An Homage to The Beard Guy
I’ve only been listening to Walk Off the Earth for the past couple of years. But they spark. I don’t know how else to describe it.
R. E. V. O., the first album of theirs I listened to, was already two or three years old when I heard it for the first time. REVO is also the first cut, which starts out simple enough with the driving rhythmic progression of repeated notes halfway up the guitar neck. Then to the voices you’ll never want to forget chance the lines, “Close your eyes and take my hand . . .” and if you are human and have a beating heart, you’re compelled to do it.
According to The Beard Guy in an interview with andPOP, “REVO stands for Realize Every Victory Outright. Shoot for the starts, stay positive, don’t let anything get in your way, and realize your goal. It’s how we live our life and we encourage anyone that listens to our music to try and do the same.”
From there it’s a steady flow of positive endorphins sparking your spirit and flowing to every dancey cell in your body.
One of those voices did just walk off the earth last week. Mike, The Beard Guy, Taylor was a vocalist and keyboardist. He left this world in his sleep—of natural causes.
Walk Off the Earth, from Burlington, Ontario, formed in 2006, but didn’t gain prominence until they covered the Gotye Song “Somebody that I Used to Know” on YouTube in 2012.
The Bear Guy’s bandmates, Sarah Blackwood, Gianni Luminati, Ryan Marshall, Joel Cassady, and Peter Kirkwood made an outpouring of loving tributes to him on social media after his untimely passing on December 29, 2018.
Walk Off the Earth and many friends will host a free concert Sunday, according to Billboard Magazine: “The free show is slated to take place at the Burlington, Ontario, Civic Square from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., with portions of the event live-streamed on Walk Off the Earth‘s Facebook page. “Mike loved our fans so much. We want to honor him and his legacy by continuing our world tour to bring the spirit of this memorial to our fans across the globe,” the band said in a statement in a message to fans who are not able to attend the memorial but who might be able to catch them on their 2019 tour.”
To each of you WOTEs, I share in your heartache and will ever cherish the music, fun, and outright love you shared with us WOTElings.
But as I’m sure Mike did, we all look forward to what’s to come.
A little added treasure . . . here’s an interview with Mike Taylor just before the release of their R.E.V.O. album.