So who’s Lil Beck? And what’s he been doin lately? The LB’s first appearance on the L.A. indie rock scene came as frontman of the quirky pop trio Carman 8. The C8ers released the self-produced "Carman 8 Is Fucked Up & Shitty" (2004) before "personal differences" torpedoed the group. Since then the LB's been in and outta hospitals thanx to his autoimmune system. And in 2005, he signed w/ Chicago's NeedleDrop Records. He's been crankin' out albums fer 'em left and right ever since. Check out his debut on NeedleDrop, "From Shit to Champagne" (2006).
Some reviews:
"Lil Beck: 'From Shit to Champagne' (Needledrop 2006)
Imagine a singer-songwriter who actually offers something exciting in the turgid world of Jose Gonzalez and James Blunt, otherwise known as Starbucks soul-destroying sounds for the masses. An antidote to mediocrity comes straight from L.A in the form of Lo-Fi rock maestro Lil Beck. Lil Beck's vocals flow like a trashier Lou Reed, stumbling around outside a midnight dive for a few rounds of fisticuffs with some whiskey soaked hoodlum. Lil Beck swears and at times slurs his way through 13 sleaze anthems. Hell! the guy owes a lot to his influences but at least this sounds real and visceral, who else can combine a style the mirrors Reed, Frank Black and Mick Jagger over jerky Country folk tinged guitar licks."
--Richard Wink, Undergroundwindow.com
"Lil Beck is the former frontman of Carman 8. 'From Shit To Champagne' is his recent solo effort on NeedleDrop Records.
I didn’t know what to think when I first looked at the cover of this cd. There’s a picture of a guy (assuming Lil Beck) who gives off the appearance of being a strung-out and unbathed mountain man. Hey, you know how first impressions are. They aren't fair, but they are what they are. The album title ‘From Shit To Champagne’ in conjunction with this picture made me laugh out loud. I popped the cd in and 25 seconds into the first song, ‘Fight Song’, I was floored. It wasn’t at all what I expected. When you mix the vocals & stylings of the Violent Femmes (in the early days when they had a great sense of humor) and James McMurtry (remember 'Paint By Numbers'?), and a teensy bit of Lou Reed and Frank Black, you get Lil Beck. How can that be bad? It can’t..."
--Babbleandbeat.com
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