The Most Beautiful Losers

“Up to it, down to it, damn the man who can’t do it,” the four men chant. “If you can’t do it, you oughta be nailed to it. And not let do it.” Shot glasses flash in the air and slam back on the bar, and Canton band The Most Beautiful Losers are ready to hit the stage.

Begun by its vocalist, Chris Bentley, this hard-drinking, hard-working band was originally supposed to be a foray into classic country music. It veered into rock territory as Bentley began to teach himself the electric guitar, taking cues from acts like alt-rock pioneers The Replacements, whom the band idolizes.

Right now, the Most Beautiful Losers consist of Bentley, Jeff Hyde, Dalin Jones, Sammy “Hooligan” Huff and Dave Zero.

“It’s been trial-and-error with different members over the years,” Bentley said. “I never solidified the band until about three years ago. A lot of people can’t travel or are against touring. A lot of it’s chemistry.”

Chemistry like who’s drinking, who’s fighting and what kind of night they’re having—a volatile quality the band prides itself on. “It’s a love-and-hate relationship,” said Huff. “Any moment, after one shot of whiskey, it can go to hell.”

Naturally, we’re discussing this in the bar, everyone nursing a brew. The banter continues: This blue-collar crew doesn’t take itself too seriously, but their love for music is as serious as a heart attack.

About two years ago they opened up the rock club Old Glory out of an old tattoo studio in Canton, performing house shows but never getting around to acquiring a liquor license. Dingy, dirty, and everything you love about rock and roll, the place was ultimately shut down—twice—for noise.

But where the Losers shine—where their gritty whiskey-drenched souls reside—is touring. Out-of-state performances are a favorite with the band; they cherish the moments when they can play for people they don’t know. They’ve played at the prestigious Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles and book their own two- and three-week-long tours themselves.

“Whenever you go to a place you’ve never been before and you go there the first time and nobody knows you and you go there the second time and people are singing the words to your song, it’s an amazing feeling,” Bentley said. “You’re like, ‘Holy shit, they know the words!’”

As for how they each wound up in the band, Bentley calls it a typical instance of the incestuous Canton music scene: Everybody plays in everybody else’s band. Jones was previously a bass player but switched instruments when they got desperate for a drummer. Hyde was a part of another band, met The Most Beautiful Losers and rediscovered his passion for performing. Dalin is also a member of Son of Neckbeard, another successful local band.

Huff is a former roadie who loved the band so much he attended all their shows and pestered them to allow him to join. Bentley offered to teach him how to play if he rounded up a guitar and amp.

“For three months I was allowed to play one chord per song,” Huff said.

“But he got to play in all the shows,” added Bentley.

All of the members agree that their band has substance. Bentley and the others say it’s more than liquor-soaked love songs, that they try to write more complex songs that people can identify with.

“There could be a song about stuff that my dad told me about when I was growing up. A story that might have scared me. There could a song like that,” he says. And, of course, “There could be a song about the many girls who have broken my heart.” (His birthday’s on Valentine’s Day; he considers it a curse.)

Still, “If you listen to the lyrics, you’ll hear it’s not just whiskey,” he insisted.

“We’re classified as a drinking band, but I don’t think it’s so much our music as the ability that we have to drink,” added Huff.

I admit, though, that the characterization isn’t totally misleading. Hyde occasionally takes a swig from a giant (and I mean giant) flask. When I ask him what’s in it, he peers over his glasses: “No fucking clue.”

Even the fans who consider them strictly a drinking ensemble still usually identify with a song or two. Tonight, Bentley will perform acoustic stripped-down versions of their songs, songs that get revved up after taken to the other members.

The Most Beautiful Losers’s new album, “Midnight Piranha Brothers”, will be released February 25 at Sadie Rene’s. Huff says you can really feel the chemistry of the band on this particular album. “We played so much together. This group is special,” says Bentley. “When you’re out playing in different cities every single night and when you’re going through the real crap of the tour, you become brothers.”

And though brothers do fight, at the end of the day, they do everything and anything for the love of their music — and for their faith in The Most Beautiful Losers.

And if they couldn’t do it, well, they should be nailed to it, and not let do it. - Buzzbin Magazine

The Most Beautiful Losers
Playing With Hearts
"This Canton, Ohio bar band put out a great disc with a stripped down guitar, bass and drums sound that makes the occasional banjo, dobro or harmonica they slip into the mix all the more interesting. The sound is reminiscent of Lucero or maybe Nirvana with a sense of humor. Much better than a band named after The Replacements should be.
They have a great website with music. "
Jitter- www.slackercountry.com - www.slackercountry.com

“The Most Beautiful Losers wear their hearts on their sleeves and obviously adore The Replacements and Lynyrd
Skynyrd ... they don’t cry in their beer, they spit in it!”- -
Tom Dawson - Columbus Other Paper - Columbus Other Paper

"Excellent music that makes me feel that there is still hope out there for songs written right, a little whiskey left, and dreams broken down. I would love to join this band.”- - Brendan Casey, DJ at WQKE College Radio New York
- WQKE College Radio New York

By: Derek Phillips

I grew up in the Midwest. I know how boring and awful winter can be. I know what it means to hole up in your basement for months on end, drink, and bang away on a guitar until your fingers are calloused and numb. There’s a reason the Replacements are a product of Minneapolis.

The Most Beautiful Losers hail from Canton, Ohio and have clearly spent some time chugging whiskey, banging on guitars, and listening to the Mats. If they tour with GLONO faves Two Cow Garage then you might as well lock your liquor cabinets now
- Glorious Noise / gloriousnoise.com

Hey, Fearless fans! For this Valentine’s weekend SouthSide visited several hot Chicago venues. The bands for tonight’s show at The Mutiny included The Most Beautiful Losers and The Regrets.

It was a nonstop party with this Ohio band. The first band of the night, The Most Beautiful Losers, opened Saturday’s show on a fun note. Most of their songs shared the same theme-drinking. The party atmosphere at The Mutiny was certainly established early on this evening. For instance, their latest single, Racecar, contained lyrics such as "hey it’s a glorious day for drinking."

The Most Beautiful Losers’ music featured strong percussion sounds that kept SouthSide’s feet tapping. The crowd raved over the loud gritty guitar riffs in each song. Dave Zero of The Regrets later joined the band for a couple of songs which created a more organic style to their generally electric music. Whether performing other tunes like Asshole and Water Me Down, The Most Beautiful Losers impressed everyone with the intensity of their music. By the end of the set the audience enthusiastically demanded an encore. SouthSide recommends Fearless fans to check out this band - Southside On The Town (Chicago)

..."While I've never seen the Most Beautiful Losers play, they're that kind of band. And they fall directly in the Tallboy cross-hairs: from some scrappy midwest town; they sing about getting too drunk, having horrible luck with the ladies, and general down-and-outness; they don't take themselves too seriously, but they take rocking quite seriously." - http://tallboycan.blogspot.com/2009/03/check-em-out-most-beautiful-losers.html