Even before his Benicia childhood, Liam Rockwell was passionate about music.
“When my mom was pregnant with me, my parents would play Beatles and Sarah Vaughan records,” says Rockwell, 18, with a laugh. “Apparently, whenever I heard the music, I would start to kick.”
Rockwell was connected with music from the drop, and wrote his first song at 15. Another Benicia-raised musician, Matteo “TeYo” Yepez-Scott, also 18, had a similar upbringing and started writing songs around the same time. Both boys attended Benicia High School (although Rockwell graduated from College Park High School in Pleasant Hill) and have supported each other’s musical ambitions all along.
Recently, Rockwell and TeYo recorded videos of new songs to enter National Public Radio’s Tiny Desk contest.
The selected winner will get to perform at the Washington, D.C. NPR studio, be interviewed on the network’s All Things Considered program, and go on tour with NPR Music. The Benicia musicians are fans of the NPR music program, which features a range of acclaimed musicians performing in the NPR offices, and are thrilled to have their songs considered with the thousands of entries received by NPR.
TeYo
“I’d love to win and to play where so many of my favorite artists have played,” says TeYo. “But overall, I’d like to work hard, grow my audience, and play music.
My wildest dream is to be timeless, and to have everyone know a song that I wrote.”
TeYo is well on his way. His song, “How To Lover” has been streamed five million times on Spotify. He recorded a new song called “To Be Selfish” for the Tiny Desk contest, while Rockwell entered a single called “Acne,” which he describes as “a song about loving ourselves, acknowledging insecurities and overcoming them. It’s about seeing the beauty in someone that they don’t see in themselves.”
Both artists recorded their songs and music videos at The Escape, a recording studio, performance space, and yoga/pilates studio on East Second Street.
The venue was created by Benicia resident Andy Brunt, a musician and businessman who has been playing guitar in recording sessions for decades.
Brunt has mentored both TeYo and Rockwell for several years.
“The Escape is a really impressive studio from a technological standpoint,” says Rockwell. “Andy is great—he’s very passionate about uplifting young artists like TeYo and me.”
Brunt, who grew up in England and has worked with an all-star lineup of famous musicians, moved to Benicia in 1992 and loves the way the community supports creative artists of all kinds. He created The Escape during the Covid-19 shutdown, when musicians suddenly had no place to play.
“We have been working with the Benicia Performing Arts Foundation—pairing young musicians with professional musicians—mentoring and offering an affordable place to record,” says Brunt.
“We can also advise on how to record and how to set up equipment when they play live, so they sound really good for the audience.”
Both TeYo and Rockwell sing Brunt’s praises for the help he has given them in their young careers. While TeYo still lives locally, Rockwell recently moved to the Los Angeles area to take music classes at Pasadena City College and network with musicians in the region.
“I’m really enjoying it,” says Rockwell. “I’ve been focusing on my studio work and making connections in the LA music scene.
It’s really all about the path—as long as I’m on this path, I know that I will be happy.”
Meanwhile, NPR has stopped taking entries for this year’s Tiny Desk contest and will announce a winner soon.
