Beautiful Mess

Jacksonville lost a great band when Beautiful Mess moved to the A-T-L.
Of course, we can hardly blame them. The likelihood of an underground outfit getting noticed by the deep-pocketed industry folk is much stronger in Georgia than it is in Florida, which is how it’s always been.

It’s a damn shame (and we’re doing everything we can to change it) but oh well. That’s a whole other story.

The power trio hadn’t been back to the Sunshine State in many moons, which is why their recent show at Jackrabbits made for such a triumphant homecoming. They had new songs to share and new friends to show off, with fellow Atlanta acts Second Shift and The Swear bolstering the bill.

The Swear kicked the evening off and defined the word ‘rock’ with powerful chords and intense lyrics, not to mention a classic, uniform appearance. They took the stage with a very aesthetically pleasing presentation, wearing mostly black and the occasional splash of red. Putting further accent on their stellar setup is Elizabeth Elkins, who delivers each word with impressive conviction. The women has a stentorian voice and a damn near clichéd rock edge, but it appears to be nothing but genuine. The Swear are a staple in the Atlanta Music Scene and with more touring they’ll surely be garnering the same respect across the nation.

The next band to take the stage at Jackrabbits was Second Shift, and unlike The Swear, uniformity in appearance was definitely not one of the first things you noticed about these guys. In fact it was quite the opposite. Second Shift is one of those acts where each member of the band seems to be doing their own thing, yet they come together well and produce a unique, fun, and harmonic sound. Every member of the band had a bit of flashy personality to draw you in, and frontman Jonathan Baker was no exception. The lead singer comes blessed with that special something, his charisma on stage leaving the men in awe and the women wanting to throw their panties at him.

As the band started their set my attention was focused on Baker, whose lanky stature and moves originally reminded me of STP and Velvet Revolver front man Scott Weiland. As the set went on I saw remnants of other slender rock legends like Steven Tyler and Mick Jagger. I think this hybrid stage presence of legends past will insure Baker of a fruitful career, with the capability to become a mainstay on the scene for years to come.

Then, finally, it was time. The long awaited homecoming of Beautiful Mess was imminent. The trio handled it like seasoned pros, with witty commentary beginning the moment they began their sound check and continuing all the way throughout the show. The band took control of the audience before they even knew what hit them. The group played all of their hits, including the always popular sing-a-long Great Dayne, and two new songs as well, with both tracks packing clever lyrics and catchy beats. However, the songs are still under construction, and yet to be named. I suppose Beautiful Mess fans will be just have to wait before they can memorize these sing-a-longs…

It was a flawless live act. Mike LaSage, Chris Blais, and Andy Boesnecker were all in tip-top form, confidently luring in the audience with their banter and bringing them even further in with their sound, which is unmatched.

The culmination of the evening was Beautiful Mess’ final song. The band invited all the other artists on stage for a jam session and collaborative rendition of “Sweet Home Alabama.” The crowd clapped and sang along, punctuating a spectacular evening with a little bit of southern twang.

So, although Jacksonville may have lost Beautiful Mess to the “New York City of the South,” at least they didn’t lose them to the north. That would have been a tragedy of Mason-Dixon proportions, without any sweet tea to soften the blow.

We just couldn’t have handled that!

-Emily Smith - Break Thru Radio

Local band Beautfiul Mess have made quite an impact in the short time they’ve been together. In the three years since they began they’ve managed to make a name for themselves not only on the Jacksonville circuit but pretty much any where in Florida. Their hard work and endless trekking around the state is paying off as evidenced by their debut album, Waiting for the Naked.

Waiting for the Naked is a glossy well produced affair that almost reads like a book. It’s thirteen tales of a band living the rock n’ roll lifestyle while wondering around on the road doing what they love. It’s nothing terribly new but lyricist and front man Michael LaSage does a great job of setting a scene. He manages to twist his words into all sorts of shapes and create some vivid imagery that sticks. He definitely has a knack for painting a picture in your mind and several of his verses come off as being very poetic and thoughtful.

As for the songs themselves they are slicker than oil and sound immaculately pieced together. To say they aren’t radio ready would be an understatement of the highest order. This record is ready to break; it just needs that one little push and, BOOM.

Waiting for the Naked yearns to be on your stereo. Its soaring choruses and piano led songs want to be a part of your life. It’s an album of big dreams and huge songs. It is an album that proves that Beautiful Mess isn’t an unorganized mess at all but a well oiled machine able to crank out super catchy pop/rock songs at the drop of a hat. It’s almost as if Weezer, OKGO, and Phantom Planet were involved in an accident and out came Waiting for the Naked.

