Bechtolt was born in Astoria, Oregon and began playing music as a teenager, dropping out of high school to play drums in his brother's touring punk band. He started working with electronics in the late 1990s and began releasing solo records under the name YACHT in 2003. Nearly all of his recordings have been distributed by both Marriage Records and States Rights Records.
Claire Evans came of age playing in bands in the underground noise scene of Los Angeles, and was part of the Portland-based The World Court. She has presented her PowerPoint performances at MoMA PS1, The Kitchenand the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art and has collaborated with Bechtolt on literally hundreds of projects since they met in 2004.
In 2003, Bechtolt was commissioned to create a full length audio/visual electronic pop opera by the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA). He performed with his group The Badger King with bandmate Marianna Ritchie (a Wolf Colonel and Dear Nora alumnus who went on to record alone as Manta, and then Mantar).
In 2006, Bechtolt collaborated with Khaela Maricich as half of the pop group The Blow to release Paper Television. Bechtolt toured extensively with The Blow, providing beats and backup vocals until quitting the band in 2007 in order to focus on his work in YACHT.
In January 2006, Bechtolt was commissioned for two performances for the New York based art and technology platform Rhizome, as part of their "Crap-tops vs Laptops" show. In February 2006, he performed at the Museum of Modern Art's P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center and produced an hour-long internet radio program with Clear Cut Press; a Northwest-based publisher of new literary work.
In 2007, for the release party for YACHT's album I Believe In You. Your Magic Is Real, Bechtolt performed a concert on an actual yacht on the Willamette River in Portland.
The 2009 release, See Mystery Lights, was the first to feature Claire Evans as a group member.
YACHT live performances include dancing as well as elaborate PowerPoint presentations. Bechtolt documents his professional and sometimes personal life via video, text, and images on his blog.
In 2010, YACHT expanded to include The Straight Gaze; a backing band of 2 additional members. Bobby Birdman plays bass guitar and sings backing vocals while Jeffrey Jerusalem plays drums. In this incarnation Bechtolt and Evans both play instruments.
Bechtolt is a co-founder of the Portland-based popular blogging web community Urban Honking as well as the producer, editor, cameraman and a writer of The Ultimate Blogger.
Both Bechtolt and Evans are vegans.
Sites: YouTube, SoundCloud, Discogs, Wikipedia, Twitter and www.teamYACHT.com
The Afterlife
YACHT Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Conquered and held by free men, fairest and the best
Onward and upward, ever forward on and on
Hail to thee, the land of heroes, yours when dead and gone
Hail to thee, land of heroes
It's all yours when you're dead and gone
The afterlife, hey, we know how to make life go on
The afterlife, death is not the end of this song
The afterlife
Land of the rose and sunshine, land of summer's breeze
Laden with health and vigor, fresh from the western seas
Blessed by the blood of martyrs, land of setting sun
Hail to thee, land of promise, the end of our system
Hail to thee, land of promise
Life at the end of our system
The afterlife inside your own private kingdom
The afterlife, hey, [Incomprehensible]
The afterlife
It's not a place you go, it's a place that comes for you
And it's not about who you know or who's in your heart
It may come as a surprise but you are not alone
All that you have is not what you own
It's not a place you go, it's a place that comes for you
And it's not about who you know or who's in your heart
It may come as a surprise but you are not alone
All that you have is not what you own
It's not a place you go, it's a place that comes for you
And it's not about who you know or who's in your heart
It may come as a surprise but you are not alone
All that you have is not what you own
It's not a place you go, it's a place that comes for you
And it's not about who you know or who's in your heart
It may come as a surprise but you are not alone
All that you have is not what you own
The afterlife
The afterlife
The afterlife
The afterlife
The song "The Afterlife" by YACHT starts with an ode to California, also known as the "Land of the empire builders, land of Golden West." The opening lines describe the state as being conquered and held by free men, adding that it's the "fairest and the best," although it's not clear what the singer means by this. The repeated refrain of "Hail to thee, the land of heroes, yours when dead and gone" implies a sense of underlying patriotism, that the land of California is a place worth fighting and possibly even dying for. Later in the song, the lyrics shift to a reflection on what the afterlife might bring. The singer asserts that death is not the end of life, implying that there is something beyond this physical existence. They suggest that the afterlife is a personal and unique experience, one that comes to you rather than something you seek out.
