BandJournal

Putting the keys in the glove box. There's still petrol in the tank. Try to start her once and a while.

2012-08-02T15:12:20Z

Hi all, Shawn here.

After a decade of using the name the Beauvilles for various projects I have offcially put the band on Hiatus. This is not saying that we will never get back together or play the music, but at present, after deaths, and so many lineup changes, and getting robbed, and well ... a lot of things have happened.

When I first started this band, I never imagined that I would get to headline SXSW, or CMJ or get signed or be on every Apple device in ever store in America, or anything else really, it was a garage band. It sounded nothing like it sounds now, and we had no idea what we were doing. Hell, I don't think the music back then was that good.

Regardless over the course of a few years, I am proud of all the things that happened. By being on the road forever, we helped change routing for touring acts in the southeast. We helped establish live music at certain clubs. We helped an agent get his start, which now has had a ripple effect on dozens of other bands touring the entire country, most of which we can call our friends.

We opened up, or had brilliant acts open up for us, many of which are now darlings of the independent music movement; the Black Angels, the Warlocks, Deertick, Alejandro Escovedo, the Drive By Truckers, Reptar, Okkervil River, David Dondero, the Porcupine Tree, Bright Light Social Hour, the Electric Six, the Diamond Nights, Exene Cervenka, Castanets, Dead Confederate, the Whigs, Centro-Matic, King Khan ... and on and on and on.

In the end, last September beat me up bad. 24 shows in 25 days, and then the recording studio. And when I got home ... well I didn't care. It's a horrible irony as someone who wrote the songs to not care about yourself or your songs. And that was a sign to take time away. And I am sincerely sorry for those that continue to believe in the band and the music, if I am letting you down. I have never been in any other music situation where so many people for so many years have claimed to have seen the best band in their lives. Thank you to all of you.

So, now what ?

Well ...

Max Norton is playing in the Diviners, a band that I helped get going years ago, with one of the greatest songwriters I have ever met; Will Quinlan. Max is also backing up Florida based singer songwriter Rebekah Pulley at certain larger shows.

Max and I are also working on a new musical endeavor called the Laurel Canyon. It's ... well ... really heavy.

Jason is currently doing a radio show on Rhino Radio, under the name Jay Haven. More info as it comes.

I recently backed up Thomas Wynn and the Believers on lead guitar at several festival dates, and I felt great about it (thanks to those who came out during SXSW), I also recorded lead guitar on Geri-X 's new album, Work is the Wolf, she's a great songwriter and performer check her out. Also in September - October, I am touring nationally with the beach-rock band the Florida Kilos. The FLKILOS are a new group featuring Katherine Kelly from S.O.H. and Pryscila Lauren, who happened to be the girl in the firing squad video for the Beauvilles song SNOW.

Other alumni updates:

Original bassist Cory Karish is still touring in various Rockabilly bands, on upright bass. We talk here and there about Triumph Motorcycles.

Chris Tolan moved back from NYC and out to California. Currently he lives in a commune in San Franciso. We no longer try to kill eachother whenever we hang out.

Long time bassist Randy M. is currently in NYC working on IOS development and playing club dates.

Touring bassist alumni John Barker is in love with Megan, and moving back from Brookyn to Florida. Last I checked he still has his Scooter, and is still breaking out great dance moves.

Founding member and longtime drummer Craig Holmes is presumably still in eastern Massachuchets, hunting ghosts.

Marc the Swede still is evading deportation to Sweden, and is currenly in Hawaii. Not sure if he is drumming or not, but the photos he posts online make it look like paradise.

Multiple band alumni Jesse Martin traded in his drums to start a family and took a union job as a welder, and has two curly haired baby boys.

Finally, I want to say thank you to Nick for your support. I said it to you when you were alive. But I know I never was able to explain it properly. I believe you when you said that the last album kept you alive. It kept me alive too. Thank you, and I hope you are with your father.

Upcoming shows at SXSW, with Golden State and more.

