Photography by Kathy Tran.
Oak Cliff ’s Los Beckleys don’t really know what their music sounds like, and they don’t think you should either.
“We just play what sounds good, and when it sounds good, we know it,” lead guitarist Eric Cerda says.
“We never want to be put in a box,” Albert Rivera says.
Cerda grew up in Oak Cliff, playing guitar and fantasizing about one day having a band with his neighbor Rivera. The two made various attempts at starting a band together, with Cerda on lead guitar and Rivera playing the keys. After years of experimenting, Rivera went far out of his comfort zone to try his hand at vocals.
Rivera spent most of his childhood writing poetry and song lyrics, most of which being far different from any Beckleys track.
“Growing up, it was Eminem and Korn,” Rivera says. “As I got older, I discovered more Spanish rock and other types of artists. It was literally a mixture of everything.”
Pulling from the wide spectrum of art he took in, Rivera penned and sang on the band’s debut single, “Here,” in 2019.
Rivera and Cerda teamed up with bassist Anthony Najera, drummer Luis Rodriguez and Mollie Ramsey on keys to form Los Beckleys, and have been performing across Texas ever since. The band wrote and recorded four more tracks to fill out their self-titled EP released in the same year.
“People are gonna ask us what we sound like or what are we,” Cerda says. “We don’t even know.”
Their unknowing has led to great success all around DFW. The band has played sets at Trees, Deep Ellum Art Co. and even the iconic Josey Records. Recently, Los Beckleys opened for Bastards Of Soul at Oak Cliff ’s signature Kessler Theater.
Being brought up in Oak Cliff ’s artistic fraternity, playing The Kessler is as big of an accomplishment as it gets. At every Los Beckleys show, you’ll see a packed front row of family, friends and other artists ready to support.
“The Kessler always seemed kind of out of reach for us,” Cerda says. “We grew up in this neighborhood looking at it and now we’re playing it. It’s insane.”
