Howie Beck

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Howie Beck is a Canadian singer-songwriter based in Toronto. His debut album, 1997's Pop and Crash, was recorded at home while Beck recovered from a nasty bout of mononucleosis. It's not hard to imagine that his quiet, introspective vocals and acoustic guitar strumming were influenced by those circumstances.

Beck began to attract attention outside Canada with 1999's Hollow, a more confident effort that mixed some uptempo tracks with his usual quieter tunes. Around this time, some of Beck's songs made surprise appearances in prime-time TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Felicity. Picked up by the independent record label Easy!Tiger, Hollow was released in Europe nearly two years after its Canadian release, and regular international tours soon followed.

Beck regularly trades guest appearances, in recording sessions and onstage, with other Canadian artists such as Sarah Harmer, Hayden, Leslie Feist, Jason Collett and Ed Harcourt. Beck is also an accomplished drummer, and briefly played drums for the well-loved Bourbon Tabernacle Choir in the mid-nineties.

After a long break from the music industry, partly triggered by September 11, Beck finally released his third, self-titled album in Canada in 2004 to very positive reviews. The album was again released in 2006 in the UK, Europe and the USA to critical acclaim.

Howie Beck is touring with Josh Rouse during spring 2006 in Europe.