"Go Kart," "Four Squares," and "Great Dayne," are perfect examples of Beautiful Mess’ knack for writing great pop songs. They are as catchy as the flu and sound stadium ready. You can sing along to them, you can dance to them, but one thing you can’t do is ignore them. They are the sort of songs that girls swoon too and make guys jealous.

Beautiful Mess’ Waiting for the Naked is a record on the verge of something bigger. Its thirteen songs are like viruses that are leaked onto the internet. They’ll sneak their way into your head and drive you crazy. Who knows what’s next for Beautiful Mess but my guess is they won’t be waiting long for what ever it is.

-Paul Zimmerman
- First Coast News

Remember the kiss-ass kid in grade school, the overachiever who, if the assignment was a simple oral presentation, would prepare a full-color transparency for the projector and pass out Xeroxed handouts? Jacksonville-based pop-rock band Beautiful Mess is kind of like that kid - just cooler and drunker.
Rather than distributing the usual CD-and-band-bio press kit to record labels (and alt newsweeklies), Mike LaSage, Andy Boesenecker, and Chris Blais spent hours defacing, then personalizing second hand Trivial Pursuit games to create a functional board game/press package. The message they intend to send to major labels is obvious: We want this more than other bands. It remains to be seen whether the goofy idea pays off. A few questions found in the game:

Question: The guys from Beautiful Mess originally met:
Answer: It's all kind of a blur at this point.
No matter how rigorous or concentrated Beautiful Mess' three years of rocking, touring, and boozing have been, it's unlikely that they would be unable to recall the details of their bands' inception. But a response like this allows the droll threesome to concoct any number of tongue-in-cheek stories.
"Well, we were all part of a traveling sex show," jokes lead singer and guitarist LaSage, "but we are all horrible in the sack. So, we were doing a show in Lincoln, Neb., and we all got canned at the same time. Then we realized we couldn't be nearly as bad at playing music as we were at having sex, so we started a band."
The real story is far less lascivious. Roughly three years ago, when all three members still lived in Orlando, drummer Boesenecker responded to an ad Lasage had posted on Orlando Weekly's message board. Shortly thereafter, they recruited bass player Blais from another band and the rest is history. After several disastrous attempts at getting a fourth member, they've decided an iPod best fills the spot, as it "rarely talks back."

Q: Beautiful Mess was influenced by:
A: Sadly enough, all of the above (Wham!, Neil Diamond, and Tiny Tim).
A questionable response. But with songs that range from saccharine-sweet synth-pop to rhythmically driven Strokes-like rock, the Beautiful Mess sound is almost as diverse as the three acts they credit as influences. The fact that the highly polished, indie rock vibe of their 2005 release "Waiting for the Naked" covers a number of musical bases makes if feel calculated or, let's say, major-label ready. This isn't a bad thing. Songs like "Four Squares" and B-Rated Cult Classic" are slick, catchy hits in the making.

Q: When touring, the favorite pastime of Beautiful Mess is:
A: Playing the "Blood Alcohol Level Game."
Yeah, these guys do plenty of drinking. At home, the members of Beautiful Mess are practically celebrities at local dives. At McB's on Jacksonville's Southside, they order "the usual," and the woman who hosts the weekly Karaoke, contest ($25 grand prize) plays Beautiful Mess songs between performances. Another favorite hang is Die Rich Club on University Boulevard, a place whose gruff Eastern European demeanor and warrior-and-dragon-muraled walls "feel as though you are taking your life into your own hands just by ordering a Budweiser," says LaSage.

Q: Beautiful Mess is best known for:
A: Their ability to entertain anyone.
This one's true. But while Beautiful Mess has broad appeal, the band does have a target audience: psycho chicks age 18-30. From being drugged by strippers to being terrorized by young girls for rebuffing advances, these guys have fans to tell about their primarily female fan base. After a show at San Marco's Jackrabbit's, for instance, LaSage was approached by two girls, once who was trying to convince him to kiss the other. When he refused, she punched him in the jaw. He made it to his car, but it wasn't long before the girls rammed into the back of his car, then followed him home. Eventually, the cops were called and the girls moved on.

Q: When you see Beautiful Mess live:
A: Expect them to rock your socks right off.

-Gwynedd Stuart - Folio Weekly