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beau roland band cambridge boston massachusetts country alt-country rock band music

Northern Hospitality
12-song CD
Here we have a good-natured and sometimes poignant country-rock album, which kind of puts me in mind of a gleeful John Prine backed by Dave Grisman and Jerry Garcia. The upbeat tunes are raucous and inviting (“Why I Oughta,” “Chicago Time,” “Just One”) and the best of the midtempo ballads are poignant and well rendered, with gladsome hooks (“Anastasia,” “If I Ever Come Back to St. Louis,” “Your Arms Are Gonna Carry Me Home”). The hokum-style protest tune (“229 Years”) seems a bit callow, and the addition of harmonica to tracks like “All the Alone Time” and “Where Delilah Lay” doesn’t quite come across. But, leaving these caveats aside, the ensemble playing is superb, the arrangements feel organic and natural, and the lyrics are grounded in real experiences and are affecting and memorable. (Francis DiMenno)

THE BEAU ROLAND BAND - Northern Hospitality
Heart felt, honest songs with a bit of twang layered with some of the finest pickin’ this side of the Mason Dixon line makes The Beau Roland Band a worthy retort to southern rock.

"Northern Hospitality"

The fact that no one in the band is named Beau Roland won't hinder the fact that the Beau Roland Band is the real deal. 100%, front porch foot-stompin', country music with an air of blues in their blood. Telling stories of cheatin' girls and jealous men (Where Delilah Lay), realizing what you've got (Wake Up) and even taking forays into the land of rockabilly (Just One). Top notch songwriting coupled with a great sense of humor makes "Northern Hospitality" go down as easy as your favorite cold beer.
R.I.Y.L.: Willie Nelson / Monk's Picks: Wake Up, 229 Years, Where Delilah Lay

"Northern Hospitality"

At first glance, it would be easy to dismiss The Beau Roland Band as just another folky acoustic bar band. My first exposure to them was listening online to some recordings from a live Willie Nelson Tribute where they played the classic Willie album “Red Headed Stranger” in its entirety. That alone should have been a clue that these guys are, well, a little different.

Different is the best way to describe them: a Boston band led by a Southerner, named after their frontman’s alter-ego and listing among their influences both Earnest Tubb and the Flaming Lips. Not your everyday Americana outfit.

They’ve just put out their second self–released album, “Northern Hospitality” and on closer listen you’ll find there’s a whole lot more going on here than just a laid back good time. It’s full of funny/sad observations on doomed love, life on the road, life in a small town, getting ahead, falling behind, coming, going, drinking, chasing dreams and even the death of the American ideal.

The crisp, loose, low-fi production hits the perfect balance of rollicky country, folk influenced indie pop, jazz, and swing. The guitars that drive much of the record both jangle and twang in equal measure. While the sound is unique and pretty much theirs alone, you can catch smatterings of varied influences: Uncle Tupleo, Pure Prairie League, The Beatles, Dylan, and 70s pop songs by the likes of Steven Bishop, Maria Muldaur, Loudon Wainwright and Dr Hook all come to mind.

Lead singer, songwriter, guitarist Phillip Ouellette sings these catchy little songs in an unassuming manner that belies the depth of his writing. His voice never stretches too far or hits a false note. He’s backed up very capably by bandmates Tyler Pollard on bass and vocals, Rick Dillon on guitar and mandolin, and drummer Jeremy Eagle. Together they seem to click very nicely.

My two favorite cuts are the back to back tracks, "Where Delilah Lay" - a fun little song about killing a cheating lover and "229 Years" - an epitaph to what our great nation once stood for. In that song, which has a nice Dixieland brass treatment, Ouellette manages to capture in just over four minutes what Neil Young took an entire album to say.

It’s that succinct, under-the-radar quality that makes this record so surprising and surprisingly listenable. This is an album that’s as much fun to listen to as it sounds like it was to make.

-jitter, SlackerCountry.com

THE BEAU ROLAND BAND – The Road to Witchita
The lead singer's voice is captivating, melodic, and powerful. In the spirit of Neil Young, the essence of Woody Guthrie and the embodiment of Weezer, each song is effortlessly catchy and gut-wrenching at the same time. With references to towns all over the country, Tallahassee to Wichita, this 13-song collection is a great driving record in addition. The "hard livin' woman" that comes up in the lyrics throughout the album seems pretty rough, I'd keep moving too. Much like, most of my ex-es, I'd like to avoid her too. My favorite tracks are "There's a Contrast," "Oh, Adeline" and the ramblin' instrumental "Hallelujah." The Flaming Lips cover, "You Have to be Joking" was a nice touch too, especially with Casey Abrams chipping in on lap steel. In fact, there are great players all over the place. On just about every track you can find worthy talent; Jim Zavadoski, Tyler Pollard, Phillip Ouellette and Dan Madri are all among the top musicians you'll find in this town.

