Beautiful Lies

"Beautiful Lies is bringing the Alt/Indie/Rock and they're bringing it hard." - The Berklee Groove

"Their style is on the more mellow side with well-sung pleasant lead vocals and harmonies. That's not to say that's all there is: some dissonance and grit is thrown in especially on the guitar level... There is a good level of energy here throughout... fans of alternative pop should check these guys out." - The Noise - Boston

"An across-the-board mix of songs from a promising alternative pop/rock band... Words Are All We Have is stylistically far-reaching, but shows that Beautiful Lies has great promise." - Independent Clauses

If there is one thing to be said about Beautiful Lies' album, Yeah, Finally, it is fun to listen to. The indie, powerpop quartet combines a great musical sensibility with edgy lyrics. The album begins with "The End," a fiery song about a disaster of a relationship. "Running Down the Aisles" is infectious and will have you singing along, while "Untitled" is fun with its cutting insults. "Better Days" is a rock tune with ballad-like verses, lush vocal harmonies on the chorus, and a catchy guitar hook. The hard-driving, "The Answer is Always C," will make you want to mosh. "A Girl Like Jenna" is pop punk with a quirky synth line and a memorable chorus. On "Runaway," the band exhibits a full rock sound, while the vocals soar. "So Far From Home" kind of has a Beatles feel and showcases Beautiful Lies' great sense of pop rock. On "Duloxetine," the band is very effective with building, exploding, and declining the musical texture. Overall, excellent album! - LooseyLucy's Headquarters

"The energy from the crowd seemed to climax during the band's classic electric rock performance." - Tastemakers Magazine

Awesome alternative indie rock band from Boston, Beautiful Lies, are coming to Croatia on to their European tour, in no more or less than in four cities! First on their list is Zagreb, then Varaždin, Rijeka and Našice.

During their shows in Croatia they will be supported by local bands and also by a great indie acoustic band from Germany- Cargo city.

You can say it's pretty "light", some indie/acoustic powerpop in style of Weezer, Posies, Teenage Fanclub etc. and we believe that the fans of this music will enjoy their music and have a great time with these amazing guys. - US Affiliates Community in Croatia

Each week, we take a look though our Sonicbids dropbox and let a band tell us about themselves. This week, get to know Beautiful Lies. You can catch them at Church on Saturday Night.

Band Name:
Beautiful Lies

Members:
Zach McLean: Vocals/Guitar/Keys (Indiana)
Nick McLean: Vocals/Guitar/Keys (Indiana)
Alex Rossiter: Bass/Vocals (Massachusetts)
Dave Widaman: Drums/Vocals (California)

Releases:
Words Are All We Have (2007)

Website:
www.myspace.com/beautifulliesmusic

How did you form?

A little over a year ago Nick (my brother) and I (Zach) decided to get a band together that wanted to play the poppy alternative rock influenced originals that we'd written over the years. We asked 2 of our really good and really talented friends (Alex, and Dave) to play bass and drums. We all liked the same music, and were all good friends so it was an easy match. Everyone writes music, sings, and plays their instrument well, so it is easy to understand what everyone is doing when we play.

Who are some of your influences?

Bands like Weezer, Pixies, Beck, Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World, Nirvana and a lot of 90's alt rock really influence the overall sound of the band. As far as other influences in our writing, or just music we love listening to, any classic pop rock band like the Beatles, Elton John, Billy Joel. We listen to a lot of electronica too from Nine Inch Nails to Justice, or even pop like Justin Timberlake or Hip-Hop like Jay Z.

Finish the sentence: Someone would like your band if they like...

...a good time. It sounds lame maybe but we really are just interested in people having fun at our shows or listening to our music. We don't take ourselves too seriously. We're just a group of guys that gets the most enjoyment out of playing as often as possible for anyone who wants to hear.

What has your most memorable moment as a band been?

Our recent European Tour was full of really good memories, whether it was the sights and sounds or the groups of awesome fans in each city. I think the easiest way to sum it up would be the feeling I got as I was in each city realizing that "our music is the reason that we are here." Sure we could have visited these places in a tourist group or whatever, but we got to see a different side of places and people because of the whole tour aspect of the trip. It really was a dream come true to be able to do that.

Walk us through your songwriting process...

The typical Beautiful Lies song is written by either of us and than brought to the band for the final touches. Nick, Alex, Dave and I each have our own way of writing, but when we bring it into the rehearsal, it comes out a Beautiful Lies song. Personally, I come in with the chords, melody and lyrics ready, play through the song by myself once and say "ok, let's all play it." Normally, after the first time through we all get it and just start adding layers and layers.

The songs change every time we play them too, We add little things here and there to everything when we play live, just to have fun with the song and keep the shows different.

Who is the best musician in your band?

I think everyone is great, no one ever has to say "hey man, don't play it like that" or tell the other person how to do their part. I think the feeling of equality and community is what helps us stay creative, we leave the egos at the door. Every show, Nick, Alex or Dave will play something that makes me go "that's awesome."

What is your favorite local venue?

That's really hard to decide because each one really is different. The opportunity to play an intimate Paradise Lounge show, or a heavier rock show at the Middle East Downstairs, or a party style show at Church and have them all be different and of quality is really a testament to the Boston music scene. You can see good music any night of the week at any venue. The Avalon (while closed for now) TT the Bears, Bill's Bar, Great Scott, Afterhours, BU Central... (haha i don't want to leave any out!) all are great venues.

What separates you from other local bands?

I think we're the kind of band that people want to go see if they are in the mood for an entertaining show with poppy vocals, sing-along choruses, a sense of humor, and a quality performance by four guys that are really serious about what they do but just want to have a good time. We want to play anywhere, everywhere, acoustic or electric, or mixed, or whatever, and we are going to give a good performance no matter the circumstances. Having a band full of multi-instrumentalists, writers, and vocalists helps with a diversity in songwriting and performance, and each show is a little different in a good way.

I think our drive is really strong in the sense that it has gotten us through 2 tours of the eastcoast, mid-atlantic, and midwest, and through a 3 week long trek through Europe that brought us to 7 countries in 15 shows in 18 days. We were the first American band to ever play in Nacise, Croatia. We're all proud to know no one can ever take that away.

What do you have coming up that people should know about?

We have the opportunity to open up for The Click Five at Cafe 939 April 26th, and we're also playing shows all summer through out New England and the midwest. We're going back into the studio to do another album too, we're always busy!

Convince our readers to see your next show...

If you don't get there early, you'll have to stand behind a bunch of screaming girls... - Boston Music Spotlight

Our panel kept coming back to this tune. Lyrics are clever, bridge is very catchy, band looks cool. We were debating back and forth and then said... "One thing" is pretty clear... they deserve to be a Reel Contender. - Independent Artists Company

"an eclectic sound for a rock band mixing in synth and violin to their tunes, giving it a rich full sound." - Emergenza

"They do very well with the acoustic 'Running Down the Aisles.' The vocals mesh with the acoustics in a way that makes you feel like you're chilling with some buddies, just passing around the guitar and seeing who can play the best. And there is always that one kid that is, for some reason, better than everyone else. That is who Beautiful Lies is." - Absolutepunk.net