The spirit and style of '80s New Wave continue to thrive in music scenes around the world. North Texas' latest devotee to the genre is Fort Worth band Beauxregard, led by flashy frontman J. Quincy Romine.
Photos by JASON JANIK/Special Contributor
Beauxregard members J. Quincy Romine (in white), Ryan Rhodes (in red), Laura Toles and Jon Toles ham it up at Dolly Python.
The 31-year-old Fort Worth native brings Ian Curtis-like vocal stylings and a bit of Bowie stage sass, but he hasn't always commanded the spotlight. He neither wrote nor sang in his old band, the Trophy Club. And he didn't feel at home with that group's indie-rock material, either.
"We were known for really wheels-off shows," Romine said in a recent phone chat. "Sixty percent of our shows went horribly awry, like a comedy routine that wasn't intentional."
Two years after leaving the Trophy Club, Romine and guitarist R. Ryan Rhodes took some material they'd worked on together and started Beauxregard in 2005. Rounded out by keyboardist Laura Toles and bassist Jon Toles, the band just released EP When Balloons Were Sleeves on local upstart label Lion Dog Records.
Here's more from Romine.
Hunter Hauk Q: You said you took a two-year hiatus after quitting your last band. Why?
A: I guess it just took me a while to get the sack to wanna start a band again. But this is a lot more in line with what I like. I mean, Pavement and Yo La Tango are OK, I guess, but I'm into other things.
Q: Such as?
A: Big influences on me would be ... Oh, God, this is going to sound so generic [Laughs.] ... Velvet Underground was my most favorite band. I know that Beauxregard doesn't sound anything like the Velvet Underground, but I'm also a huge fan of things like New Order and David Bowie and Gang of Four. Seventies electro-clash, post-punk kind of stuff. I've really gravitated towards it for the last 15 years. Q: Do you guys always glam it up onstage?
A: We definitely dress the part. I'm all about it. If I had my druthers and I had my access to a wardrobe, it would be something crazy. But I don't have access to that, and I don't have the ability to sway others on my way of thinking on that. I'm like, "Seriously, guys, we need to be like a dance Gwar!" [Laughs.] But there are other people in the band.
Q: What were some of your first musical obsessions as a kid?
A: I always had an unhealthy obsession with Motown and oldies. I loved it. My parents were confused, because I had classic-rock dad and '80s country mom. They were like, "What is up with you and Buddy Holly, nerdin' out in the room?" But I'm not the only songwriter in the band. Rhodes and I have done a lot of this together.
Q: Who does what?
A: For the most part, the formula we adhere to is, he writes most of the music, and I write about 95 percent of the words. On the new EP, I think the only song I wrote the majority of is the first one. Q: Is there a full-length album coming?
A: Yes, definitely. I'm lucky enough to have found a house in Fort Worth that came with a rehearsal and recording space. So we probably have almost a full-length done already. It wouldn't take much to finish. Ideally, we'd like to try to release something later this year.
Q: But you're not sick of the EP's songs yet, right?
A: I have heard these songs a lot. [Laughs.] But I've also always been of the opinion that if you can't listen to yourself and really enjoy it, then you are doing something wrong. In theory, it should be, like, perfect music to you. [Laughs.]
Q: The music playing in your head – that kind of thing?
A: Yeah, like if you could crap out a CD from inside your body. In theory, anyway. [Laughs.] Romine says he doesn't put a lot of his own life into his lyrics. "I don't always write songs that mean a lot to me," he says. "A lot of people put the bad things in their life on paper and it becomes the blues. Most of the stuff I write isn't really even about my life." Two examples from the new EP:
"One Act Play": "It's about a guy who goes out for a walk one night and notices that he can see into a beautiful woman's bedroom. It's not so much perverse as it is obsessive. He begins to develop an obsession over time and ends up writing a one-act play. I don't write plays, and I don't spy on people."
"Hollywood Forever": "It's like music noir. It's about a young girl who dreams of being a model and actress and moving to Hollywood and conquering the world. But she falls woefully short of meeting her goals and becomes a prostitute. Natural progression there. [Laughs.] She ends up falling prey to the seedier side of life."
Beauxregard plays a CD-release show Saturday night at 10 at Hailey's, 122 Mulberry St. in Denton. With Pet Hospital and Pikahsso and Tahiti. $6 to $8. haileysclub.com. Hear some music at myspace.com/lebeauxregardchic.
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