Interview: William Beckett
We originally had planned to see William Beckett on tour with The Rocket Summer earlier this month, but due to Hurricane Sandy, that show was cancelled. So instead of pictures or videos of that show, we caught up with him via email to ask him questions about his brand new EP and his future plans! Check out the interview below!
It’s been over a year since the split of The Academy Is…, what differences have you noticed between performing/traveling solo vs in a band?
Well, there are less arguments, I’ll tell you that. Ha! When I began playing shows at seventeen and eighteen I would perform solo, so in a lot of way playing solo is very comfortable for me. I’ve made some lifelong friends this year simply by interacting with other bands on the road more often.
You recently were a part if a Hurricane Sandy benefit show. How did it go and how was the turnout?
It was a greet experience to be able to help out, even in the smallest way. What was crazy about it was that night a blizzard swept through the area, so a lot of people on twitter and Facebook were stuck at home in the area and couldn’t make it out. We made the best of it though, playing over 2 hours, switching off songs with The Classic Crime, and we ended up raising over 1k.
The Academy Is(@theacademyis) has called it quits.
Below is the statement written on the guys’ website:
After nine years and three albums, The Academy Is… have decided to go our separate ways. We began in 2003 as three young friends in the suburbs of Chicago, with dreams of creating music that meant something to us. Dreams of leaving those suburbs behind and seeing all of the beautiful things that this world has to offer.
It is now 2011 and we look back at the records we’ve made, the shows we’ve played, the places we’ve been.
The people we’ve met.
The Academy Is… has made its mark.
We celebrate the experiences of our past, as we welcome what lies ahead.
While we have never managed to make things easy on ourselves, it is safe to say that we have always found common ground in our love of music.
And though we may not be together, you can look forward to hearing new music from each of us.
The music we have made together is our gift to you. From this point on, The Academy Is… belongs to you. Feel free to listen. Listen as loud as you’d like.
Yours,
The Academy Is…
William Beckett took to his tumblr to leave a statement about the split and what’s to come. You can read the post by clicking here.
whoistonyblack:
So one of my all time favorite bands, and one of the most influential bands of my time, broke up today, and I’m currently in shock. I’m devastated! The Academy Is…, for the longest time, have been a group of guys who I have looked up to in so many ways! I’m just so disappointed that they’re another band on the growing list of bands I’ll never get to see live.
- fueled by ramen
- 15th anniversary
- compilation
- tracklisting
- no food
- no sleep
- just records
- paramore
- gym class heroes
- sublime with rome
- cobra starship
- travie mccoy
- Panic! at the Disco
- The Academy Is...
- a rocket to the moon
- the impossibles
- Cute Is What We Aim For
- the stereo
- fall out boy
- the cab
- this providence
- the hush sound
NEW: Fueled By Ramen(@fueledbyramen) 15th Anniversary Compilation Tracklisting.
1. Paramore: Misery Business
2. Gym Class Heroes: Cupid’s Chokehold
3: Sublime With Rome: Murdera
4. Cobra Starship: Guilty Pleasure
5. Travie McCoy: Billionaire
6. Panic! At The Disco: I Write Sins Not Tragedies
7. The Academy Is…: Checkmarks
8. A Rocket To The Moon: Like We Used To
9. The Impossibles: Connecticut
10. Cute Is What We Aim For: There’s A Class For This
11. The Stereo: New Tokyo Is Calling
12. Fall Out Boy: Grand Theft Autumn / Where Is Your Boy
13. The Cab: Bounce
14. This Providence: My Beautiful Rescue
15. The Hush Sound: Wine Red
The compilation will be released on iTunes on August 23rd for $7.99. It will only be available for a limited time.
fueledbyramen:
The Academy Is…: Back To School Sale 2011
William from The Academy Is… was nice enough to share with you the secret to making learning fun: turn what you have to learn in to a song! For example, here’s an easy way to learn the names of all 50 United States in alphabetical order.
And check out fueledbyramen.com later today for another video from This Providence.
