The last time I entered a coffee house I took a little extra time to soak up the experience. Looking around the crowded shop I thought about all the different things that drew in customers: excellent coffee, spectacular tea, clever gifts, art on the walls, and a general indescribable mystic. While in line I paid attention to the orders being placed and realized that no two orders were the same: cappuccino no-froth, double soy latte - half decaf, hot tea poured over ice. Customers knew exactly what they wanted; there were no questions about that. Suddenly it struck me; this one coffee shop is satisfying several genres of experience to the public. They do not stop at only making coffee and tea, but exercise the senses with great music, puzzles, newspapers, and even the aphrodijiac of chocolate. The experience jarred my memory into thinking about one band that touches on the same number of genres, reaches so many senses, and leaves us full of energy and wanting more like a well pressed espresso. That band is Beck.
Beck Hensen, founder (singer, songwriter, etc.) of Beck, is the descendant of a long list of talented individuals: Mother - actress, father - musician, grandfather -artist, and grandmother - actress, model and poet. He grew up with his mother in LA, moved to New York when he was 16 and spent time visiting grandparents in Kansas and Europe. Listening to Beck's music is like looking at a musical reflection about his life. It's not that he tells stories through his lyrics, but more so in the fact that he expresses culture through music diversity. His diverse music style tends to shake things up in the genre pool. What kind of music does he play: indie rock, bluegrass, alternative rock, punk? Yes.
Looking at Beck's baby face you would probably not think that he could possibly be old enough to come up with music of such great complexity. Don't let the baby face fool you; his music is anything but immature. Beck started his career by playing at his mothers coffee house in LA. He has come a long way from those days; however, his music is still welcome in coffee houses all over, and he even has tracks on Hear Music CD's, which are coffee house favorites.
Should you happen to be one of those people at the coffee shop that would be completely satisfied with any of the orders that preceded you in line: iced coffee, latte, espresso, tea - hot or cold, then you definitely will need to give Beck a listen. If you're strictly a "non-fat latte, not an ounce of foam" kind of person, then have no fear, there really is a little Beck for everyone.
.........................................................................................................