The Beauties Interview: SXSW 2010

The Beauties aren't your average house band. There's nothing generic or stale about their twang-filled barnburners, which pipe out of Toronto's Dakota Tavern every Sunday when the group takes up their weekly residency. Now backed by Six Shooter Records, the talented lot is planning on taking their rocking routine on the road to this year's SXSW festival. Singer-guitarist Shawn Creamer spoke to Spinner about the band's beloved drinking hole, which he happens to co-own, and the strange day he bumped into Bono.

Describe your sound in your own words.

Pretty rock 'n' roll -- we wear Hank Williams, Lou Reed and the Pixies on our sleeve.

How did you come up with your name?

Darin McConnell [singer-guitar] thought it was kind of funny because at the time we didn't have anybody good-looking in the band. Now we have a good looking bass player, he's the only one though, the only heartthrob.

How did your band form?

It sort of came out of all of us being at the Dakota Tavern [in Toronto], we all either worked there or hung out there. The first bunch of shows was actually us backing up other people, that's how we did it.

What are your musical influences?

Originally when we started out we were a little bit more rootsy, more like Ernest Tubb and Johnny Cash. But as of late, it's a lot more Velvet Underground, Pixies, Black Keys.

What's your biggest vice?

What gets us into trouble is still acting like we're teenagers. We're way too old to be staying up as late as we do. All the dark secrets are sort of encompassed in that not-going-to-bed-until-8AM thing.

What's in your festival survival kit?

iPods, flasks filled with bourbon ... anti-bacterial hand cream.

Who was your first celeb crush?

Farrah Fawcett. I had her on a shirt at a fairly young age. I really, really wanted that shirt. It was baby blue and it had an iron-on of Farrah in that famous onesie. I think I was seven.

Beatles or Stones?
Absolutely Stones, hands down. I'm actually playing in a Rolling Stones tribute band with Ron Sexsmith tonight.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced on tour?

We were playing in Montreal, and I'd stayed up until 8AM again. You know that guy, [Spencer Tunick], who's a famous photographer that takes photos of thousands of naked people all in one weird place? Well, I was staying in a hotel near Place des Arts and walked around the corner and walked into about 5,000 people lying there naked and it was completely quiet. It screwed my head up, I had no idea what I was looking at it. Someone tried to stop me but I had to catch a plane so I walked into the hotel and it went from bad to worse because I walked right into Bono -- I couldn't convince myself I was awake.