- Kier Byrnes, What's Up Magazine

The Beau Roland Band - The Road To Wichita
At the core of The Beau Roland Band is singer/songwriter Phillip Ouellette. This debut release, The Road To Wichita, focuses lyrically on Ouellette's experiences living in Little Rock, Arkansas. Based in the Boston area - with no actual member named Beau Roland - the group straddles a loose plank between traditional country and indie folk. With homey acoustic ballads that waltz and sway, balanced against dragging indie pop and lo-fi alt. folk, The Road To Wichita evokes both feelings of ennui and hope. This primarily acoustic affair utilizes lazily drawn fiddle, timid banjo and subtle lap steel, along with the standard rhythm section to enhance these contemplative and reflective tunes with folksy charm. The disc's soul cover travels back to the early '90s to cop a track from The Flaming Lips ("You Have To Be Joking") and countrifies it suitably. (self-released)

- Miles of Music (Buy The Road to Wichita from Miles of Music here.)

Traveling Music:
The Beau Roland Band
By Christa Weber (Wicked Hawt Magazine)

There is music we leave on in the background of our lives and then there is the music that calls out for us to stop. To sit down. To put a fist to our mouths and focus inward, back to the memory or the fantasy of a time that seemed to stretch out forever. The sound of the Boston-based, non-eponymous Beau Roland Band is firmly entrenched in the latter category, forcing us not only to look back at the road we've traveled, but to stare down the road ahead.

Smoothly easing its way out of the genre trap, the Beau Roland Band is a little bit old-time waltz and a little bit indie pop mixed with a heavy dose of the down-home auditory aesthetics associated with classic country. It's what one who has spent any time on the road at all might call traveling music. The band's debut album, The Road to Wichita, was, in fact, inspired in part by the journeys of singer/songwriter Phillip Ouellette, a Little Rock, Arkansas native who found himself pulled in a northeasterly direction at age 19, after he, as described by Beau Roland bassist Tyler Pollard, "saw beyond his own Arkansas landscape, due in part to the influence of similarly driven Alt-Rock of the early 90's heavily penetrated by spiritual surroundings and AM candy pop."

"I moved to Boston with some other Arkansas boys to play drums a weird indie band called Slept," said Ouellette. "After that I played drums in the Control Group, the Jack McCoys, Hip Tanaka, and various other local bands. About three years ago, I started fiddling around with the guitar and did a 4-track album by myself, under the name Campaign Finance Reform."

Some of that early work was crafted in the country music tradition, but most of it fit squarely in the folk or pop genres, or some combination of the two. Ouellette went on to form a three-piece rock group named Trustus, with Pollard on drums, that drew comparisons to Pavement. At that point, Ouellette found that his songwriting had taken a decidedly country turn, which did not fit in the context of Trustus, and that he wanted to explore that.

Thus, The Beau Roland Band was formed, and came to include Jeremy Eagle on drums, Betty Widerski on fiddle, and Josh Buckley on lead guitar.

"I suppose we are out of the mainstream, only because we haven't been playing very long," said Ouellette, whose favorite song on the album is "Adenine." "Most bands around Boston, depending of course on how you define 'mainstream', are not in the mainstream. I don't think it really affects audience reactions much, maybe just the size of the audiences themselves. I guess we're counting on people coming to see us precisely because our sound isn't something people around Boston have been saturated in."

In an example of cart-before-horse, the album was recorded (in the summer of 2004 in Allston) before the band ever played a live show. Which could have been considered a shame, had not the results of those efforts turned out the unique blend of despair, hope, and easy storytelling that marks Ouellette's songwriting and composition when brought together with the fiddle, the banjo, and the steel guitar.

"I think my inspiration, what makes me want to write a song, is the challenge of conjuring up a certain feeling in the listener, something maybe they've experienced but have perhaps forgotten," he said. "I primarily write songs to make sense of my own memories; to organize all those snippets of sensory data, feelings I can't place, or places I vaguely remember but are so far away as to be otherworldly."

"Or I'll have these little bits of memories of a particular year, or occasion, but they're disjointed," he continued, "so I'll write a song around them and tie them together so they make sense. I think it helps me make sense of my past, and you must do that before you can move forward. I think I'm primarily a visual person, and a lot of my songwriting is about translating that into music."

The Road to Wichita features a primarily acoustic set of twelve original songs and one Flaming Lips cover ("You Have to Be Joking") that happens to be one of the first songs Ouellette taught himself to play on the guitar and he describes as "sad in a non-specific sort of way." To answer any questions: No, the original version isn't country, but it certainly lends itself to the transposition.

"I've been a fan of the Flaming Lips for a long time," said Ouellette. "I love their spirit, songwriting, and Wayne's vocal vulnerability. The song just seemed to work on this album."

And work it does, though the Beau Roland Band's originals offer more than enough aural transportation to stand alone. From the darkly sweet lyrics of "She Was a Hard Living Woman" and "Tryin'" to the condensation of the ennui of our age in "There's a Contrast," where phrases like "flat broke and homeless in seventy dollar jeans" inspire long daydreams, the album has the startling ability to silence the world's background noises. The tempo leans toward the slower end of the spectrum (with the notable exception of the twangy, rolling instrumental "Hallelujah") and a gentle softness that balances the relative emotional rawness of the lyrics, but is never underwhelming. Rather, the songs capture the nuances of far away landscapes that, for many of us, will forever remain a mystery.

