“Freedom.”
“Independence.”
“No more compromises.”

These are promises made every day by artists leaving bands, by artists embarking on solo careers, and by artists abandoning the major label way of life. These were promises made by William Beckett upon the disbanding of The Academy Is… in 2011. These were promises emphasized, emboldened and renewed as he parted ways with Atlantic Records shortly thereafter. These were promises made to his fans, his family, and himself.

He could have been boring. He could have fallen back on TAI’s devoted fan-base. He could have taken the easy path. Instead, he chose to climb the mountain. William did it his way, just as he promised, by releasing three EPs (twelve songs total) over seven months in 2012 on his very own YIKE Records label.

Chronicling the rise and fall of an epic relationship (a story that, as recent history shows, William is all too familiar with) the trilogy of EPs— Walk the Talk, Winds Will Change, and the forthcoming What Will Be (Out Oct 30th 2012)— jettison the old TAI pop-punk sound. Retaining only Beckett’s signature vocals and crafty, tattooable lyrics over electro-pop and jaunty beats. As Alternative Press describes it: “Beckett’s new music cuts a swath through contemporary pop trends, retro-rock party anthems and thoughtful balladry. Fortunately, he stamps his persona on all of these idioms with aplomb, resulting in his comfort zone growing a few more acres.” (altpress.com, Walk the Talk EP review, April 17th 2012)

Sticking to his oaths of freedom, independence, and refusing to compromise has served William well. His first single, “Compromising Me”, rocketed to the top of the iTunes charts, cracking the top 20 and leading all independently released tracks. In the following months, the EPs Walk the Talk and Winds Will Change followed the same meteoric rise.

Bolstered by the success of his vision, rest was never an option. In between perpetually writing and recording new tracks, William took an unconventional approach to touring. First, he embarked on a solo headlining tour across the U.S. taking with him only his trusty acoustic guitar (an instrument that is now as much a part of him as his voice) and a few digitally- stored studio tracks (his "band in a box"). Following completion of the Spring 2012 tour, he crossed the Pacific as support on a tour of Asia and returned to continue performing almost weekly at different colleges around the U.S. Add to that a packed schedule of private parties as well as dozens of groundbreaking StageIt.com live streaming performances and hardly three days pass when William isn’t playing live.

William has embraced modern connectivity like the StageIt.com performances, an active blog, a YouTube page and Twitter feed, and combined it with traditional, real-world bonding experiences like countless live, intimate performances and a burgeoning fan community (The William Beckett Society). Constant contact keeps him grounded, approachable and personally invested in his fans. This personal relationship continues to fuel William’s promise to never compromise his vision or his dedication. His fans keep him honest and he loves them for that.

William Beckett has already walked the talk. He’s revealed the changing winds. Now, with more domestic and international tours planned through 2013, and preliminary work already begun on a full-length album, William Beckett is ready to show us What Will Be.

Written by Nathan Wrann


Stages and Stereos is a rock band from Tallahassee, Florida.

Members
Ian Edge - Bass
Daniel Lancaster – Lead Vocals
Zach Schweizer - Guitar
Donnie Webb – Drums

Formation and Self-Titled EP (2009)
Stages and Stereos formed in 2007 from members of Tallahassee bands, We are Action and Save it for Sunrise. Original members include Daniel Lancaster, Ian Edge, Jordan Sasser, Austin Moore, and Colby Dodson. Stages and Stereos released their self-titled debut EP in January 27, 2009. This EP was recorded with Rucker Sasser on drums, following the departure of Colby Dodson.

Maybe We’ll Make it After All EP (2009–2010)
Stages and Stereos quickly followed up the release of their self-titled EP with “Maybe We’ll Make it After All, released on March 17, 2009. This EP featured new guitarist, Bryan Cathey on guitar, replacing Austin Moore. Cathey was formerly a member of Gainesville, Florida band, “Slowmotion Skyrocket.” The title track of this EP features Erin Lancaster of “A Mayfield Affair.” A music video for the song “Dear You, Love Me” was released on November, 25th 2010 and has been viewed over 200,000 times on YouTube with only independent support from the band. Shortly after the release of this music video, members Jordan and Rucker Sasser left the band for personal reasons. Colby Dodson returned on drums and longtime friend Jordan Faircloth was recruited on guitar. 

Songs You Will Love EP (2010)
On 16 January, 2010, Stages and Stereos released their third EP; titled, “Songs You Will Love.” A music video was recorded for the song, “Diamond all the Way,” but the band went into hiatus before the release of the video. Members went their separate ways for two years. Daniel Lancaster continued his musical passion as vocalist for bands, “Select Start,” and “The Weathers.”

During the bands hiatus, bassist Ian Edge enlisted in the U.S. Army as a combat medic and was deployed to Afghanistan in March of 2011. Ian was critically wounded by an I.E.D. (improvised explosive device) while deployed, losing his right leg at knee level. Daniel Lancaster and Austin Moore were quick to visit Ian during his recovery. Once Ian returned home from recovery, talk of Stages and Stereos picking up where they left off quickly began. Daniel Lancaster, Ian Edge, and Austin Moore began looking for a drummer and second guitarist to round out the lineup. Donnie Webb and Zach Schwiezer, both formerly of Jacksonville, Florida band, “The Sophomore Attempt,” joined the band. Stages and Stereos returned to the studio in July of 2012 and recorded the “Anchorless” EP, released October 30th, 2012. “Anchorless” debuted at number 24 at on iTunes Alternative Charts. The band began touring again in November of 2012 with Go Radio and Paradise Fears on Go Radio’s “Go to Hell” tour, and followed that tour up in January of 2013 with their headlining cd release tour, the “Anchorless Tour.” 

Small Town Favorites (2013) 
Stages and Stereos recorded their fifth record with multi-platinum producers Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount of ZK Productions in May 2013. The five song EP is currently being mastered by Michael Fossenkemper of Turtle Tone Studio. The buzz surrounding the new album has produced incredible interest in the band which has included several label inquiries and a coveted spot on the 2013 Glamour Kills Tour with Mayday Parade, Man Overboard and Cartel.

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