing, the show," said Beckett. "But at the same time, that's when I get most joy out of lyrics and I think [what] our fan base enjoys, especially those that look a little bit more deeper into what these songs mean and are interested in writing themselves."
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