Today we’d like to introduce you to BK of BK & the Understanding.
Hi BK, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I launched BK & the Understanding in 2017 with my friend JR Garcia while I was a high school English teacher. I had the idea, the dream, of BK & the Understanding when I was in college while taking a creative writing course. I had been writing poems and short stories on top of song ideas that I was already doing on my own, and I started thinking about how I wanted to have a band that showcased the songs I was writing and what name I thought would encapsulate the kind of art I was inspired to make. BK & the Understanding just felt right to me, as I felt the shared, overall theme of my art was to inspire others to better understand this experience and existence we call life, the good and bad, and everything in between. Prior to launching BK & the Understanding and becoming an educator, I was a church musician, and during the time I came up with the name BK & the Understanding, I had also been writing worship songs for the congregation I served. Those I have and continue to publish under The Beacon Kid, which is what BK initially meant in BK & the Understanding.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it has not been a smooth road at all to be honest. The church group and community I was part of when I launched BK & the Understanding were not supportive at all to be frank, so I am glad to be in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area now. Dallas and Fort Worth have been welcoming and supportive. Now I just need more people to learn of BK & the Understanding and hopefully build a fanbase. The number one obstacle, as it always is in America, is money, and if you do not have a fan base and community to support you, you are constantly losing money and fighting the uphill battle. It’s quite sad, but I am determined. I believe in the art I create, and I am confident it will have a positive impact on the world.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am the singer-songwriter and creative behind BK & the Understanding. I usually play rhythm guitar and sing, but when I have a full band, I sometimes will play bass and sing, allowing someone else to play leads over me. I also produce most of our music and multimedia content: songs, music videos, vlogs, live–streams, and social media posts and promotional materials. At the time of this interview, I am doing everything and trying to rebuild the band—contact me if you’re a drummer, bassist, or lead guitarist in the DFW area who is a reliable, trustworthy person who likes a variety of rock and alternative music. So far, I am proud of our DIY-projects that we have published: Basal Keystones, Beginning Kernels, and a few music videos. I will be prouder of the studio album we are working on once it is finished and ready to be shared. I cannot wait to talk more about it once I can. I recorded at The Cove Studios in Arlington with Peter Wierenga and Eoin Donovan as both my engineers and band. So far, JR, my friend Kevin Wayne Johnson, and Fort Worth virtuoso Grant Bloom have also contributed to some of the tracks. I hope to have more DFW musician friends contribute too. It will be good.
What were you like growing up?
I am an INFJ personality type, and I recently learned that I am apparently a “sigma male” according to YouTube videos that described me down to the T with a list of “sigma male” traits, so I have always been a predominantly introverted person who thrives in one-on-one interactions and small, intimate group settings. I tend to be quiet when in large groups or crowds and prefer to be a wallflower when at a party or club. That is the same now, but when I was young, I was full of self-doubt and insecurities, which is no longer the case. I have always been philosophical, imaginative, and creative. I was always told I was smart and intelligent when I was growing up, but because of my self-doubt I was unable to realize the truth in those assertions. Now I am comfortable and confident in who I am, and after what we have been through collectively as a society over the last seven-to-eight years, I have come to indeed realize I am above average intelligence, and I feel so blessed to be. I think it is just another reason why it is important for me to share my music with people. ‘Iron sharpens iron,’ and likewise does sharing our perspectives and discernments of truth do for one another when they are indeed truths. Intelligence incites intelligence in other words.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bkandtheunderstanding.bandcamp.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/bkandtheunderstanding
- Facebook: Facebook.com/bkandtheunderstanding
- Youtube: youtube.com/@bkandtheunderstanding
- Other: Twitch.TV/bkandtheunderstanding
Image Credits
BK
Rocky Helton
Peter Wierenga
Eoin Donovan
