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A Mostly Quiet Life

by W.C. Beck

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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card
    Download available in 24-bit/44.1kHz.

      $9 USD  or more

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    12" vinyl album with original artwork from Sean Spellman and graphic design and layout by Jen Beck Doty

    Includes unlimited streaming of A Mostly Quiet Life via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Download available in 24-bit/44.1kHz.
    ships out within 14 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $20 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    CD version with original artwork by Sean Spellman and graphic design by Jen Beck Doty

    Includes unlimited streaming of A Mostly Quiet Life via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Download available in 24-bit/44.1kHz.
    ships out within 14 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $4 USD

     

  • Full Digital Discography

    10
    releases

    Get all 10 W.C. Beck releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of A Mostly Quiet Life, Facecomber, First Flight, Waiting for the Dawn, Wandering Into The Open, Quivira, Sapling, Kansawyer, and 2 more. , and , .

    Purchasable with gift card

      $52.65 USD or more (35% OFF)

     

1.
This Year 03:46
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2.
Girl on My Mind 04:29
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3.
Cast 04:13
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4.
Every Drop of Water 05:30
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5.
Biblical Fence 04:21
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6.
Bright Failure 04:16
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7.
Prairie Town 04:10
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8.
Blue Umbrella 04:38
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about

The songs that make up A Mostly Quiet Life consist of two core groups of songs.

Most of the songs on this album were written between 2010 and 2012 when I lived in Portland and was touring heavily with different bands. In 2012, while home on a short break, my friends Ryan Spellman, Jesse Bates and Thor Jensen were also briefly home from the road. We had been good friends and bandmates over the years and Ryan and Jesse lived with me at my house in Portland for quite a bit of time. Our home was a way station for touring bands for many years and we’d frequently host barbecues and parties that would turn into jam sessions and informal shows with whomever was in town at the time. On one such occasion, I mentioned I had a group of songs I wanted to record and most of Quiet Life was over at the house. We ran through the songs that weekend and the next day recorded the basic tracks as demos in a single afternoon in Jon Burbank’s basement, having caught lightning in a bottle.

I loved how things sounded and planned to finish the record at some point in the future. Life and other projects got in the way and this collection of songs stayed in the someday pile and got tucked away on a hard drive.

Fast forward several years to when I was stuck at home during Covid and working on the tracks that would make up my last album Facecomber. We sadly lost two heroes of mine to Covid in 2020 - John Prine and Jerry Jeff Walker. I wanted to pay tribute to them both and recorded some lesser known songs of theirs: Blue Umbrella and Every Drop of Water. Similar to Facecomber, I played and sang all the parts and recorded everything in my home studio in Brooklyn.

While working on those two songs one night, I stumbled upon the original recordings from 2012 and the energy of those original recordings hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew that I needed to revisit the songs, so I worked with Joel Arnow to mix the tracks. I only had scratch vocals, so I sang final vocal parts and had Michael Bellar and Charly Lemmons add their parts to fully flesh out the songs.

The resulting tracks are a combination of some raucous live band tunes that blend into a couple introspective numbers from a couple of my favorite artists. Thanks as always for listening to my tunes - I hope you enjoy this collection of songs and stories!

credits

released August 15, 2025

Tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 written by W.C. Beck
Copyright 2025 mortimerfinchsongs
Track 4 written by Steve Seskin & Allen Shamblin
Copyright Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing o/b/o David Aaron Music, Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, and Clearbox Rights LLC o/b/o Built on Rock Music
Track 8 written by John Prine
Copyright WB Music Corp. o/b/o Walden Music, Inc.

Tracks 1,2,3,5,6,7 recorded at The Shanty in Portland, OR in 2012. Overdubs recorded at Newtown Recorders in Brooklyn, NY in 2024.
Thor Jensen - lead electric guitar
Jesse Bates - bass
Ryan Spellman - drums
Michael Bellar - Hammond organ, piano, Fender Rhodes
Charly Lemmons - background vocals
W.C. Beck - vocals, rhythm guitar and groceries

Tracks 4 & 8 recorded at The Plaza in Brooklyn, NY 2020-2022. Engineered by Dave Maki. Mixed by Joel Arnow. All vocals and instruments by W.C. Beck.

All tracks produced by W.C. Beck
All tracks mastered at Millice Mastering in Brooklyn, NY in 2025.
Front cover original artwork “Cool/Floating” by Sean W. Spellman
Album design, typography and layout by Jennifer Beck Doty
For booking, upcoming shows and full catalog, visit www.wcbeck.com
follow @wcbeckmusic

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W.C. Beck New York

W.C. Beck is an itinerant singer/songwriter from KS who now calls New York home after long stints in Portland, OR and Paris, France. Beck’s songs span from indie folk to classic country and tell of the American heartland and a forgotten epoch. With catchy melodies and sophisticated compositions, most songs find their depth in the personal, moving narrative. ... more

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