Kenny Kweens
Encyclopedia
Kenny Kweens is an American
musician
who is best known for his nine-year tenure as bassist in the hard rock
band Beautiful Creatures
. In 2009, Kweens left the group and joined L.A. Guns (fronted by Phil Lewis
), replacing previous bassist Scott Griffin
. However, in 2011, Kweens departed, replaced by Griffin.
Prior to joining Beautiful Creatures, Kweens was a member of Shake the Faith, No. 9, Diamond Star Halo and Melody Black while in 2008 he formed his own solo project titled Villains of Vaudeville.
by singer David Aragon in 1994, which featured former Black 'n Blue
and current Kiss
guitarist Tommy Thayer
. They released one album, America the Violent in 1994. The group changed their name to No. 9 and recorded a CD for Hi/Fi/Sire Records
titled Greatest Hits which was bought out by Geffen
, however the group disbanded before its release.
Both groups had music featured on television shows such as The Real World
, Road Rules
, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Mad About You
.
guitarist DJ Ashba
and Bang Tango
singer Joe Lesté formed Beautiful Creatures adding Kweens, guitarist Anthony Focx and drummer Glen Sobel. The group released Beautiful Creatures
in 2001 through Warner Bros.
, and, after some lineup changes, Deuce
in 2005 through JVC
/Spitfire Records
. In 2009, Kweens departed the group.
Beautiful Creatures also toured and supported and number of acts such as Kiss
, Genitorturers
, Stephen Pearcy
of Ratt
, Faster Pussycat
while they have also performed at festivals such as Ozzfest
and Rocklahoma
.
A number of songs by the group have featured on soundtracks for films such as Valentine
, Rollerball, The Proposal
and also television series such as Smallville
and Sons of Anarchy
.
or album
was planned for release at the end of 2008 but failed to materialise. With his involvement with L.A. Guns, it is unknown if there will be any new material released in the near future.
in the Phil Lewis
fronted L.A. Guns. In January 2011, Kweens departed the band, with Griffin returning to the lineup.
Beautiful Creatures
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
who is best known for his nine-year tenure as bassist in the hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Beautiful Creatures
Beautiful Creatures (band)
Beautiful Creatures are a hard rock band formed in 1999 by guitarist DJ Ashba, formerly of BulletBoys, and singer Joe Lesté of Bang Tango. The group's current lineup is composed of Lesté , Delta Starr , Anthony Focx , Lance Eric and Justin Sandler...
. In 2009, Kweens left the group and joined L.A. Guns (fronted by Phil Lewis
Phil Lewis
Phil Lewis is an English vocalist for the American glam metal band named L.A. Guns, He was born on January 9, 1957 in London, England.Prior to joining L.A. Guns Lewis also worked with Girl , New Torpedos, and Tormé. While temporarily out of L.A...
), replacing previous bassist Scott Griffin
Scott Griffin (bassist)
Scott Griffin is an American musician who is best known as the bassist for L.A. Guns. In 2007, Griffin was announced as the bassist for L.A. Guns, having previously played in Dizzy Reed's cover band Hookers N' Blow, replacing Adam Hamilton....
. However, in 2011, Kweens departed, replaced by Griffin.
Prior to joining Beautiful Creatures, Kweens was a member of Shake the Faith, No. 9, Diamond Star Halo and Melody Black while in 2008 he formed his own solo project titled Villains of Vaudeville.
Shake the Faith, No. 9 (1994)
Kweens joined the group Shake the Faith, formed in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
by singer David Aragon in 1994, which featured former Black 'n Blue
Black 'N Blue
Black 'n Blue is a Hard rock band from Portland, Oregon. The current members are singer Jaime St. James, guitarist Shawn Sonnenschein, guitarist Jeff Warner, bassist Patrick Young, and drummer Pete Holmes.-History:...
and current Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
guitarist Tommy Thayer
Tommy Thayer
Tommy Cunningham Thayer is an American musician and songwriter best known as the lead guitarist for the American hard rock band Kiss.- Early life :...
. They released one album, America the Violent in 1994. The group changed their name to No. 9 and recorded a CD for Hi/Fi/Sire Records
Sire Records
Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
titled Greatest Hits which was bought out by Geffen
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
, however the group disbanded before its release.
Both groups had music featured on television shows such as The Real World
The Real World
The Real World is a reality television program on MTV originally produced by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray. First broadcast in 1992, the show, which was inspired by the 1973 PBS documentary series An American Family, is the longest-running program in MTV history and one of the...
, Road Rules
Road Rules
Road Rules was an MTV reality show that debuted on July 19, 1995. The series, which was MTV's second reality show after The Real World followed six strangers between the ages of 18 and 24 after stripping them of their money and putting them on an RV traveling from location to location only guided...
, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Mad About You
Mad About You
Mad About You is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 23, 1992 to May 24, 1999. The show starred Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a newly married couple in New York City. Reiser played Paul Buchman, a documentary film maker. Hunt played Jamie Stemple Buchman, a public relations specialist...
.
