Be (band)

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BE
Image:CompositePhoto02b.jpg Left to right: Mark Summerlin, Talley Summerlin, Paul Summerlin, Duke Boyne
Background information
Origin	Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA
Genre(s)	Alternative rock, Electronic music, Pop rock, Art rock, Experimental
Years active	1989 – 2003
Label(s)	Brother Yorick Records
Members
Duke Boyne Mark Summerlin Paul Summerlin Talley Summerlin
Former members
Doug Scott

BE: the three Summerlin brothers and Duke Boyne grew up together in Houma, Louisiana, where they sang in church choirs, played in school bands and helped each other buy their first garage-sale instruments.

After several years (1989-2001) as central figures in a thriving live music scene in the college town of Fayetteville, Arkansas, BE relocated to Dallas, Texas, where they finished recording Thistupidream and continued to write and perform new material, eventually disbanding in 2003. During their career, BE released five albums under the Brother Yorick Records label.

BE's music has been featured in places as varied as: - CBS's The Young and the Restless (the nation's number one daytime drama) - "Woofer!!," a popular Japanese compilation series released by Universal Records and Asian pop star, Hide. - Direct TV's Music Choice Unsigned, a biography and music channel broadcasting across North America and Europe

BE's website www.besongs.com (now defunct), designed by drummer Duke Boyne, also garnered the band recent attention at Austin's SXSW where it was a finalist in the conference's prestigious 2001 Web Awards.

[edit] The Sound

The reluctant idealists of BE fully realize their own Dark-Hope, Pop/Rock voice with Thistupidream, an album whose genre-mutating sound veers from 70's American Rock to Millennial Brit-Pop. Imagine Peter Buck (R.E.M.) and Peter Gabriel uniting to co-produce a project by the Finn brothers (Crowded House, Split Enz), the Greenwood brothers (Radiohead) and the Van Halen brothers and you approximate the integration BE achieves with this collection of songs. Simultaneously filing Thistupidream under Modern Rock, Alternative Rock, AOR and AAA would be a good start toward categorizing BE.

[edit] Thistupidream

Thistupidream is both familiar and elusive - like that neighbor you recognize but can't quite place when seen out of context. Most Pop/Rock fans will immediately engage the surface simplicity of "Confession" and "Goodnight, Goodnight," while others will enjoy excavating the layers of "The Corporal's Daughter," "This is the Morning I'll Be Gone" and the title track. Some will relish strapping themselves in for the haunting experimental rides of "Raincoat" and "Space Rat."

While BE did not originally set out to create a concept album, these songs are unified by the persistence of the dreams that inhabit them. They hinge together with a dream-logic – a structure loosely anchored in that chaotic void where sleeping, dreaming and waking collide and conjoin. In that shifting place, the songs wrestle with the murky, archetypal voyage from idealistic naivete – through disillusionment, bitterness and grief – to wisdom.

Using a portable studio and borrowed equipment, guitarist Mark Summerlin produced and engineered Thistupidream in the homes of band members and friends over a period of nearly three years. Some tracks were recorded in a single take ("On the Last Day I Was Happy," "Raincoat" and "Space Rat") while others lent themselves to prolonged seasoning until they felt complete ("The Corporal's Daughter" and "Confession").

[edit] Press

“ONE OF THE HARDEST-WORKING AND ORIGINAL ACTS IN THE STATE…I cannot begin to express how impressed I am with the new album, ‘Avalanche,’…they are without question a band to be reckoned with.” Nightflying Entertainment Guide, Little Rock, AR

“If this band were based in Los Angeles or New York, the trades would be shouting their praises from the mountaintops. As it is, all they have going for them is a manic following in the southern United States and probably the single most interesting independent release to come through our doors in the last several months…Suffice it to say, if you enjoy tight, insightful rock with inspired vocal work and thought-provoking lyrics – you’d be a complete fool to pass this one up. BEcome BEheaded!” Independent Music Guide

“This group specializes in tight performances and insightful rock. They’ve been together many years and it shows. The harmony and progressive style that the experience brings is both soothing and invigorating at the same time.” Juice Magazine

“I haven’t heard this many good songs in one recording from many bands, let alone from some popular bands’ entire album history…I would definitely keep a watch out for BE.” Abstrax Magazine

“Guaranteed to be a show not to miss…BE started hot, and now, they are on fire…BE is an act that must be checked out.” Infinity Press, Tulsa, OK

“Besides sounding polished and clean, BE has an organic sound. This is the only band any of the members have ever been in, and they play together with a natural ease – and without MTV pretensions.” New Orleans Times Picayune

“BE PUTS ON A HELL OF A SHOW…the songs are carefully crafted, exploratory and intelligent, engaging and energetic…Their experience is evident in their sophisticated arrangements and handling of a crowd. I have seldom seen a ‘bar band’ combine professionalism with just enjoying themselves as well as BE…their songs could easily get the rest of the country BEheaded.” The Arkansas Traveler

“BE’S LATEST RELEASE IS KILLER MUSIC…The only thing better is catching them live.” Fayetteville Free Weekly

“BE WORTHY OF NATIONAL ATTENTION…Call it a coherent attempt to redefine rock. Call it a no-frills approach to forging a musical style that blends intricate harmonies with intelligent messages. You might even prefer to call it rock’n’roll. Whatever you call it, the formula for the success of the Fayetteville-based band BE works…BE looks to discover an element of individualistic vitality that so many bands fall short of…In concert and on record, they fill the air with a full, vibrant and precise sound…BE creates a diverse and pleasing atomosphere.” The Northwest Arkansas Times

“BE alternately cranks and induces thought. Think of it as thinking man’s rock…intellectual modern rock.” The Morning News, Arkansas

“The venue is packed and fans are stacked SRO from the front of the stage to the back of the room. The crowd is moving rhythmically to the music and mouthing the lyrics, which they know well. The lyrics are thought-provoking, intelligent, and often introspective. The music is tight, melodic, and at once, atmospheric and energetic. The players work the crowd and blend together well, showcasing a visually theatrical sensibility with a unique style of rock…they are Fayetteville’s own BE.” Nightflying Entertainment Guide, Little Rock, AR