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
Ring the Bell
Yacht Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ah ah
I grew up with fear in my heart.
Then we gathered til my brothers both shot up.
It became clear there's no one else here.
So I ask myself and I ask you now:
Will we go to heaven
Or will we go to hell?
It's my understanding that neither are real.
(x2)
I grew up with fear in my heart
(x4)
Will we go to heaven
Or will we go to hell?
It's my understanding that neither are real.
(x4)
It became clear there's no one else here.
YACHT's song Ring the Bell, on its surface level, appears to be a contemplation of life and death, and the uncertainty of what happens after we pass away. The first verse sets the tone, with the opening line "I was born into the glove only to take it off." This could be interpreted as a metaphor for being born into this physical world, only to shed our bodies when we die. The next line, "I grew up with fear in my heart," could be seen as a reference to the fear of the unknown, specifically what happens when we die.
The chorus then poses the question, "Will we go to heaven or will we go to hell?", which is a common existential question. However, the following line "It's my understanding that neither are real," adds a layer of philosophical depth to the song. This line could mean that maybe there is no destination after death - heaven and hell could be constructs created by humans to try and make sense of a concept that we cannot fully comprehend.
The final verse of the song brings everything full circle, with the line "It became clear there's no one else here." This line could be interpreted in multiple ways - as a realization that we're all alone in the world, that we're responsible for our own actions, and ultimately, the choices we make determine our "destination" after life.
Overall, YACHT's Ring the Bell is a reflective and thought-provoking song that touches on the human condition and what comes after death.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born into the glove only to take it off.
I was born into a world that is limited and constrained and I had to break free of it.
Ah ah
A sound of expression and emotion without using actual words.
I grew up with fear in my heart.
My surroundings and experiences made me feel scared and uncertain.
Then we gathered til my brothers both shot up.
We came together until my fellow companions realized something or had an unexpected reaction.
It became clear there's no one else here.
There's nobody available or present to help or support us in our journey.
So I ask myself and I ask you now:
I pose a question to myself and to anyone listening.
Will we go to heaven
Is there an afterlife that is idyllic and peaceful that we go to upon death?
Or will we go to hell?
Will we be punished and suffer in a post-death underworld?
It's my understanding that neither are real.
In my perception, there is no such thing as heaven or hell and that they are merely concepts created by humans.
(x2)
This line is repeated twice.
I grew up with fear in my heart
My surroundings and experiences made me feel scared and uncertain.
(x4)
This line is repeated four times.
Will we go to heaven
Is there an afterlife that is idyllic and peaceful that we go to upon death?
Or will we go to hell?
Will we be punished and suffer in a post-death underworld?
It's my understanding that neither are real.
In my perception, there is no such thing as heaven or hell and that they are merely concepts created by humans.
(x4)
This line is repeated four times.
It became clear there's no one else here.
There's nobody available or present to help or support us in our journey.
Contributed by Aubrey W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.