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
UTOPIA
YACHT Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a visionary state,
A psychoactive state.
There's nothing in the future,
It's up to us to make.
Utopia, utopia, utopia, utopia, utopia!
Utopia, utopia, utopia, utopia, utopia!
We all know when we wake up
That this is what all we get,
This is what we get.
Think fondly about life,
But still think strongly about death.
Utopia, utopia, utopia, utopia, utopia!
Utopia, utopia, utopia, utopia, utopia!
A higher source is calling
And you don't have to commit,
You don't have to submit!
The future works upon us
As we all work upon it.
Utopia, utopia, utopia, utopia, utopia!
Utopia, utopia, utopia, utopia, utopia!
The lyrics of YACHT's song Utopia convey a sense of hope and optimism for the future, while also acknowledging the fragility of life and the inevitability of death. The first verse sets the tone for the song with a reference to a "psychoactive state," suggesting that the singer is experiencing a heightened sense of consciousness or awareness. Looking into the future with a visionary perspective, the singer takes a hopeful stance, asserting that it is up to us to create the kind of world we want to live in. The repetition of the word "utopia" reinforces this sentiment and creates a catchy, almost hypnotic effect.
In the second verse, the singer acknowledges that life can be difficult and full of challenges, but encourages the listener to maintain a positive outlook nonetheless. The phrase "still think strongly about death" is particularly poignant, as it suggests that death should not be feared or avoided, but accepted as a natural part of the cycle of life.
The final verse introduces the idea of a higher power, but rather than advocating for blind devotion or obedience, the singer suggests that we should work together with this power to create a better future. This idea ties into the overall theme of the song, which is that we have agency and responsibility to shape our own destiny.
Line by Line Meaning
We looked into the future
We envisioned what is to come
In a visionary state
In a mental state that allowed us to see beyond the present
A psychoactive state.
Altered state of consciousness induced by a substance or activity
There's nothing in the future,
Nothing predetermined in the future
It's up to us to make.
It's our responsibility to create our future
Utopia, utopia, utopia, utopia, utopia!
Repeated emphasis on the desired utopian ideal
We all know when we wake up
We all face reality each morning
That this is what all we get,
This present moment is all we have
This is what we get.
Acknowledge the present for what it is
Think fondly about life,
Remember the good things in life
But still think strongly about death.
Acknowledge the fragility of life
A higher source is calling
Something greater is beckoning us
And you don't have to commit,
You don't have to dedicate yourself fully to that greater something
You don't have to submit!
You don't have to yield or surrender yourself
The future works upon us
We are not passive but are actively shaping the future
As we all work upon it.
An ongoing collective effort to shape the future
Utopia, utopia, utopia, utopia, utopia!
Repeated emphasis on the desired utopian ideal
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jacob Shepherd
That bass line in Utopia turns my spine into an icicle.
Nik Myers
I love how Jona starts strumming a guitar when there isn't one in the song
Kitt Aunne
Utopia felt like a a bad trip that doesn't get too far out. And i loved it.
Jeremy Koleske
Why wasn’t this the top of the pop charts, it’s fuckin brilliant
Dan Crawshaw
utopia has the best bassline of heard all year, love it
Ali Johnston
Love your decision to make the transcendent Triangle your symbol. Suits your band quite perfectly.
Nolan
Thanks NPR for the Tiny Desk concert alerting me to the greatness of Yacht.
victorsounds
JUst love it! The music and the video are awesome!!!! The earth is on fire !!!!
Live 15:13
I don't enjoy Utopia but I love Dystopia.
Chanc Swann
forever in love with this