Music
Press
...He plays guitar with an intensity similar to Ryan Adams, and his voice has a propensity toward Rob Thomas from Matchbox Twenty. There is a longing in Justin’s lyrics as he speaks of unrequited love, dealing with hurt and trying to find religion....We predict that Justin Beckler will be seeing a lot of crowded rooms filled with fans when he plays club dates.
- Album Review
Wake Up Process, the debut CD from this Orlando-based songwriter is a tremendous accomplishment for an unsigned artist. ...It's a minor DIY masterpiece of lush and brainy indy-pop.
A thick and meticulously arranged effort, it takes his songs – primarily based around his acoustic and electric guitar and percussion (both real and sampled) – and fleshes them out with special guest Amy Steinberg’s keyboard work and copious amounts of vocal overdubs. The result recalls both Kurt Ralske’s Ultra Vivid Scene and vintage Primal Scream as much as it does The Smashing Pumpkins and early ‘90s U2.
Like Peter Gabriel, PJ Harvey, and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, Beckler hangs out in vocal spaces most singers don’t even have the nerve to visit. Whether he can pull that off live is another matter, but it’s probably worth showing up to find out.
People who work this hard at their art deserve to be seen and heard. - Jim Reed
Let your soul be stirred by the haunting initiation of "Free My Hands", in which Justin Beckler's full-length release, Wake Up Process, a mesmerizing composition to light up the tone of this CD. "Where I Belong" speaks to the hearts of the lost and confused, as Beckler's sings, "This is where I belong, theirs is where I want to be, I can only see where I cannot touch". The instrumental work is riveting, with brilliant touches of the acoustic and electric guitars fitting a dark and ethereal setting. "Alone Again" has a beat and sound like some of my favorite Phil Collins music for some strange reason. Yet the song has a powerful resonance that holds the listener and can be considered timeless. The romance of his words can be deeply felt in the words, "I saw you in the starry sky/and I don't remember how I could find you in my sleep/and I've since forgotten when I'm a stranger in my skin/Alone again". Just when you feel you can't ask for more, Beckler delivers a resounding and beautifully effective bridge, showing the true strength of his songwriting. Each song is fully fleshed, as track four, "Gimme Your Love" gives the feel of 90's alternative rock. "Lost in the Desert" is full of shape and color, with mysterious vocal impressions and haunting musical textures. This reviewer doesn't know anybody who genuinely loves cutting edge rock will be even halfway disappointed while experiencing this record. We should be hearing more from this talent soon. The production value is stellar and artwork and packaging respectable. Overall, this is quite an achievement. (self-released)
- Wake Up Process Review
..Justin Beckler has self produced an impressive, ambitious, and eclectic selection of songs on his debut CD...
- Tampa, Fl
He may not be aware, or he may not want to come out and admit it, but on his Orlando Florida's Justin Beckler builds his songs to closely resemble gospel music's soaring dynamics. This ain't church music by any stretch of the imagination but it certainly lifts. And Beckler's hazy phrasing and raspy voice is the perfect treatment for this sort of music. A fuller more muscular band would wreck these pretty tunes. Starting with a simple acoustic base, Beckler invites listeners into a world of self-discovery and evaluation.... - Frank De Blase
Discography
Oh! My Troubled Mind (2006)
Wake Up Process (2004)
Crowded Rooms (2002)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
As a singer, songwriter, producer and performer, Justin Beckler has been one of the more prolific new artists to emerge in recent years. His writing explodes with an edgy originality combining American roots music with a lyrical landscape of timeless archetypes and universal spiritual themes.
As a former film student and screenwriter, Beckler’s instincts of song structure and musical dynamics are well rooted. Hailed as a guitar prodigy, Justin’s rhythmic and frenetic style of playing matched by upliftingly passionate vocal performances have mesmerized audiences throughout the country.
Since leaving his film career behind Beckler has been hit with a constant barrage of critical praise and growing audiences.
Justin Beckler is currently touring all over the southeast and has become a fixed name on the national acoustic circuit. With a steadily increasing fan base, he shows no sign of slowing down. In spring 2002, Justin took time off from his own career to produce and engineer Orlando based songwriter Amy Steinberg’s critically acclaimed album ‘Raw Material from the Ethereal’. His self produced debut, ‘Crowded Rooms’, is a work of commitment and love; rock n roll and introspection.
With his newest album, ‘Wake Up Process’, the steady growth of his unique sound in the landscape of music is unmistakable. It is an outstanding achievement of passionate lyrics and textured musical arrangement delivered straight from the heart.
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