By Linda Selick-Stockmaster (5/4/00)
I first saw The Beautys about two years ago, when The Loft was still letting weirdos and no-goods hang out there. This band took me by surprise. I was new here, from near Cleveland, Ohio, and my perceptions of Fort Wayne involved cornfields, basketball and little else. The Beautys were the first of a few Fort Wayne bands that have impressed me. I found them to be a spirited band that lambastes the crowd throughout their performance. They are caustic, without being killjoy, offbeat and pure fun.
I occasionally see a local band that is every bit as good, if not better, than any national act I have seen. Ronald Koal, from Columbus, Ohio, was every bit as good as David Bowie. The Floyd Band, punk rockers from Cleveland, are every bit as good as The Ramones. The Beautys are definitely one of these bands. A band you walk away from thinking, "It just doesn't get much better than this." Chica Baby, the animated focal point of the band, is funny, raunchy and the epitome of punk rock.
"I got a guitar when I was 16," said Chica Baby. "My mom bought me a Fender Mustang, but I just left it out on my bed because I didn't know what power it had. Eventually, I was sorta grafted into it, because it was so noisy. You really can't ignore an electric guitar when it is plugged in."
The Beautys are Chica Baby on vocals and guitar, Erick on bass and Salsa Dave on drums. Five years ago, Chica and Erick moved to Fort Wayne from southern Indiana. Chica Baby had enjoyed some success touring America with her former band, an all-girl trio called The Smears. Erick was a Smears groupie who was more than happy to join Chica in her move to Fort Wayne. Various musician changes brought The Beautys to the lineup they have today, which includes Fort Wayne native Salsa Dave.
"Fort Wayne ... it's great, it's fertile," said Chica Baby. "There are so many good bands. Fort Wayne is like this black cave somewhere, cut out from anything else, and the bands just sorta mutate in freaky ways, and just, like, come up with their own spin on everything. I think there is a decent music scene, for the most part, because there is nothing to do. If you wanna do anything, you have to do it yourself," she said.
"There aren't many bands that sound the same here," added Erick. "And a lot of touring bands play here, because it is centrally located." All three members of The Beautys uphold a positive attitude about other Fort Wayne bands and include Low Life and Spitface 30 among their favorite local acts. In a rare demure moment, Chica Baby asked that her photo not grace the cover of whatzup. She claims to be shy. Oh yeah, Chica ... and the girls at Showgirl are modest, right? Chica Baby, whose public image is viewed as brazen and stagy, oftentimes obnoxious, is seemingly modest and pragmatic in her affairs offstage. She holds down a regular job and enjoys art, mainly collage and sculpture, in her free time.
The Beautys have put out four 7-inch records, a 12-inch album and two CDs in their five years together. Their newest release, Hugh, a split EP with a Colorado band, The Nobodys, can be purchased locally or on the Internet at Amazon.com. Their label, Sub City, has distribution all over the world. The Beautys are also advertised in the national publication Maximum Rockandroll, a magazine that is notorious among lovers of underground music. Hugh is an awesome piece of work that has received rave reviews since its release. It is dedicated to The Queers' drummer, who died of brain cancer. A portion of the proceeds goes to cancer survivor support. Erick played with The Queers for a time. The Beautys have also been positively critiqued in publications such as The LA Weekly and the prominent punk magazine, Flipside.
The Beautys will be touring America at the end of the month, continuing into May, with dates in Salt Lake City, Kansas City, St. Louis, Denver, San Antonio, Austin, Oklahoma City, Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Fort Wayne. They will also be touring with another great band, The Teen Idols, in June.
"By touring, you come to realizations and conclusions about ... America. [It] is generally just geography," said Chica Baby. "Same strip malls everywhere. I mean, you can go to a KFC in Bowling Green, and you can go to a KFC in Orange County, California. TV has made the culture so uniform. That whole thing about the East Coast and people being harsh and mean, and the West Coast people being cool and laid back ... we saw harsh and mean on the West Coast and really cool and laid back on the East Coast, so I think that whole thing is a myth," she said.
I asked Chica Baby if there is one gig that comes to mind, as being the best, ever.
"Not just one gig," she said, her face lighting up. "But a specific place: Stinkie's Peep Show in San Francisco. Every show we do there turns into this crazy, nutty, freaky scene!"
The Beautys describe their music as punk rock.
"I don't find punk rock to be restrictive at all, because I don't choose to make it restrictive," said Chica Baby.
The Beautys are the fourth band for Chica Baby, who was also in the previously mentioned Smears, Cruella Deville and Big Wig Child. Dave has played in various local bands and has been involved in the music scene for 14 years. Erick has also been playing guitar and bass for a number of years.
"It's all about the rock!", he laughed.
I talked to the band about playing in Fort Wayne. They find some humor in the dating scene at the local clubs.
"The dating game at The Backdoor, where we play a lot, is especially humorous," said Chica. "It is like, 'Do you have two legs? Can you walk on them? Okay! I am available!'"
However, the band appreciates the availability of The Backdoor for some good original bands. The Beautys stated that The Backdoor and Columbia Street West have been very supportive of the local punk rock scene. Erick thinks people should more actively support their local, all-ages, all-original local scene. "There are so many kick*** bands," he said.
Upcoming local Beautys gigs include May 16, at Columbia Street West, where they will be sharing the stage with The Henry VIII's from Austin, Texas. On May 17, The Beautys will be ripping it up with The Jackie Papers from Tampa, Florida at the Backdoor, which is located behind Modern Primitive.
"The Jackie Papers are three chicks and one guy," said Chica Baby. "Unlike what you'd expect, the guy is the singer."
If you're interested in buying any Beautys merchandise, you can do so at one of their shows.
"We would like to call particular attention to our underwear," laughed Chica.
She isn't kidding. The Beautys' merchandise includes pink thong underwear emblazoned with their logo. Other merchandise include stickers, t-shirts, CDs and more.
Chica has plans to attend college in the future, majoring in philosophy.
"It's the journey," she said, "not the destination."
Very philosophical, indeed. I have a feeling she applies this statement to her own life.
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