Friends share a lot of things: food, living spaces, sometimes deodorant. Ewww, ok, let's forget about that one. But they also often like the same bands. Case in point? Jennifer Aniston and her BFFs Courteney Cox and David Arquette have been big fans of L.A. rock trio Crash Kings (lead singer Tony Beliveau, his brother, bassist Mike Beliveau, and drummer Jason Morris) for years. The guys released their eponymous debut disc last year, so I decided to give Tony a buzz to see what else they've got going on and about their run-ins with the local glitteratti. Wanna know more? Visit crashkingsmusic.com.
UsMagazine.com: I noticed on your MySpace that you have a very busy touring schedule. Where is your favorite place to perform?
Tony Beliveau: Where? In the whole country? Gosh that is hard. Maybe in the U.S., it might be the Showbox at the Market in Seattle. There is just an incredible vibe in the room; we have a great fan base there. They have been a great venue and so good to us. We just played last night actually at the Higher Ground in Burlington, VT, and that was pretty incredible.
US: I know stars like David Arquette and Courteney Cox are fans of your music. Do you ever see them outside of shows?
TB: Yeah. David got interested in our music in March or April of 2009. We met at a party and he was just a big fan, and he introduced our music to Courteney and Jennifer and the like. Then I started hanging out with all of them, and we became pretty good friends. I was talking with David when we were in Boston one time, and we were talking about doing another music video for a different song, and he was like 'oh you got to let me do that! Let's do it!'
US: That's so cool. Have you made any further plans for the video?
TB: We have gotten a lot of hits on it, but we are always on the road. A lot of our fans enjoy our video, so we are really happy with it.
US: What do you think draws celebrities to listen to your music?
TB: We are a live band. We don't keep backing tracks with computers. We are a more traditional style. We have a really good foundation on our instruments. We like to write songs that can kind of reach the masses, and kind of hook people in. Different elements like, for instance, we don't have any guitar on the record or live so that we are sort of a different sound. We don't have guitar, so the piano is more of the feature instrument of the band. I think those things combined lets us reach a broad audience while still having an original sound that the people can relate to. Also, we use vintage sounds and have a more classic visual and sound.
US: Like you said, Jennifer Aniston is a fan. What is she like to hang out with?
TB:I just know she is friends with Courteney and David. I've seen her with them, but that's all!
US: Do you ever go over to Courteney and Davids house?
TB: Yeah!
US: Have you met Coco? What is she like?
TB: She is an amazing, young child. She has a lot of energy and runs around. She is just a kid. She's awesome.
US: Your brother, Mike, is the bassist. Is there any sibling rivalry?
TB: Well ya know, as there is with any band, there is always some rivalry. When you become a band, you kind of become brothers. We have that, but we have always had that. We get along for the most part. The biggest thing for us is that we relate so well musically and that is really the most important thing. As a band we are really all brothers. There is no drama usually. We just try to keep it cool.
US: Do you think it is easier to connect with Mike because he is part of your family?
TB: Mike and I have been playing since we were little kids, really, so we have had that connection from a young age. So yeah, I think that definitely. I think that also the hours we have spent together practicing have really helped us, and we are still always improving and working on it to make things better. There is definitely a connection we have that I have not found with a lot of other musicians. I've found that with our drummer as well, which is really rare. I think that once you find that it's really special and you have to hang on to it.
US: What is the story behind the name of the band?
TB: My brother Mike came up with the name of the band. It is something that relates to the fact that we were accident-prone. My brother was driving through a canyon in Los Angeles and he almost got into an accident. And the week before I had gotten in a wreck. So he was sort of thinking 'hey, we are going to be known as ‘Crash Kings’ so we took it a step further and thought, 'hey, it could be fun to take it a step further.' We started showing up at our friends' parties unannounced with our instruments and stuff and just start playing so that no one would know that we were going to show up. We would just have minimal setup and start playing.
US: What is the best way to get into the band?
TB: Definitely come to our show because that is where we shine the most!
By Ian Drew for UsMagazine.com. To read more of Ian's blog, click here, and don't forget to follow him on Twitter.
