Lowercase Letters Doing It Big

Lowercase Letters' upcoming show at Rock & Roll Hotel in Washington D.C. on April 15 reflects their rise from rooftop parties to packed concert halls since late 2009. They will play with other local groups Poor But Sexy and The Cascade.

Growing up in Berwyn Heights and going to school at University of Maryland, John Beckham knows how to please a crowd. Capturing an audience weaving a unique blend of funk and soul with turntables and a microphone, Beckham’s duo with singer Alphie Starr could rest on being a solid, poetic studio-style act. But since late 2009 Lowercase Letters has stamped its imprint across the Northeast with shows and record projects in New York and increasingly big venues for audiences to sway to introspective rhythms or move their feet to driving beats.

Matching Beckham’s roots in College Park and Starr’s home in Southeast D.C., lyrics they shift gears through a range of influences from D.C.’s history with go-go, punk and hip-hop as Beckham mixes music and Starr wordsmiths lyrics. 

Nowadays Beckham is more of a producer than a DJ. He got there playing guitar in coffee shops in College Park, like the now defunct Planet X, and the college area atmosphere really encouraged musical evolution during his teen years.

“I played in a rock band ‘Gift to the Greedy’ with my brother. We played around the area and we did a tour to New York,” Beckham said. “Then I jumped off and messed with hip- hop more and more, meeting local MC’s during and after school.”

 At the UMd. campus he started musing about blending rock and rap, and started a DJ group, PG County, doing off-the-fringe shows around D.C. while majoring in philosophy.

 “College Park had lots of open minds and lots of good inspiration,” Beckham said. “I took film, philosophy and some art. I draw a lot of inspiration for music from paintings. As MCs got more clever and intelligent and poetic and beats like Jedi Mind Tricks and Wu Tang Clan.”

He went all into music after graduation, first with PG County, making the rounds from Baltimore south through Maryland and D.C., while still making time to work in New York studios.

“It’s easier to stand out as an act down here in the D.C. music scene, but to get exposure to people who sign checks and have good business sense you have to go up there and make contacts too if you want to go major with music,” Beckham said. “I’m collaborating on an album right now in New York called ‘Glorification of Gangster,’ with 25 different artists and lots of different submission. It’s with an artist that did the Jay-Z box set, and we’re connected with arts show set for Madison Square Garden.”

Starr and Beckham will open at Rock & Roll Hotel with a drummer and keyboards to back to Starr’s vocals behind the tracks Beckham had mixed.

 “It makes a show come alive for the audience, and it’s great fun for us to work with more people,” Beckham said.

Friday April 15. Doors open 8:30 p.m., show 9:30 p.m.; $10.

Rock & Roll Hotel, 1353 H St., NE. Washington, D.C. ; (202)- 388-7625.

 www.lowercaselettersmusic.com