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The Principles of a Protagonist Bundle
Chicago native Willis Earl Beal came from humble musical beginnings- he began as a street performer of sorts that was prone to leaving homemade novels, artwork and CD-Rs across America to promote his work, suggesting a desire to be heard. Thereafter, he relocated to Albuquerque, NM where he continued his practice of 'gifting' as he simultaneously recorded a set of songs on a discarded karaoke machine that would become Acousmatic Sorcery, his Hot Charity/XL Recordings debut.
BitTorrent has collaborated with Willis Earl Beal to gift curious listeners with Principles of a Protagonist, the soundtrack to Beal's new short-animated film of the same name. The Bundle exemplifies Beal's desire to be heard on his own terms and demonstrates that- despite all the critical acclaim- his want of gifting music to the world has not changed.
Download the Principles of a Protagonist Bundle and get
- The Principles of a Protagonist soundtrack
- Album Art
- The Principles of a Protagonist tour flier
About Willis Earl Beal
To say that 27-year-old Willis Earl Beal has lived a colourful life would be a serious understatement. The Chicago native will tell you that his life has been one of "monotony" - which it has at times - but stints in the army, an ongoing desire to be a superhero, bouts of serious illness and a stretch of sleeping rough in an unfamiliar desert town would suggest otherwise. As an outsider artist, Beal's career always existed just beyond his imagination, with a history of leaving homemade novels, artwork and CD-Rs across America to promote his work, suggesting a desperate desire to be heard. This practice of "gifting" - matched with a natural booming voice, rich with range and a talent for penning raw, beautiful melodies - led to early features in both Found and the Chicago Reader that changed his life's course. Beal's creativity caught the attention of Hot Charity / XL Recordings who released Acousmatic Sorcery in March, 2012 - an 11 song set Beal wrote and recorded on a discarded karaoke machine while living in Albuquerque, NM.
Since the release of Acousmatic Sorcery, Willis Earl Beal has toured the world, performing in clubs and festivals with nothing more than his guitar and back-up tape machine to support him. Delivering soul baring performances night after night, Beal has been lauded for not only his vocal mastery but the intensity with which he performs. And, even though his following has grown and the broadsheets have backed him, his desire to be heard on his own terms has not changed - which is why he's collaborating with BitTorrent to continue his practice of "gifting" music to the world for the curious to discover.
About Principles of a Protagonist
Originally written in the summer of 2010, amidst heartbreak and unemployment, Willis Earl Beal's Principles of a Protagonist novella was first released as a photocopied booklet that Beal distributed throughout Chicago. The story - as biographical as it is fantastical - loosely revolves around a Beal-like protagonist that wanders through Chicago, waiting for the apocalypse to come.
Given a second life as an integrated 48 page supplement to Beal's 2012 debut album Acousmatic Sorcery on Hot Charity / XL Recordings, the novella has now been turned into a short-animated film comprised of new, highly detailed illustrations created by Beal and re-recorded songs from Acousmatic Sorcery which serve as the film's soundtrack. Principles of a Protagonist will be viewable on Beal's website this October.