ELECTRIC AT THE ACOUSTIC. Beacon James performs at their CD release show on March 30 at the Acoustic Café in downtown Eau Claire.

Local band Beacon James just released their first full-length album, A Collection of American Short Stories (titled after one of their oldest songs). The band got together in 2007 in Chicago with a completely different group of people and a completely different sound. The lineup since 2010, however, is based in Eau Claire and consists of seven members: Jessica McIlquham on piano/keyboard, Britta Gilbertson and Marie Gustafson on auxiliary percussion, Tim Mattson on guitar, Joe Tierney on tenor sax, Cody Christian on bass, and Zach Brawford on drums. Every member of the band also sings (although, according to McIlquham, Brawford only pretends). There are also rumors that an old Beacon friend will be rejoining the group within the year, bringing the band up to eight members. Well, nine if you count Jameson, the group’s mascot.

Jameson is a robotic elephant that sits at every show, looking out over the crowds and blowing kisses with his trunk. Jameson was in the basement where the Beacons would practice, and when it came time to discuss band logos and mascots, the elephant was chosen. His status as the band’s songwriter became a running joke (be sure to check out the biography section of Beacon James’ Facebook page for a story about Jameson worthy of a Pulitzer Prize).

“We have five singers and no one is the ‘lead,’ which means there’s a huge range of vocal color and emotion.” – Jessica McIlquham of Beacon James, on the band’s diverse sound

Together, Beacon James is a folk-funk band, but McIlquham says that the songs themselves don’t fall into one specific category. As a band, they aren’t trying to sound like any specific band or artist. Instead, they try to create music through their personal experiences. This means anything – including choral music, hip hop and R&B, bluegrass, classic rock, disco, The Spice Girls, Justin Timberlake, and Viennese waltzes – is fair game for inspiration. They have been compared to the Dave Matthews Band and The Head and The Heart, as well as groups from the 1970s soul era. “It has a lot to do with the harmonies, I think,” McIlquham said. “We’re a group you can sing along with. I don’t think anyone can be unhappy with those comparisons.”

Their new album is a mix of both new and older songs. It has been in the making for about two and a half years, and Beacon James is very relieved, thrilled, and proud to be able to put their songs into the hands of their fans. Listeners can expect a different story behind each song and that each song will be different from the others, so be sure to listen to more than just the first song to decide if you like it or not. “We have five singers and no one is the ‘lead,’ which means there’s a huge range of vocal color and emotion,” McIlquham said. With such a wide variety of songs on the album, the band hopes that everyone who listens to it can find something they enjoy. “We hope they put some of the tracks on their workout list,” McIlquham said. “We hope someone listens to ‘Getting Caught’ or ‘Hush’ in the dark, lying on the floor with their eyes closed. We hope they want to come to a show to see us live. We hope they show it to friends. We hope they learn all the lyrics so they can sing along at the top of their lungs while they’re in their car. We hope they like it.”

A Collection of American Short Stories is available at The Local Store and the band’s live shows or can be purchased by contacting the band directly (www.facebook.com/beaconjames). You can hear a selection of tracks at soundcloud.com/beacon-james/.