Travel Profile: Bryce Beckley of Heartist
By Christopher Remmers | Published on July 31, 2015
Travel Profile: Bryce Beckley of Heartist
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Vocalist Bryce Beckley of Heartist, helped form the Southern Californian band in 2011 along with Matt Marquez and Tim Koch, followed by Robby DeVito joining soon after. Their debut EP “Nothing You Didn’t Deserve” released in 2012, with their full-length “Feeding Fiction” studio album dropping in 2014.

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Read the interview highlights below, or listen to SCP Radio’s full-length podcast:

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Chris Remmers: Coming from Southern California, what are some of the best things to see and do when someone is in town for the first time?

Bryce Beckley: I would say that there are some really spectacular beaches in the Laguna area. Halfway between Orange County and San Diego everything [becomes] really nice. Obviously In-N-Out [Burger] is my favorite place on the planet. It’s definitely the high selling point for me. I’m a big fan of the Oregon area and the Northwest. I like tress and what not so I’m always drawn to areas like that since I’ve grown up in a desert all my life.

Travel Profile: Bryce Beckley of HeartistPhoto courtesy | Andrew E. Larsen

CR: Have you ever been to any of the California National Parks to do a little hiking, camping or things of that nature?

BB: We actually went through the redwoods a couple tours ago which was really fun. We had three days off between Portland and home. We decided to take the Pacific Coast Highway all the way down, following the coast the entire way. It was absolutely beautiful. It was actually, at this point, about a year ago, right before our album came out. So we pretty much stopped at the redwoods, and was lucky enough to do a bit of ghost hunting up in the Astoria area near Portland.

CR: Did you say ghost hunting?! Where exactly did you go?

BB: We went to Astoria in Oregon, which was one of the first places that was founded on the west coast. The house where the Goonies was filmed is still standing there today — anyone can go see it. I have never seen the Goonies, which I guess is pretty horrible to say. We have actually been to Astoria before and we try to go there pretty often. With Tim, our guitarist, we had a real paranormal experience. We had heard a ghost and no one has really believed us, but it was the first time we both had a real paranormal experience.


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CR: I’m absolutely intrigued by that story, because I love paranormal shows and talk! Now, out of all the cities you have preformed in, are there any that stand out in terms of crowd atmosphere? Was that inline with the cities nightlife when you guys went out?

BB: I guess New York is kind of like that. I am not really a fan of the big city atmosphere so much. Times we’re in a place like New York or Chicago, anything big like that, I normally don’t make a huge effort to go out. Sometimes I’ll walk around the city. I feel like New York is a big one, because New York is New York. I enjoy seeing the different cultures when I get the chance. Different venues in different cities have very different crowds. Some places the crowds just don’t move, you kinda judge it by that.

CR: How would you say, after doing your fair share of traveling, nine tours now, music and travel fit together?

BB: They go hand-in-hand for me. I didn’t really do a ton of traveling as a kid. I would end up going back east with my dad, because that’s where our family lived. I’m kind of used to that area. I think it’s definitely opened up my eyes to things around the world. We got to go to places in Europe and the [United Kingdom] — just amazing. It’s crazy to see how life can be so similar across an ocean.

Travel Profile: Bryce Beckley of HeartistPhoto courtesy | Giuseppe Milo

CR: What was the atmosphere like when you guys were playing over in the UK rocking out?

BB: We were playing with crowds of dudes who had beards. Everyone had beers at all times. I remember I was playing a show and I was so not used to the atmosphere because it’s just so different. The crowds kind of take in the music so differently in Europe. They just kind of absorb it. You could tell they appreciate it in a way that’s more visceral.

CR: What about when you’re creating music, does traveling to new environments play a roll in your creative process?

BB: You know what actually not yet. I haven’t really written or done anything based off my experience traveling. I think that may be something I have to dip into. I just have so much more experience with it now.

CR: Is it safe to assume that going around the world and seeing other cultures is important to you at this point in your career?

BB: Yes definitely, it’s part of my life. If I get home and I’m bored not doing anything, I’ll miss being on the road.

Travel Profile: Bryce Beckley of HeartistPhoto courtesy | Faungg

CR: Is there any time specifically where you were culture shocked?

BB: Definitely our first tour to Europe; we landed in Amsterdam. It was my first time out of the country, aside from Mexico or a vacation island. I’d never been that far away from home before. Amsterdam was just an amazing experience.

CR: Do you have a bucket list? What are three places you’ve not been, but want to go?

BB: Australia is definitely one of them — Australia and New Zealand. There’s specifically a photo that everyone gets when they play at Soundwave. It’s with this koala. I just have to get this koala picture. It’s an achievement. I absolutely have to get the picture and put it on Instagram. Japan is another one. I feel like I would want to go somewhere really snowy like Greenland too.

Travel Profile: Bryce Beckley of HeartistPhoto courtesy | Tom Hall

CR: When you are in search of a personal getaway what’s the setting? A beach or an urban environment?

BB: I would say definitely more of a foresty feel. I would love to go out and just get lost in the woods.

CR: Lastly, when’s the next big trip? What for?

BB: I think that we’re going to be announcing a tour sometime soon — a full [United States] tour. Next year we’re looking to go to Europe, which would be awesome. I’m hoping we could swing it. I feel like the first time we went it was such a blur, everything was so different and happening so fast. It would be a nice place to revisit.

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For more on Heartist visit their website:

Travel Profile: Bryce Beckley of Heartist

About The Writer
Christopher Remmers

By: Christopher Remmers | Published on July 31, 2015

   
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