How did Berklee-educated native Nebraska rockers in Beachmont wind up in the country music capital, beating 14,000 applicants to win American Songwriter’s Road Ready Talent Contest?
Truthfully, they say, it was a fleeting comment and a forgotten connection that landed them here.
Josh Polack and Tyler Savoie explained that Beachmont was a four-piece and had been together for about 18 months when their drummer decided to move to Nashville. Their drummer’s mother reminded Polack how much he loved playing the band’s music and asked members not to forget him. Polack said if the band’s fourth member moved to Nashville, he and Savoie would move, too. But he didn’t think he would. He forgot the fourth member was married to the drummer’s sister. So, when he told the drummer’s mom the fourth member wouldn’t move—he was also telling her that her son-in-law was preventing the band from moving to Nashville together. The next morning, the fourth member called and agreed to relocate.
“I was like, ‘Oh, well, (screw) it, I guess we’re going to Nashville,’” said Polack, the Berklee alum. “Tyler and I were looking at going to L.A., but I would rather have been in Nashville with a band than L.A. by ourselves.”
Beachmont Almost Moved to Los Angeles
About one year after the move, Beachmont won $20,000 in cash, a performance for a VIP audience, a publishing deal opportunity, studio recording time, gear, and more through the Road Ready Talent Contest. They called the win validating. Their mothers were so confident Beachmont would triumph with their creative instrumentation, eye-popping visuals, and high-energy stage show that they made the trip from Nebraska to watch it happen.
“They always know we’re going to win,” Savoie said.
“Our moms think we’re the best thing since sliced bread,” Polack added. “The best thing since before sliced bread, actually.”
Polack explained the experience was the jolt of confidence he needed to keep trying. Nashville has proven itself a “tough cookie to crack” for the band, which had enough fans and friends to fill a good-sized room in Nebraska. The audience grew with every show, but it was like starting over again when Beachmont relocated to Music City.
They tried the same method: booking a small room, hoping to fill it, growing their fanbase, and then moving to a larger room the next time. Members tried for 100 people at their first big show, and 10 people showed up. They had been in town for five months and invited everyone they knew.
Josh Pollack was “Ready to Hit the Panic Button”
“Every single day as a musician in front of you, you see this large panic button, and you’re like, ‘At what point do I hit this panic button and just go get a normal job?’” Polack said. “Every single day, you inch closer. Winning that whole thing moved me miles away from that panic button.”
Always ready with laughs and broad smiles, Polack and Savoie jokingly describe the band as sweaty on stage. However, they lean into high-performance vintage rock with elements of Bruce Springsteen, Sam Fender, Bleachers, and Young The Giant.
They just bought tickets to see Fender perform at Pilgrimage Festival and dream of landing a tour with anyone on their list.
“If you gave The Boss (Bruuuuuuuuuuce) a MacBook with one (1) license for Ableton (12 suite) and unbridled access to Facebook Marketplace, and also his college football team hadn’t been good in 25 years (Go Big Red Babey!) – that,” members said of their music.
The men hope winning the contest will generate interest from potential collaborators, agents, bookers, and more. They know they don’t have an impressive number of followers, but they make up for it with motivation.
Beachmont is Open to Working with Anyone
“They’re investing in people that are on fire trying to make this happen,” Polack said of music industry professionals willing to take a chance on Beachmont.
As far as with whom and how they want to collaborate, the men are open to every idea. While they make rock music for themselves, they just did some studio work on a country project and pride themselves on their extensive studio knowledge.
“We are hungry,” Polack said. “There’s this internal fire inside of me that’s like, ‘It’s this or nothing. There is no plan B.’ If there was a plan B, I wasn’t dedicated enough to plan A.”
Savoie agreed: “It’s a mutually held sentiment for me as well.”
Nashville-area fans can catch Beachmont in their new residency on the first Wednesday of every month at The Underdog in Nashville. The band will play a full headlining show on Sunday, August 24, at The East Room, 2412 Gallatin Ave, in Nashville, TN.
(Photo provided by Beachmont)
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