Beautiful Creatures (2000–2009)
In 1999, BulletBoysBulletBoys
BulletBoys is an American hard rock group formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1987. The group's original lineup was composed of former Ratt guitarist/King Kobra lead vocalist Marq Torien , former King Kobra guitarist Mick Sweda, Lonnie Vencent and Jimmy D'Anda...
guitarist DJ Ashba
DJ Ashba
Daren Jay "DJ" Ashba is an American musician, producer, songwriter and CEO of Ashba Media. He is the lead guitarist in Guns N' Roses and Sixx:A.M. He is also known for his work with hard rock bands BulletBoys and Beautiful Creatures...
and Bang Tango
Bang Tango
Bang Tango is an American funk-infused hard rock and glam metal band.-Biography:The band formed in 1987 in Los Angeles, California and were signed to MCA Records that same year. The band's line-up has fluctuated since its inception, with the one mainstay of the group being frontman Joe Lesté...
singer Joe Lesté formed Beautiful Creatures adding Kweens, guitarist Anthony Focx and drummer Glen Sobel. The group released Beautiful Creatures
Beautiful Creatures (album)
Beautiful Creatures is the first album released by the band Beautiful Creatures. It was released in 2001 under the Warner Bros. label.-Track listing:# "1 A.M."# "Wasted"# "Step Back"# "Ride"# "Wish"# "Kick Out"# "Blacklist"# "Kickin' For Days"...
in 2001 through Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, and, after some lineup changes, Deuce
Deuce (Beautiful Creatures Album)
Deuce is the second album released by the band Beautiful Creatures. It was released in 2005 under the Spitfire label.-Track listing:All tracks by Beautiful Creatures#"Anyone" – 2:40#"Freedom" – 2:56#"Unforgiven" – 3:53#"Save Me" – 3:28...
in 2005 through JVC
Victor Entertainment
is a subsidiary of Japan Victor Company that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It was formerly known as...
/Spitfire Records
Spitfire Records
Spitfire Records was a subdivision of Eagle Rock Entertainment located in New York, United States.In September 1998, Paul Bibeau founded, launched and rapidly developed Spitfire Records Inc. from a two-man operation located in his home bedroom in suburban Long Island, New York, to one of the...
. In 2009, Kweens departed the group.
Beautiful Creatures also toured and supported and number of acts such as Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, Genitorturers
Genitorturers
The Genitorturers are an industrial metal/industrial rock band from the United States, with influences extending into the 1990s hardcore punk and electronic music. They proclaim themselves to be "The World's Sexiest Rock Band".-History:...
, Stephen Pearcy
Stephen Pearcy
Stephen Erica Pearcy is the lead singer of the 80's metal band Ratt. He has also been in the bands Arcade, Vicious Delite, Vertex, Nitronic, and Band From Hell...
of Ratt
Ratt
Ratt is an American heavy metal band that had significant commercial success in the 1980s. The band is best known for songs such as "Round and Round," "Wanted Man," "Lay It Down," "You're in Love", "Slip of the Lip", "Back For More", "Dance", "Body Talk", "I Want a Woman", and "Way Cool Jr." Ratt...
, Faster Pussycat
Faster Pussycat
Faster Pussycat is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1986. The group was most successful during the late 1980s with their self-titled debut album, their 1989 gold album Wake Me When It's Over and the 80,000 selling Whipped! in 1992.-The roots of Faster Pussycat...
while they have also performed at festivals such as Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
and Rocklahoma
Rocklahoma
Rocklahoma is an annual hard rock music festival held in Pryor, Oklahoma...
.
A number of songs by the group have featured on soundtracks for films such as Valentine
Valentine (film)
Valentine is a 2001 horror film directed by Jamie Blanks, and starring Denise Richards, David Boreanaz, Marley Shelton, Jessica Capshaw, Hedy Burress, and Katherine Heigl. It is a slasher film with a Valentine's Day theme...
, Rollerball, The Proposal
The Proposal (film)
The Proposal is a 2009 American romantic comedy film set in Sitka, Alaska. Directed by Anne Fletcher and written by Peter Chiarelli, the film features Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds as the leading roles, with Mary Steenburgen, Betty White, and Craig T. Nelson in supporting roles...
and also television series such as Smallville
Smallville
Smallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...
and Sons of Anarchy
Sons of Anarchy
Sons of Anarchy is an American television drama series created by Kurt Sutter about the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in Charming, a fictional town in Northern California...
.
Villains of Vaudeville (2008–present)
In early 2008, bassist Kenny Kweens started his own project titled Villains of Vaudeville with 3 songs posted on the official myspace produced by Tracy Swider, of Hate Times Nine, and mixed and mastered by BC bandmate Anthony Focx. An EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
or album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
was planned for release at the end of 2008 but failed to materialise. With his involvement with L.A. Guns, it is unknown if there will be any new material released in the near future.
L.A. Guns (2009–2011)
In July 2009, Kweens was announced as the replacement for the departed Scott GriffinScott Griffin (bassist)
Scott Griffin is an American musician who is best known as the bassist for L.A. Guns. In 2007, Griffin was announced as the bassist for L.A. Guns, having previously played in Dizzy Reed's cover band Hookers N' Blow, replacing Adam Hamilton....
in the Phil Lewis
Phil Lewis
Phil Lewis is an English vocalist for the American glam metal band named L.A. Guns, He was born on January 9, 1957 in London, England.Prior to joining L.A. Guns Lewis also worked with Girl , New Torpedos, and Tormé. While temporarily out of L.A...
fronted L.A. Guns. In January 2011, Kweens departed the band, with Griffin returning to the lineup.
Discography
Shake the Faith- America the Violent (1994)
Beautiful Creatures
- Beautiful CreaturesBeautiful Creatures (album)Beautiful Creatures is the first album released by the band Beautiful Creatures. It was released in 2001 under the Warner Bros. label.-Track listing:# "1 A.M."# "Wasted"# "Step Back"# "Ride"# "Wish"# "Kick Out"# "Blacklist"# "Kickin' For Days"...
(2001) - DeuceDeuce (Beautiful Creatures Album)Deuce is the second album released by the band Beautiful Creatures. It was released in 2005 under the Spitfire label.-Track listing:All tracks by Beautiful Creatures#"Anyone" – 2:40#"Freedom" – 2:56#"Unforgiven" – 3:53#"Save Me" – 3:28...
(2005)
Songs
Villains of Vaudeville- The Devil is Waiting (3:44)
- Plastic Jesus (3:13)
- Demolition Baby (2:59)