Jordan Beckett, known as Bootstraps, is an American musician, singer and songwriter from Portland, Oregon. Under the moniker Bootstraps, Beckett has released three studio albums, Bootstraps, Homage, and Demo Love. Bootstraps has also released one EP, To Each His Own. Critics have compared Bootstraps' music to the National, Bon Iver, Ray LaMontagne, Band of Horses, and Coldplay. Bootstraps produces and records out of Harmony Studios, in Hollywood, California.
Beckett grew up in the Portland music scene, spending his teen years going to Elliott Smith, Death Cab for Cutie, and Modest Mouse shows. A friend of Beckett's gave him Lucinda Williams' album Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, which influenced his writing style, though it was not until college that he became serious about music.
A college baseball player, Beckett was injured, and while sidelined, he learned to play guitar. The Pacific Northwest's indie music scene provided the backdrop for Beckett's first steps into song writing and recording.
Beckett moved to Los Angeles in where he was approached by friend, actor/screenwriter Sam Jaeger, to write music for the film Take Me Home, which went on to win Best Music In A Film at the Nashville Film Festival in 2011.
Beckett recruited old friends Dave Quon and Nathan Warkentin of We Barbarians, to play on his self-titled debut album. The songs âÂÂGuiltfree," "Forty-Five," and âÂÂRevel" were placed on TV show Parenthood, and âÂÂGuiltfree" was also featured on the show Suits. In 2014, Bootstraps was re-released on Harvest Records.
In 2013, Amazon MP3 named Bootstraps their Rising Star.
In 2014, Bootstraps played Way Over Yonder Festival in Santa Monica, California, with Lucinda Williams and Local Natives. He performed a sold-out residency at Hotel Café in Los Angeles, and a well-received show at The Troubadour in West Hollywood. He was featured in Rolling Stone and performed on Ben Lovett's Communion tour.
He performed four songs at Daytrotter Studio in May, 2014 in Rock Island, IL, as featured in Paste Magazine. Later that year he was invited to perform at Yahoo Music Studios. The subsequent interview was picked up by Rolling Stone.
Homage, an album of re-interpreted covers, saw Bootstraps further his reach into film and TV placements. His version of Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" was featured in Grey's Anatomy, Supergirl, and in an ad for the Venice Film Festival. His version of Ben E. King's "Stand by Me" was placed in the Lionsgate blockbuster film Power Rangers, Lethal Weapon on Fox, and Hawaii 5-0 on CBS. His cover of Fleetwood Mac's âÂÂEverywhere" also appeared on Supergirl.
Featuring six original songs, To Each His Own caught the ear of Taylor Swift, who chose âÂÂReplica" for her Spotify playlist, Songs Taylor Loves.
For the first time ever, songs with lyrics were permitted in the 2018 Pyonchang Winter Olympics. Czech figure skater sensation Michal Brezina chose Bootstrapsâ cover of âÂÂStand By Meâ to perform to. Later that year, the song was featured on Dancing With The Stars, MacGyver, and GreyâÂÂs Anatomy.
On April 24, 2018, Bootstraps appeared on an unreleased cover of The Kinks song, âÂÂIâÂÂm Not Like Everybody Elseâ in the season two trailer for the History Channel series SIX. "Stand By Meâ was featured in the trailer for the Clint Eastwood film Richard Jewell on December 13, 2019.
On October 18, 2019, Bootstraps released their second original LP titled Demo Love, based on a dichotomy of the word âÂÂdemoâ meaning both, to demolish and to demonstrate. Melodic Magazine called it the âÂÂperfect fall albumâÂÂ, while Buzzbands commented that âÂÂSinger-songwriter Jordan Beckett is a craftsman whose folk-pop has a filmic quality.â Other reviewers described the record as âÂÂan indie folk triumph, telling a story from start to endâ featuring âÂÂethereal guitar tones, atmospheric pianoâ and "ushering in a new era for BeckettâÂÂs music.âÂÂ
The first single âÂÂEvergreenâ was released September 12, 2019 with Variance Magazine calling the song âÂÂcaptivatingâ with others musing, "Bootstraps has a very unique sound that we canâÂÂt seem to turn away from... âÂÂEvergreenâ has a perfect vibe.âÂÂ
The second single âÂÂWhenever YouâÂÂre Aroundâ was released with a music video featuring Alexandra Daddario and Erika Christensen. It was directed by his friend and frequent collaborator Sam Jaeger who revealed, "Bootstraps music is just easy to build stories around...it's just feels right for simple, understated moments. When I first heard ["Whenever You're Around"], I just thought of the early days of my relationship with my wife.â The video premiered November 8, 2019 on Entertainment Tonight, TV Insider and Just Jared.
American Songwriter called the song and video direction, âÂÂbrilliant, introspective and âÂÂcinematic.â Ear to the Ground concluded, âÂÂThereâÂÂs a haunting humanity to the sound that Bootstraps produces on this track. The rasp in the vocal just fits the mood of the track perfectly. It kind of reminds me of what I first loved about William Fitzsimmons and Iron and Wine. ThatâÂÂs rare company, but deserved in the case of Bootstraps.âÂÂ
Bootstraps has drawn comparisons to Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen, and Ray LaMontagne. Paste concluded, âÂÂit could be the salty rasp of Jordan Beckett that does it to you, but Bootstraps leads you to believe that youâÂÂre one very prominent part of a fading photograph.â This sentiment was echoed by Rolling Stone, who called Bootstraps' sound âÂÂfully formed, atmospheric and lived inâÂÂ.
Bootstraps has received accolades throughout the music industry, including being named a Rising Star of 2013 by Amazon MP3 and being listed on elite top-10 Best Album of the Year. Hydrogen Magazine also listed Bootstraps as a Band to Watch, and they received the 2011 Best Music in a Film award at the Nashville Film Festival.
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