Beau Wheeler on Living Each Day All the Way: an interview, apropos of tonight's show at the Rickshaw (and last week's Bowie Ball!)

Beau Wheeler at the Bowie Ball, 2022 by Gord McCaw

Beau Wheeler has an amazingly rich, resonant voice, which Rickshaw attendees got to hear last Saturday at the 7th annual Bowie Ball, wherein Wheeler covered "The Man Who Sold the World," "Changes," and "Queen Bitch" - the latter of which has a really great, but slightly unusual video, which operates in "360 VR" mode, a sort of panorama view that allows you, if you watch it on your Youtube app on your phone, to turn your phone and see what's happening off to the side. (It doesn't look like much if you watch it on your desktop - just a slightly blurry view of the show focused almost entirely on the bassist - so it's worth the effort to go read this on your phone, if you aren't already and want a peek). Wheeler - who uses they/ them pronouns - was the discovery of the night for me, the how-do-I-not-know-this-person singer, and one of the songs, "Changes" - given the context of being performed by someone who recently came out as trans - stood out as the most inspired song choice of the night, the one you could most easily imagine Bowie standing in the wings and smiling over. Beau was also the only person onstage who was explicitly identified as a cancer survivor, which also seemed meaningful and relevant, given that we lost Bowie to cancer (it also informed my own interest in Beau since I've had my second brush with squamous still cancer this last winter and am still recovering from my third and fourth surgeries...).  

Well, whether you missed the ball, were curious what Beau's own music sounds like, or just wanted more, you're in luck, because Beau Wheeler performs tonight (February 25th) at the Rickshaw as the middle act in a lineup that includes Hoodie Browns and "the new queen of Canadian soul," Dawn Pemberton.  With apologies to Dawn - whose voice I also marveled at when seeing her at the East Van Opry some years back - having just seen Beau perform this past weekend, I was excited to learn more about their music, and ask a couple of questions about the Bowie Ball to boot. An email interview follows (my questions are in italics).  

Beau Wheeler at the Bowie Ball, by Gord McCaw

Allan: When did you start singing? Did you have formative experiences or inspirations? (Favourite singers…?). Your voice is kind of fucking AMAZING, but I don’t know if you’ve had formal vocal training or if you’re a “natural,” or…?

Beau: I grew up in a musical family. My grandfather played piano with Nat King Cole and Sammy Davis Junior, also Lena Horne and a lot of huge jazz acts that would come through Vancouver in the 50s and 60s. So I grew up in a musical family and don’t really have a memory of when music began for me because it started from the very beginning. I started writing music when I was 13 years old, and have been consistently writing ever since. I took some guitar lessons growing up but I am mostly self taught. Then I went to music school and studied vocals and composition.

Your song “Open Up Your Heart” begins with the words “Step into the sun/ step out of the shadows/ be who you are.” That could be about coming out – but you wrote it quite some time ago; what were you thinking of when you wrote it?

"Open Up Your Heart" is a song about a person that I knew who lived their life to the fullest and passed away very young. He was inspirational for me because regardless of his health challenges he was so positive and such a big personality and spirit. I wrote this song for him after he passed. It has no connection to queerness for me. 

Did cancer (or the brush with mortality) have any effect on your decision to come out as trans?

I feel like it was definitely an experience that made me really want to live each day all the way. It has made me really appreciate the people around me and it has also made me aware of the health of those relationships which extends to other parts of my life. For me coming out as trans was very personal and very positive. But it’s not some thing that I see as a section of my life. I’ve always been the same person.

I loved that someone trans and non-binary covered “Changes” at the Bowie Ball – very inspired, perfect, best political gesture of the night. Granted it lends itself very nicely to this, but had that song been repurposed as a trans anthem before? Do you have particular history with that song (or with Bowie's music?).

I didn’t see it as repurposing a song as a Trans anthem. I just saw it as me singing a song just like any other time I’ve covered a song. Whenever I sing a song I always have to connect with the material. So having come out this year as trans, I found I could really relate to the message in this song and I think that feeling really translated to people, but it wasn’t an intentional political statement - I just love that song. I chose to say what I said between the songs live off the cuff, I don’t really rehearse what I say in between songs. I just feel what I’m feeling and speak to people from my heart.

That live video for “Queen Bitch” is quite something! Once I knew how to watch it properly, I was stunned. What tech was involved? Who filmed it? Are you savvy about making videos, or do you have more techy friends (or hired guns) who helped?

My friend and collaborator Michael Simpsonelli who plays drums in my band is also a videographer. He is experimenting with 3-D video these days and offered to capture our performance for us. I’m very lucky to know a lot of creative people who are so incredibly talented and also lovely human beings. Playing music is always a collaboration even if you’re playing solo. You are collaborating with the audience in the moment and feeling them.

How much will your approach change between the Bowie Ball and opening for Dawn Pemberton? Do you ever adjust your song choices based on who else is on the bill...? (Will any of the Bowie songs you did stay in your setlist for this coming show?)…. Or will you be doing entirely alt-country/ folk/ blues stuff?

I feel like it’s a real slippery slope to try and choose material or think about what an audience would want you to do. I feel like the best path for an artist is to follow your inspiration and excitement. Part of being an artist is looking inside yourself and feeling your inner imaginative world. This is something we all know how to do when we’re little kids but some people lose the skill along the way. I never choose material based on what I think an audience will like. I choose material based on what resonates with me, and what makes me feel something. If I’m not feeling it nobody else will . I was only playing Bowie material because that was what the Bowie Ball was all about. I generally never play cover songs when I am playing shows with my own material. 

That being said I also don’t trap myself inside any kind of genre. I am currently recording a synth pop record and an old-school live off the floor singer/songwriter record. I don’t see myself as being inside any kind of box. I just play what I play and it sounds like me. It’s the same for any artist.

Any history with Dawn we should note? Have you shared a stage with her before? 

I have known Dawn for decades now. She is an old friend of some of my oldest friends. We used to go to parties together way back in the day and play music. Ever since then she has remained one of my favourite vocalists to come out of the city. She also has an incredible vibe that is really how she is as a person. 

Beau Wheeler opens for Dawn Pemberton tonight at the Rickshaw; tickets are still available... and all restrictions about sitting, dancing, and mingling are lifted...!