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
Beam Me Up
Yacht Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The cold of space spreads thin
We endeavor to look out
But they are looking in
No man is an island and no planet is in turn
And in six million years we'll stand together and watch it burn
'Cause it doesn't yet exist
We don't know if we reach out
To tentacle or fist
No man is an island and no planet is in turn
And in six million years we'll stand together and watch it burn
Watch it burn, watch it burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn
B-b-b-beam me up
B-b-b-beam me up
B-b-b-beam me up
B-b-b-beam me up
There are nights that I burn out
I drink deep from my cup
I look all around me
And think, "Oh God, beam me up"
No man is an island and no planet is in turn
And in six million years we'll stand together and watch it burn
B-b-b-beam me up
B-b-b-beam me up
B-b-b-beam me up
B-b-b-beam me up
Please beam me up
The opening lines of the song "Beam Me Up" by YACHT take the listener on an otherworldly journey, zooming away from the limitations of Earth and out into outer space, where the sky is dark and the air is thin. But even in this vast expanse, we are not alone, and the singer acknowledges that there may be intelligent beings out there who are just as curious about us as we are about them. The lyrics suggest that humanity is inherently interconnected, despite the many forms it may take, both on Earth and beyond.
The song becomes even more introspective in the chorus, where the singer declares "beam me up" repeatedly, suggesting a desire to escape the stresses of life on Earth and perhaps even to transcend our earthly limitations. Interestingly, the song ends on a somewhat apocalyptic note, with the prediction that in "six million years" all of us - whether human or alien, homegrown or far from home - will ultimately have a front-row seat to the end of the world.
Overall, "Beam Me Up" is a song that speaks both to our aspirations for exploration and to our shared vulnerabilities as inhabitants of the universe. It poses big questions about our place in the cosmos and our connection to one another, all while maintaining a catchy beat and an irresistibly danceable quality.
Line by Line Meaning
High above the clouds somewhere
We are in the midst of the unknown, with our feet planted firmly on the ground but our minds reaching skyward.
The cold of space spreads thin
Even in the vast emptiness of space, the temporal and physical constraints of our existence still exist.
We endeavor to look out
We try to expand our field of vision and break out of our self-imposed limitations.
But they are looking in
However, there are always external forces watching and influencing us, even if we are unaware of their presence.
No man is an island and no planet is in turn
We are all interconnected and no one exists in isolation.
And in six million years we'll stand together and watch it burn
Eventually, all of humanity will bear witness to the inevitable end of our existence.
The future is a poem
The future is not yet written and holds limitless possibilities.
'Cause it doesn't yet exist
We have not yet reached a point where we can fully grasp what is to come.
We don't know if we reach out
As we attempt to connect with the future, it is uncertain what we might find or how it will manifest itself.
To tentacle or fist
Our attempts to engage with the future might produce something helpful and cooperative, or something hostile and aggressive.
There are nights that I burn out
Sometimes, we become tired and overwhelmed by the world around us.
I drink deep from my cup
In order to recharge our spirits, we must engage in self-care and seek inner peace.
I look all around me
When we feel lost and helpless, we seek external guidance and support.
And think, "Oh God, beam me up"
In moments of desperation, we yearn for salvation and escape from our problems.
B-b-b-beam me up
Repeatedly calling out for help or salvation from our struggles.
Please beam me up
Pleading with greater urgency for assistance and relief.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: CLAIRE LOUISE EVANS, JONATHAN WARREN BECHTOLT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind