Local outsider act Willis Earl Beal getting some much-deserved buzz
Back in July, friend of The A.V. Club Leor Galil did an intriguing piece for the Chicago Reader on a local musician and artist named Willis Earl Beal. After seeing a flyer of Beal's, which stated simply, "I want some friends & stuff. I am not a Weasel," Galil contacted him via a phone number on the flyer.
What came next was the peculiar, oddly heartwarming story of Beal, an unemployed and decidedly underground artist (Beal doesn't own a computer and has never performed his music) who lives with his grandmother on the South Side and distributes hand-drawn flyers offering to sing songs and draw pictures for anyone who gets in touch. One such flyer came to the attention of the folks at Found Magazine, which released a limited edition box set of Beal's poetry, artwork, and music, called The Willis Earl Beal Special Collection, last July.
Though Beal's myth and mystery has a refreshing appeal, there's no denying that he broke into the indiesphere in the biggest possible way this week when Pitchfork featured him in its reoccurring "Rising" column, which includes an interview with Beal and a howling track from his upcoming album, Acousmatic Sorcery. That album, which was included in the Found box set, will be re-released by Hot Charity, an imprint of indie titans XL Recordings (Adele, Vampire Weekend), on April 2.
