Report: Greg Phillips. Photos: Jason Rosewarne.
Over the last decade, Atalanta-based producer, songwriter, and musician Rick Beato has become one of the most influential music-focused creators on YouTube, bringing his extensive knowledge and unique insights into songwriting, recording and musicianship to an audience of more than 5.5 million subscribers. Rick loves talking music with his heroes and legendary musicians worldwide are lining up to chat with Rick.
As his YouTube channel grew, Rick found himself travelling far and wide to interview musical guests. The notion came to Rick that while he was in a particular region of the world for interview purposes, he could also talk directly to his fanbase via a live show. Basically in the last couple of years, Rick has been replicating on stage, what he does online … telling his story, dissecting songs and taking questions from his audience. It’s a formula which has worked well in the USA, UK and Europe and finally Rick has visited the southern hemisphere for the first time, presenting shows in New Zealand and Australia.
Last night at the Thornbury Theatre in Melbourne, a long line stretched down High Street with Rick Beato fans, an hour before showtime, waiting for the doors to open. The ticketed seats were numbered, so there would be no combative jostling for positions … these folks were just excited to see their favourite Youtuber in the flesh.
After a short highlight reel of Rick’s Youtube clips, he strolled on stage and began to recap his story. For anyone in the music industry, it’s a familiar one … couch surfing in friends’ lounge rooms, moving from town to town in search of work, being promised riches and being let down time and time again. What you don’t realise at the time is that despite the struggle, you are gaining life experiences and knowledge, networking, collecting friends and contacts and hopefully learning never-to-be-repeated harsh lessons. Beato showed photos throughout the night to illustrate his point. We arrived to see his current studio, packed full of gear. A photo during the backstory however, showed the few pieces of gear he was reduced to in tougher times, when he had to sell his last instruments, amps and studio gear in order to put food on the family table.
Rick’s fate did improve over time, when some production and songwriting jobs resulted in a few hits, earning him money and enhancing his quality of life. But the real change of fortune came in 2013 and in quite a serendipitous way. Rick had developed a deep musical relationship with his young son Dylan, whereby he could identify by ear, any notes Rick played on piano. It’s an astonishing talent and one that Rick captured in a short video clip, initially as a request of a friend to show to his wife. Rick was urged to post the clip to social media and that’s the moment the Rick Beato video juggernaut began. The video received millions of views, Rick added further ear-training videos. Musicians saw them and asked for more and his channel was off and running.
For the Melbourne audience, the amiable Beato casually chatted about the background to the many video interviews he has conducted with some of the world’s leading musicians and producers from The Police to Rick Rubin to Brian May and more. He then moved into a fan favourite from his channel, What Makes This Song Great?, in which he dissects some of the most iconic songs ever recorded, revealing the songwriting, production, and musical choices that make them timeless. Last night he chose to run through the multi-tracks of The Beatles’ I Am The Walrus, which for musicians was the most fascinating part of the night. As he isolated drum, bass, piano, guitar and orchestral parts, you could hear the gasps of reverence for the tracks and those who created them.
Rick finished the evening with a Q&A, a section of the show Rick told us in our pre-tour interview was his favourite part of the night. “That’s the most fun,” he explained to Australian Musician back in July. “I get a chance to talk to people I’d never meet otherwise. You never know what questions you’re going to get, and some of them are incredibly interesting.”
I must say I was a little disappointed with the quality of questions coming from the Melbourne crowd, supposedly the music capital of Australia. Rick however did his best to turn some pedestrian enquiries into entertaining answers. A roving microphone in the crowd might have been a better solution to punters merely yelling out their queries from the back of the room but I guess Rick likes to keep it as casual and real as possible. Asked about Australian artist interviews, he offered that he had completed 1 of 4 he was due to record while here.
Rick Beato finishes his Australian tour with a sold out show in Brisbane tonight
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