Two Feet

1) Two Feet
2) Carasala
3) Knew Seattle
4) Whiskey Dreams
5) Dirtborn
6) Bones
7) Morning Star
8) Brighton Lives
9) Nightingale
10) Post-Burial

Future BecAv album?

Even as I prepare to release Quiet War later this summer, the ideas never seem to stop coming. I recently got my hands on a cheap DIY recording setup and I've started demoing new songs. Plans for jams and collabs are brewing in the near future, and I feel that before I embark on the next leg of my musical journey, I should pull together a solo effort collection of music from the comfort of my bedroom. I'm going back to basics, using nothing but my computer, my own gear, and the ambiance of my room to create what may be the last solo album I'll release for a while. Life has kept me so busy as of late, and this return to my artistic roots is my way of getting back into the musical swing of things. Giving myself a goal and forcing myself to sit down and just write write write is exactly what I need as I approach a summer that is sure to be full of new experiences and new inspirations. I have 7 songs written, 4 of which have been demoed out on my computer. I'm aiming to have 10 songs total, and I'll throw it out to all of you lovely folks free of charge, of course. The working title to the collection is Two Feet. I'll throw out a few song titles as well: "Carasala," "Morning Star," "Knew Seattle," and "Untitled" have been demoed out so far.

As always, thanks for sticking with me and keeping up with all these updates. Quiet War is on its way, and many more exciting things are coming soon!

- Justin

New EP out this summer

Hey everyone. The next EP from Becoming Avalon, entitled QUIET WAR, will be digitally released this July on iTunes, BandCamp, and various other digital music distribution sites. These are our best songs yet, and we're very excited to finally, after over a year of writing, recording, and changing, share with all of you.

A physical release of QUIET WAR will follow in the near future. Anyone who buys QUIET WAR digitally will receive a free physical copy of the CD when it is released. We'll announce how to go about getting it later.

Thanks for all your support and love this past year.

- Justin, Dave, and Samantha

Track listing for QUIET WAR:

1. Young Lullabies
2. Wrong Love
3. Like a Ghost
4. Quiet War
5. Thieves
6. Lighters & Lottery Tickets (full band)

2/3/13 - Justin's thoughts on the new album

Hello all. With the new album Quiet War slowly approaching its finale, I feel that it is necessary to give a sort of backdrop and set the stage for what you're gonna hear later on, for nothing is written and nothing is said without a history of ideas, emotions, and events guiding the hands and mouths that project them. To know why I did what I've done so far may serve to broaden your perceptions and appreciations for what's to come. I'm sure that a few of you out there may have heard some of the new songs live, and while each has its own story to tell, the collective journey of Quiet War is a whole other story in of itself, and I feel that it is one worth mentioning and highlighting.

Everything from this point onward is my word, and just my word. Dave and Sam may have their own takes on the album and the creative process, and they deserve a post all their own, should they desire. These are my personal thoughts.

The title track on the album has a particular message, yes, but the title Quiet War in regards to the whole album says so much more. A lot of the songs written for Quiet War are about the internal struggles and issues that I've gone through in the time since the release of Keep Your Eyes North. Everything from heartache to family issues to stray thoughts in my head is covered in this album. Whereas Keep Your Eyes North was an album written for people and about other people, Quiet War is very autobiographical for me. Even with Dave and Sam joining the band and lending their voices and ideas to the latter end of the writing of this album, I am aware that my own voice and ideas overshadow a lot the album. Simply put, I feel that this was an album that I've needed to write for a long time.

I wrote a lot of sad and sappy songs back in the early days of Becoming Avalon, and it was with a young, brazen, and quite immature hand and heart that I did so. Quiet War, I feel, is both a return to form, with the personal and often painful stories laid out for you all to hear, as well as a mature retrospective on what's been happening in my life in the recent months. "Lots of changes" is the simplest way to put it. I've loved and lost, and miraculously loved again. I've had the foundations of my cloistered little world shaken, but not broken. I've seen and felt and thought a lot of things that I hope I don't experience any time soon. The story of Quiet War is a bit sad, a bit angry, a bit exhausted, and in some small corners even a little bit hopeful. But as a whole, it feels as if a great weight has been shoved carelessly off my back, and I've watched it roll with its own momentum away from me. Apart from me, but not invisible to me.

Dave once told me that loss was as much about repentance as it was about recognition. You can never rewrite or forget about what happened in the past, but you can carve out your future with the experience and wisdom gained from the scars of your history. I believe this is what Quiet War means to me. This is my way of recognizing the past, reconciling the past, and then, eventually, growing from the past. Quiet War is an expression of my history, but it is also a monument to my future.

I hope you all enjoy it when we finally release it. Much love.

- Justin

Update: 2/3/13

Hello everyone! Haven't really posted anything here in a couple of months, so here's the skinny on what's been going on so far.

Recently, we've been in contact with some people at a budding new musical community site called Stripped Radio (strippedradio.net). It's based out in LA, and looking to build a large community of independent artists. The main goals are to foster an ever-growing network of musicians and music lovers and give support and voice to the independent and local music scene, perhaps one day making it big in the viral video world and even breaking out into broadcast radio. It's only in the beginning stages, but we're excited for what new opportunities may come from Stripped Radio. More on this as things happen.

Our current full-length album project is still in the works, due to our individual schedules and our studio being relocated to Newbury Park. Hopefully we are able to get back in really soon, since we are on the verge of finishing writing and recording the new album. So far we have 6 songs recorded, and I'm hoping to have 2 more written and recorded for a total of 8 songs, making this a mini album. I feel that these are among the best songs I've written both as an individual and as a collaborative effort with Dave and Sam, and I can't wait to share them.

Also, we've finally settled on a title. The new album is going to be called Quiet War, after one of the tracks on the album.

There's a lot more I can say about the new album, which I will put into a separate post after I'm done writing this one.

Moving ahead, we're going to be doing a lot of brainstorming and collaborating once Quiet War is finished and released. It feels like this is a whole new band. More group efforts and ideas are to come. I personally can't wait to see what the three of us come up with next. It's like a new life has been breathed into Becoming Avalon. A new year for a new chapter, and I couldn't be more excited.

Cheers, and thanks for sticking around. We appreciate the love and support more than we can express in this little post.

UP NEXT: Justin's thoughts on Quiet War.

Love and best wishes always,

Justin, Dave, and Sam

New member of Becoming Avalon

Just a quick announcement: Samantha Hardisty, who joined us on back up vocals and percussion at our Guitar Merchant show last night, is now an official member of Becoming Avalon!

Studio Update 4 (11/13/12)

View our latest studio update here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYU_pz-Uvpw