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Over the past five years, The Hollywood based band Beautiful Creatures have endured many line-up changes and faced their share of adversity. Many bands would have called it a day, but not Beautiful Creatures. The core of the band featuring Joe LeSte on vocals, Kenny Kweens on bass, and Anthony Focx on guitar has survived many obstacles, remained focus on their goals, and never gave up on the dream of Beautiful Creatures. In addition, the band has added ex -Flotsam and Jetsam guitarist Mark Simpson and drummer Timmy Russel to stabilize their line-up.
Beautiful Creatures have also just released their highly anticipated second album ‘Deuce’ on Spitfire Records. ‘Deuce’ describes the band's journey, all of their trials and tribulations that the band has endured during the past five years. On their second album, Beautiful Creatures unleash a powerful fury that is real, honest, and aggressive.
I recently spoke to bass player Kenny Kweens about the new album, line-up and future tour plans for BC. In this exclusive interview with Glam-metal. Kenny talks about BC's trip to hell and back, and why Beautiful Creatures never gave up on their dream.
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Kenny, the wait is finally over. The new Beautiful Creatures album ‘Deuce’ is finally out. Tell me how is it different from the first BC album?
I think it is heavier than the first one. But I still think it is in the same spirit, as the first one also. It still sounds like BC.
The record is out in Japan too, but is a little different.
The JVC Japanese version has two different songs on it that the U.S. version. The JVC version has two ballads and they replaced the two heavier songs "Thanx" and "Brand New Day" on the States version.
I can hear some Nine Inch Nail influences on the new CD. Metal is all about letting out your aggressions. What message or aggressions were you trying to unleash on the new album? What is the theme of the album?
Well BC has been to hell and back again since we recorded this record ‘Deuce.’ You can hear all about our trip. It was really some hard times. Probably some of the hardest years I have seen in my life. I think that is where the aggression is coming from. We were all a little angry I guess.
Who did most of the writing on the album?
It was a group effort. It has always been a group effort. It comes from anywhere. If somebody comes in and they have a guitar riff, and it is good, then we use it. If somebody has a melody or lyrics, we use it. I think that is why it sounds like BC. I still believe the core of the band is there.
Definitely! The album is about real life situations. Who came up with the artwork concept?
The artwork was done by me and Shawn Reed. 
You are an artist too, that is great.
Oh yeah! There is more to this than meets the eye. I think it really hit the mark. We wanted to have a dark carnival burlesque Marti Gras kind of vibe to it, like a black circus.
Now Anthony Focx produced the album. What happened to Toby Wright?
We came off the road in 2002.There was a lot of changes. There was a label change, management change, member change. Once we got everything in place we started writing and stuff and that took some time. Once we were ready to go into the studio the first producer wasn't right, the second wasn't right, the third wasn't right. We were listening to the songs in the studio, hearing them they sounded great, but what was being recorded didn’t sound as good. It wasn't the right guy in the studio. Anthony was very disappointed and unhappy how it was sounding. So his friend Toby Wright went to visit him and asked him would you like me to take on the project, and he said sure. But Toby was actually doing another band's recording. In the meantime, Anthony has always been great producing our demos would really make things sound great. So he said hey I'm going to go ahead and get a studio, he went and bought a pro-tools rig, put it all together and Toby was coaching him. Basically lining things up when Toby was going to come in and mix. Anthony is a very meticulous person. We call him the mad scientist. He will sit on something till it is right. He put in 15 to 18 hours a day, and would stay up all night. No other producer was going to give us that much attention. He wanted it to be as best as he could. He never produced a record before. I thought he did a great job. Everything was coming out great, at the end he had a ruff mix on it. Toby was still not ready for us. So he said why don't go ahead and just mix it, I can do this. He ended up saving the record. He will polish a stone still it shines like a diamond. He wouldn't let up. We don't regret it. I truly believe Anthony has a future in recording and mixing.
That is awesome. The first single is "Anyone." I love it. Why did you pick that song? Does it have a special meaning to the band?
I think it had an anthem type vibe to it. It has a good message, it represents the band. It sounds like BC. It was kind of hard. There were alot of songs, we could have picked as a single. We just did a video for it.
Will it be on Fuse TV?
Yes, it should be out everywhere. Shawn Reed and I directed it. We kind of put our minds together and went for it.
What is your favorite tune off the new CD? I love your bass sound, it really stands out on the album.
I love” Anyone," “Thankx,” "Freedom" is really hot. Those three shine the brightest for me.
We talked in the beginning how BC has been thru so many changes over the years? Let's talk about the new line-up. You got Mark Simpson from Flotsam and Jetsam on guitar and Timmy Russell on drums? What happened to DJ Ashba, and Alex Grossi?
We came off the road in 2002. DJ left the band. We lost everything, Management, label, we had to re-build through the course of time.
What happened to Alex Grossi? He was a contributing player, him and Michael Thomas. They both contributed to the record and writing.
Now who actually played on the record? Was it Alex or Mark?
All three players played on the record. This record is where the band has been in the last years. Matt and Glen Sobel played drums. There is also a live version of "Straight To Hell." If you pick up the new Revolver Magazine, it tells you how to download that song from your that site, and that is Timmy Russel playing.
How did you meet Mark and Timmy?
