Who: Front Porch Beatnik
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Front Porch Beatnik is a band with a traditional lineup of drums, bass, guitar, and vocals. As a documentary filmmaker, singer Christian Schidlowski was prevented from traveling during the pandemic – and used the forced break as an opportunity to resume his childhood dream of composing and recording indie rock music, which he had abandoned to pursue filmmaking. During the months of lockdown, he wrote several songs and, after the pandemic subsided, quickly found musical support from Dr. Leben and Lucy Kaewprasert. The three have been making music, composing, and touring together since the beginning of 2024. The band’s name is an excerpt from the song “Barbecues, Canned Beer, and Literature,” which describes the singer’s imaginary friendship with an aging neighbor who, in his prime, was a well-known poet of the Beat Generation. The song’s theme is the longing for deep friendship with like-minded people.