William Beckett (born February 11, 1985) is an American musician who is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the Chicago-based rock band The Academy Is..., who signed to Atlantic Records/Fueled by Ramen/Decaydance Records. While still in high school in 2003, Beckett and guitaristMike Carden came together from rival bands in Chicago to form The Academy Is...[1] In addition to founding the band, Beckett and Carden are credited as the primary songwriters.[2] A third core member of the band was Adam T. Siska, Beckett's classmate and friend from Barrington High School.[3]
In 2007, Alex Davies from the BBC described Beckett as a mix of Adam Lazzara and Prince, labeling him "utterly captivating".[4]
The Academy Is... reunited at Riot Fest 2015 in the fall of 2015 in Chicago.[3] Although Beckett had said the occasion would serve as a "farewell" show,[5] the band later had an additional final tour later in the year.
Music
Beckett started writing music for his own private pleasure because he did not like the material that was on the radio anymore. He said in an interview that his sister found him playing his songs in the basement and started joining him. She was his first audience and gave him her honest feedback on the material he wrote.
Prior to co-founding The Academy Is... with Mike Carden, Beckett performed in an acoustic band called Remember Maine,[6] releasing the album The Last Place You Look on LLR Recordings when he was 17 years old.[7]
After breaking up The Academy Is..., allegedly to start a solo music career (though other reasons such as internal strife within the band were hinted at[12]), he released first EP, Walk the Talk on April 17, 2012, with the single "Compromising Me". His second EP was announced on June 18, 2012, entitled Winds Will Change (produced by Matt Grabe), and was released July 17, 2012, and the main single "Great Night", being released on June 19, 2012. His third EP, What Will Be, was released October 30, 2012. In January 2013, William released a compilation of acoustic covers of his own music, titled The Pioneer Sessions.[13] In February 2013, William was signed to Equal Vision Records.[14] Later in 2013, it was announced that William's debut full-length album, titled Genuine and Counterfeit, would be released in August.[15] The first single off the album, "Benny & Joon", was released June 17, 2013.[16] The music video for the same was released July 31.[17]
William played the Acoustic Basement tent of the 2013 Van's Warped Tour, where he played not only "Benny & Joon", but much of his solo discography and a few The Academy Is... songs.[18]
The eagerly anticipated Genuine and Counterfeit was released August 20, 2013,[13] though he leaked it to Alternative Press five days prior.[19] It was met with a generally good reception from William's fans.
On April 16, 2009, Beckett posted the first chapter of the book he hopes to have published, entitled The Folding.[22]
Beckett announced via his blog on July 12, 2010 (the post has now been deleted and replaced with an update post)[23] that he would be starring in a short film based on Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher.
Beckett wrote the theme song for John Scalzi's novel, Lock In, released on August 28, 2014.
Personal life
In a November 2009 interview with Alternative Press, Beckett confirmed that he has a child.[24]
He has been married to Christine Bandy since May 2007.[25]
Beckett performed a DJ set at Emo Nite Day, a festival hosted by Emo Nite, in Los Angeles in December 2017.[26]