Throughout the rest of the song, the singer reflects on the idea that we are not alone in the afterlife, and that our personal possessions and achievements don't necessarily matter once we're gone. The phrase "All that you have is not what you own" suggests that our lives and experiences are not just about what we accumulate or achieve, but about who we connect with and what we give. Overall, the lyrics of "The Afterlife" express a sense of a hopeful and open-minded perspective on death, one that sees it not as an end but as a transition to something different and perhaps even better than what we experience in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Land of the empire builders, land of Golden West
A description of California as a place where empires are built and riches are made
Conquered and held by free men, fairest and the best
The state was conquered by free men who fought for its freedom and are therefore considered to be the fairest and best of all those who came before
Onward and upward, ever forward on and on
The commitment to progress and moving towards a better future
Hail to thee, the land of heroes, yours when dead and gone
Acknowledgment of the legacy left by those who came before, and the idea that it belongs to us once they pass on
The afterlife, hey, we know how to make life go on
The belief in an afterlife and the idea that we can continue to create even after we die
The afterlife, death is not the end of this song
Reinforcing the idea that death does not signify the end of life, but rather a continuation of it in a different plane of existence
The afterlife
The concept of life after death
Land of the rose and sunshine, land of summer's breeze
A description of California that focuses on its prosperity and natural beauty
Laden with health and vigor, fresh from the western seas
California is a place that is full of vitality and energy, and is continually renewed
Blessed by the blood of martyrs, land of setting sun
The belief that California has been blessed due to the sacrifices made by those who came before, and the idea that this marks the end of an era
Hail to thee, land of promise, the end of our system
California represents a land of hope and potential, but also a place where things may be coming to an end
The afterlife inside your own private kingdom
The afterlife can be seen as a personal space where one is in charge of their own destiny
The afterlife, hey, [Incomprehensible]
Repeating the idea of an afterlife and the fact that it is not necessarily clear what it encompasses
It's not a place you go, it's a place that comes for you
The afterlife is not necessarily a destination that one can reach, but rather an experience that will come to us all eventually
And it's not about who you know or who's in your heart
The afterlife is not dependent on social connections or emotional attachments, but rather a universal experience that everyone will go through
It may come as a surprise but you are not alone
Death may be a scary or lonely experience, but in the afterlife, we will not be alone
All that you have is not what you own
Possessions and material wealth are not important in the afterlife, where the focus is on other things
The afterlife
The concept of life after death
The afterlife
The concept of life after death
The afterlife
The concept of life after death
The afterlife
The concept of life after death
Contributed by Gabriella F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
spacemanjupiter
You guys are awesome. As many others, I found out about you on GTA 5. The catchy music production along with the simple vocals are very appreciated. Countless times have I loathed over done, try-too-hard vocals from artists such as Christina Aguilera and Beyonce. I appreciate not being annoyed by vocals while they still sound appealing.
zeny
I came across YACHT on NPR. I found them catchy right away which kept me watching. It was a very good performance and Claire keeps it interesting with her theatrics. I then wandered over to YouTube and listened to a bunch of their songs and I like just about all of them my current favorites being this song here and Plastic SOul and Shangri-La. I believe this band will have a very long run. I thought the same when I first discovered R.E.M. 30+ years ago.
DamagedApotheosis
yacht are the complete package. no other band projects as much true confidence and intelligence as they do. check out their interviews. insightful and open.
thelaughingman79
well there is the rollins band and amanda palmer
Justine Zamora
I absolutely love their music! The music videos are really cool haha :D
Francis Smith
I heard you MANY years ago on David Byrne Radio!
Carlo Anthony
Genius. I always love me some Yacht
joannepsi
Love this band. I first heard them on BBC 6music.
layray210
absolutely wonderful
Michael Curtis
AMAZING!!!