2012-03-05T00:02:00Z

Updates about Shawn moonlighting as a member of Thomas Wynn and the Belivers for SXSW can be found here: Shawn Does SXSW, becomes a Believer .

Updates about our awesome pals Golden State who are coming through our home turf while on tour can be found here: Golden State v.s. the Beauvilles. West Coast v.s. East Coast showdown.

More info as it develops.

Happy new year. Glad we all made it here together. Now what the hell is going on?

2012-01-01T18:00:00Z

Well, it's 2012. And you know what that means: the end of the world. Etc. All good.

Regardless 2011 was a hell of a year. We performed across the country, did east coast tours with some great people, met thousands of new friends, and crashed out in some good places with cool folks.

As always thank you for your support. In the past couple months you may have noticed that we took a little time off to get prepared for the new year. Jason learned how to rollerskate, and got fitted for a tuxedo. Max rested his ears and did some folk-rock drumming with Rebeccah Pulley as well as some work with Will Quinlan's Diviners. Shawn wrote a bunch of songs and started the bands the Laurel Canyon with Max and also Florida Kilos with Pryscila and Ryan Blood.

So January has come, and it's indeed a new year and we are all alive and feeling well. We have a host of new shows for January - Febuary around Florida, at FSU at the flipping Salvador DALI museum back to the legendary Bardot in miami and also a couple awseome brew pub gigs and a opening spot for Thomas Wynn & the Beliver's Album Release Party. Yeah, that Thomas Wynn & Family. Mammoths of southern indie rock is what they are.

Then upcoming is SXSW... and well... that's going to be interesting...

As always please Like Us On Facebook tell us what's going on, what you want, what you need and we will do our best to have a good time along with you.

Thanks Savannah Georgia & Bill De Young of Connect Savannah

2011-09-30T15:02:10Z

It always feels good to get nice things said about you. Especially when you send out press to everyone before going on tour, and get a particularly nice word.

There are lots of reasons to recommend this incendiary, ‘70s-inspired rock ‘n' roll band from Florida, from the blinding, Heartbreakers-esque blending of chiming electric 12-string and bat-out-of-hell lead guitar, to singer/songwriter Shawn Kyle's passionate lead vocalizing, to the songs themselves, which manage to be smart and literate while retaining all sorts of memorable hooks. This is a band that leaves fans satisfied and exhausted.

At the 2009 SXSW in Austin Texas, the Beauvilles' showcase went way over capacity, and the local fire marshall was called to bar the doors.

Then, of course, there's the video for the Beauvilles song "Snow," which is beautifully shot and captures the desperate nature of Kyle's lyrics to perfection. The clip, which plays out like a Cold War short film, won Best Music Video 2009 at the Sunscreen Film Festival. It's attached to this story on connectsavannah.com. See thebeauvilles.net.

Right on Bill De Young. Good to see that music journalism isn't dead.

R.E.M. just broke up... and we are sitting in Athens, Ga thinking about it.

2011-09-21T18:39:15Z

Shawn:

Yes, I know I am about 14 days behind on tour videos, but I wanted to take a second and write a short obit for the band R.E.M., as I am sitting in Athens Georgia in a good friend's home who works with the Drive By Truckers, and we just recorded at a studio over the weekend, Chase Park Transduction that has worked with R.E.M. (we were in awe of the Mellotron that they have there that belongs to REM and also was formerly BigStar's...) so this seems sort of poignant to me personally, that I am sitting here in the town the group started in, a group that influenced me when I first started thinking about rock and roll. But with so many of the previous legendary rock acts calling it quits, it gives me pause.

TOUR JOURNAL: DAY 6 OF TOUR w/Dirty Names @ the Metropolitan ANNAPOLIS MARYLAND

2011-09-18T18:49:09Z

After waking up on a mountain top in Virginia, and discovering that they had inadverdently slept with New Kids on the Block, an impromptu bluegrass wakeup jam ensues. We drive down the mountain ponder wild animals and falling asleep at the wheel, and then come across someone that did. In Annapolis, Maryland we meet our buddies the Dirty Names again, and foolishness ensues. For a Tuesday night, the Metropolitan Lounge is packed, and an art show is a success, and people get turned on to tequila, the Beauvilles drink their first Natty Bo (National Bohemian) meet Eric the Artful Doger ("the Mayor") Jimi Haha (nee Davies) a ton of new friends, and enthrall the joys of sweaty rock and roll music, play ping pong with twins, in a basement and awake to find that most of it was not a dream at all.

