By Zach Cable
MUNCIE, Ind. – Spartan Records artist American Opera will perform in Muncie at BeHereNow on Oct. 8 as part of his nationwide U.S. tour. John Bee will open the tour Oct. 3 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and will close it on Dec. 17 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
This will be the first performance for John Bee at Muncie’s DIY Music Venue & Craft Brew Bar.
“For us, it’s another great opportunity to host a new artist and to spread our love of real music,” said BeHereNow owner Whitney Lewis. “Real music – nothing commercialized, just real, meaningful music written from these people’s hearts.”
The show will be free for people at least 18 years old, as it’s part of BeHereNow’s Free Music Mondays.
After performing at one of the largest traveling music festivals in the United States, Vans Warped Tour, in 2015, American Opera had interest from “several” record labels and signed with Spartan Records on March 13, 2017.
“It was an exciting but challenging time,” said the alternative-indie-folk-rock artist John Bee.
“A rollercoaster of emotions ranging from crippling self-doubt to a genuine sense of accomplishment.”
The meaning behind stage name “American Opera” revolutionized over time as Bee evolved as a musician.
“Originally, I got the idea from listening to a Cold War Kids song where they write about Italian opera.”
“Now, it’s reflective of this play that we’re all taking part in – whether we know it or not; it’s my life set to music,” said Bee.
American Opera offers therapeutic sounds and rhythms, which he credits to the natural makeup of music as a “relatively cheap form of therapy.”
“It's a wonderful form of self-expression and it helps me navigate my internal world and the world I live in,” said Bee.
Although this isn’t Bee’s first tour, it’s his first since the release of his debut album “Small Victories.”
The 11-song project has 1,147 monthly listeners on Spotify and a 5-star rating on Apple Music.
“I try to keep my tour life similar to my home life so I don’t get too carried away out there,” said the Brooklyn-via-Michigan singer-songwriter. “If there’s time, I’ll do my morning routine of meditation and exercise. Then I'll drive to the next town, find some food, play the show and hang out with the bands and fans until it's time to go to bed and do it all over again.”
“It’s exhausting and exhilarating.”
What’s also exhausting yet exhilarating is the way Bee’s brain operates.
“My brain is always flooded with song ideas in the form of melody or concept so much that it's tough to turn my brain off and focus on most things,” said Bee. “But I love it.”
Bee’s love and passion of music and the everlasting process behind it is well-represented in his music and – in its purest form – is art to the ears.
Free Music Monday starts at 7 p.m. when American Opera will be one of two acts on nationwide tours to perform.
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