It was coming to a time when we had to finalize the line -up. We needed guys that are going to be a part of the band, and be the right people for the band. You can have people come in and play on your record, people do that all the time. But to have someone that is right, that is a different story. Joe was out and heard that Mark Simpson from Flotsam and Jetsam was breaking up. We auditioned Mark and Timmy at the same time. Mark is an unbelievable guitar player. He is over the top. He plays the leads to a tee. His attitude is great, really focused. You don't have to worry about drugs or drinking. No ego. He is just a really good guy. He has been around the block. It is kind of nice. Glen Sobel had an injury to his arm, and he couldn't play for awhile. We got Timmy now.
You have been thru so many changes. How did you keep up the momentum and keep on going?
We never lost focus. This is what we do. This band is what we are. It is not like we are putting something on here. It is true. I think when you believe in something like that, it is hard to let go. We really like the band, we like what we did on our first record. We are not just gonna walk away from it. Most bands would. This is what we do because we love it. We had our obstacles and hurdles to jump, but we got through it.
Do you feel Warner Brothers Records (WBR) could have done more to promote your first album?
Well, it is great to have a big label behind you, with a bunch of money. They could have promoted it more I think. What happened, most people don't know, was there was a merger, between AOL and Time Warner. When that happened, not only did bands got cut, but there were actually people who worked for Warner Brothers for years and years that lost there jobs. We were lucky our record came out. There were bands in the studio recording in the middle of the day, and they got a call and were told- YOU CAN GO HOME NOW.
BC has played some great tours. You opened for Kiss, Marilyn Manson and played at Ozzfest.
We thank WBR for that. Yeah, it was suppose to be a bigger and better thing game plan. It didn't happen because the team was broken up with the merger. People were fired, we were suppose to tour longer. But we sold a good amount of records, and we have a good fan base. We are able to continue, some of the bands aren't able to do that. We toured Ozzfest, Rolling Rock Tour, and Marilyn Manson. We went to Japan. We did a lot. It was a good thing. A bigger label is cool, but it can end quickly. With a smaller label, you have a little bit more control. We are really happy with Spitfire. They are really cool, they are behind us. It is fun. I think that is the big key. You got to have fun. It is ROCK AND ROLL FOR CHRIST'S SAKE.
Right on! That is what it is all about. Kenny let's talk about the tour? When does it begin?
We are about to go on tour with the Genitorturers. It starts in the fall, late September early October. We are going to video all that. We will have a ton of footage from all of that. If it is good, we will put it out. We could have thrown out a crappy record long time ago. But instead, we went through the time and pain to put the record out. It is a good record. The working title for the DVD is ‘Sometimes Pretty Ain't Pretty At All.’ That is from our very first record. It's going to show the good, the bad, and the ugly.
How long will the tour last, will you come to the East Coast at all? 
It looks like the Webster is what we are playing on that end. The tour is booked till Cleveland now. It starts in LA, West Coast, Midwest, and then we go to the East Coast, Down South, and back over to L.A.
Now you recently had your record release party at the Key Club in LA? How did that go? How has the L.A. Music scene changed since BC first got started?
It was great. LA- the rock scene has never really died here. So it is cool. All our friends and fans were there. The security did a really good job. We were kind of freakin’ that it was going to be a bit crowded. Security kept it at capacity. We played the album, a bunch of time, drank all night, watched the video got onstage and jammed. We had a great time.
Now you said you are from the South. Was your family affected by the hurricane? Yeah, I have family and friends throughout New Orleans. And the whole Gulf Coast. I am watching it on TV now. Most of my family is ok. I got a couple of phone calls on a bad cell phone connection. We lost some homes down here, I think the count is up to ten homes that I know of family and friends. I am glad they are ok.
It is such a horrific disaster.
Yeah, that is where I am from. I'm from the Dirty South, girl and I am proud of it. We have played the House of Blues, Studio 90, and One Eyed Jacks out there. I loved those places. Many of those places are wiped out.
That is so sad. I feel so bad for all those people.
Yeah...
Describe the BC sound to me. I remember in our last interview you said Motorcycle rock.
Yeah, we describe it as Motorcycle Rock, cuz we really can’t think of any other way to describe it.
Do you ride a Harley?
You wouldn't want anyone of us driving anything. (Laughs) I drive a 66 Cadillac. You don't want to be on the road with any of us driving around. We have played a lot of Motorcycle events. We played last week Motorcycle Mayhem up on Fresno, California, and last month a big motorcycle rally called River Run in Laughlin, NV. We love doing that sort of thing. It’s fun, girls, bikers, the whole thing is cool.
Would you ever consider playing Ozzfest again? I went for the first time this year, and I had a blast. The bands were great in Boston, the show in CT was crazy. Total mayhem! Sure, we had a great time. I am not a big fan of the sun. It was an all day party. I love Sharon to death. She is a cool chick. I am a big fan of Ozzy. We would be out there in a minute, if they asked us.
Kenny, Any advice for aspiring musicians?
I would say get another job. No, it is a hard road and a hard thing to be part of. It doesn't matter how good you are, but it does help a lot. There is a lot of luck involved. I know talented people, more talented than me. But, it isn’t just how good you are. It is being at the right place at the right time, doing the right thing, begin real and honest, not like you are jumping on a trend. Stick to your guns, believe in what you are doing. Don't get caught up in the drugs and all the hoopla that goes with it and all of that stuff that goes along with being a Rock Star. If you are a Rock Star, let someone else tell you that you are a Rock Star, don't go around telling people that you are.
Thanks Kenny for doing this exclusive interview with me for Glam-metal. The new record is awesome. Hope to see you and Beautiful Creatures on the road soon
Thank you.
For more on Beautiful Creatures check out www.beautifulcreatures.net
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