It’s been almost a year since I walked into Myopic Books and discovered a curious flyer by antifolk musician Willis Earl Beal, who was looking for some “friends & stuff.” I’m not sure “stuff” meant a feature-length story, but in July my piece on Beal graced the cover of the Reader‘s B Side with the headline “super unknown.”
A lot has changed for Beal since that story hit the streets, and he may not be unknown for much longer: he’s landed a deal with a new XL Recordings imprint called Hot Charity. XL is also home to M.I.A., Radiohead, Vampire Weekend, Tyler the Creator, and chart-topping powerhouse Adele, among others.