- just chilling throwing dice in the alley
Talking to Carey Beck, you feel a little bit like you're being transported back through time—-a time when men slicked their hair back, held doors open for ladies, and wandered from city to city with their guitar as their only constant companion. All these things sound like cliches until you realize that Beck has actually lived them. "I've been spinning my wheels for a long time," he admits over the phone on a Sunday afternoon.
Beck grew up in Rexton, New Brunswick. His family were the "town musicians"—-father Butch played with Beck's uncles and toured in bands for years, and his mother and sister were both singers. "There was no cable where we lived, so we had house parties. People would just come and crash and hang out in our kitchen," he says. Beck began playing Elvis as a young boy to charmed audiences and at the local church, and over 20 years, he's worked on his act while living in Moncton, Montreal and Toronto. He's only been in Halifax for a few months and the place has grown on him. "I've lined up some gigs and I'm feeling flush, feeling like Mr. Hollywood over here!" he says. "Halifax surprised the hell outta me." Beck comes off a St. Patrick's gig at the Old Triangle to his Friday night solo show at the Foggy Goggle and Saturday's rockabilly party at Reflections. Both weekend shows, he'll be accompanied by Craig Hamlin on bass and Fabian O'Brien on guitar. "It will be a blowout," he says. "I feel like I'm bringing a mission statement to this town—-let's bring 'em rockabilly."