TOUR JOURNAL: DAY 5 OF TOUR VIRGINIA BEACH to CHARLOTTESVILLE

2011-09-09T23:54:38Z

True pain can often be described as the knowledge of exactly how bad things are going to hurt, and then watching it happen. That's alot like sleeping in the van. You know it's not going to be good, and you have no choice but to do it anyhow. Preferably at the beach, with a nice sea breeze, in a spot where you won't get ticketed, robbed or hassled by the law.

But there are few things that Rock and Roll can't remedy, and soon the boys in the van find themselves in Charlottesville, with panhandling war veterans aside panhandling teenage runaways, tea houses, theaters, strange antique stores and lots and lots of rain.

So welcome to the Box in Charlottesville. It's a nice place, and all is good. The Dirty Names rock it, and the Beauvilles do as well. Everyone makes news friends, and both bands drive up into the mountains, away from cellphone service, gps and into Bear Country, where things get weird pretty fast, in a wood shed, with accordions, mandolins and banjos.

TOUR JOURNAL: DAY 4 of Tour. The Outerbanks to Norfolk Virginia

2011-09-07T23:41:21Z

Day Four of the Beauvilles' east coast tour finds the band bodysurfing in Kill Devil Hills, visiting a Winery where Shawn makes attempts at being a sommelier, getting a dog named Gonzo, driving to Norfolk Virginia to the Tap House, and meeting the Dirty Names (not yet pictured) who proceed to buy whiskies for everyone there. And in the end once again, it is bunk roulette, and the train station wins. Welcome to the tour. It's day 4.

TOUR JOURNAL: Kill Devil Hills, NC SEPTEMBER 3RD 2011, DAY 3

2011-09-06T01:45:21Z

After a serious breakfast courtesy of Janae and Sherri, and getting our asses kicked in soccer on the beach in Pawley's Island, SC the Beauvilles head to Kill Devil Hills NC, home of Outer Banks Brewing Co. But the town had just been hit by a Hurricane a week ago, and the band had underestimated the 6+ hours it would take on US-17 to get there... enter warp drive, and look out for the cops. It's Day Three on the Beauvilles Fall Tour 2011, where excellent micro brews are conquered, a live recording is made, Jason decides that 10% ABV is too much for a beer, Max loses some luggage and his mind, and Shawn joins a barbershop quartet, with only three people in it.

And away we go.

TOUR JOURNAL: SEPTEMBER 2ND 2011, DAY 2 OF TOUR.

2011-09-05T00:11:31Z

After bidding Rachel and her horses good bye, the Beauvilles head into Charleston SC for a day on the town, a cafe' some acoustic guitar from our new friend & fellow musical artist Dallas Corbett (check out her music here: Dallas Corbett, and then a spontaneous baseball hurling session, with her and Chris. Dallas rocks. Chris has a hell of an arm, and is cool as all get out. Then the boys headed to Pawley's Island, home of the Islander, owned by Daniel. Daniel has a liver of steel, and expects all his patrons to as well. I don't think the place stopped rocking from 12am-4am. Incidentally, we decided since everyone was losing their minds so much, that we would just play for four F****ing hours. I mean, why the heck not? What else are we gonna do in Pawley's? Everyone was awesome. People on Pawley's Island seem determined to have a great time, and imbibe enough booze to kill lesser drinkers, while still keeping it level and beating the Beauvilles at pool. Thanks to Daniel and Heather for offering to put us up. Thanks to Sherri and Janae for the hospitality and four star breakfast (and for kicking our asses as soccer on the beach, but that is for the next video.)

Here goes....