And, according to Pollard, that almost visual aura is one reason that the Beau Roland Band can be country music without being mired in the genre. "When I was little," he said, "if you attached the title “country” to it, it was a sure fire way to lose my attention. Now, I just hear the songs. That’s what it’s like to play in the Beau Roland Band."

For him, getting to know the differences between the writing styles of Waylon, Merle, or Willie has been the most exciting part of the project. "Playing these songs and developing a band to perform them with Phil has really opened my eyes in terms of the kind of country it is trying to pay homage to," he said.

But who, then, is Beau Roland? According to Ouellette (who was nearly named Beau and whose middle name is Roland), it is easiest to frame Beau Roland as his alter ego or the man he could have been. Which is a thought that seems to reverberate throughout the album -- not so much in the lyrics themselves, but in the overall mix of themes that could again be said to constitute the experiences of anyone who has ever hit the road.

"As long as I can remember," said Ouellette, "I've created things to make sense of the world, to give relevance to my life, and to occupy my time. I hope people get this from my songs. At this point, though, I'd love it if our songs just made people shake their asses a little."
In the end, The Road to Wichita (and the Beau Roland Band in general) deserves not only a second listen, but a third and a fourth and so on. Like the white lines on the road of possibilities that start out as tiny dots on the horizon only to disappear behind you in the blink of an eye, it leaves in its wake both satisfaction and desire. "I used to drive the highways of Arkansas listening to Simon & Garfunkel live in Central Park," Ouellette said. "Now every time I hear "Homeward Bound" or "America", I'm right back there. I'd love it if my music ever meant that much to someone; I'd consider that a great success."

"The Beau Roland is not the band from a guy called Beau Roland; that name does not show upon the sleeve. Instead of that the name of Philip Ouellette, drummer, guitar player and songwriter from Little Rock, Arkansas. The Road To Wichita is ´his´debut CD, which shows influences, the band mentions itself, from Willie Nelson, Elliott Smith and Gram Parsons. I would like to put a few other artists on that list: Uncle Tupelo and Wilco. Guitars, bass, violin, lap steel, mouthharp and banjo creating the country-folk sound. The band plays lovely messy, but at the same moment skilled and is recorded in a pleasant-primitive way, without any tricks. Most of the 13 songs are played midtempo, not real hard of soft, but somewhere in between. The short cowboy instrumental Hallelujah in fact is the only fans song with some extra power. But dull is The Road To Wichita not at all. Ouellette puts a lot of melody in his dark-melancholy songs and gives the band members a lot of space so they can create a full furnishing. A band to stay, this Beau Roland Band" - Alt Country NL

(we got 3 1/2 galloping horses from these guys, which apparently is pretty darn good; thanks to Bart for the translation into English)

"The Beau Roland band is one of those bands that sit somewhere between indie and country. On the one hand there is a lot of influence from bands such as Sebadoh, whereas on the other hand, they clearly owe a debt to more mainstream country bands..." -Americana UK

HOME

6/8/07 - A new website is in the works so keep an eye out! We're in the process of getting songs together for a new album and having a blast with our new bassist Scott. The radio gig got moved to June 16. Our next live show's at Tommy Doyles, with Mike Macdonald and the Tom Foolers. Seeya there!

2/13/07 - Adios to Mr. Tyler Pollard! After a long stint with the Beau Roland Band, our wonderful and talented bass player is off to pursue other ventures. We played our last show with Tyler over at Sally O'Brien's in Union Square. It was the honky tonk night put together by Dave Sammarco (who you can see regularly at the recurring Thursday night show at Redbones). The crowd was great, the bar is excellent, and we had a really good time. Thanks, Tyler, for all your hard work and contributions! Good luck on tour!

1/04/07 - Well, we've been playing the Thirsty Thursday Hoedown over at Redbones, and having a damn fine time. Thanks to Rob, Heidie, Jeff, Bryce, Joel and the whole staff over at this fantastic BBQ joint for their help and hospitality. We've been joined by simply stellar bands like the Dave Sammarco Band, Steve Mardon and the Typos, Three Tall Pines, Three Day Threshold and Friends, the Tastes Like Gravy String Band, and The Gilmans. For more info, booking and scheduling for the Thirsty Thursday Hoedown go to http://myspace.com/thirstythursdayhoedown!

9/19/06 - Lots going on; we're starting up a weekly Roots Night (The Thirsty Thursday Hoedown) at Redbones BBQ in Davis Sq. As it is now, the Beau Roland Band will be playing every other Thursday, and the off weeks we'll have guest bands... so put the word out!

Been recording some tunes at Jack Younger's revamped and totally awesome Basement 247 (now bigger and better), not as the official BRB but a slight variation. Phillip and Jeremy from the BRB joined Phillip's Dad Dennis (lead acoustic guitar) and Jake Leckie (upright bass, played on 'the Road to Wichita') and recorded about 12 songs. More info (like the name of the project!) will follow.

5/8/06 - Thanks to all who came out to support us at the CD release, and who bought a copy of the new album! It was a great show, we had a lot of fun, and everyone who came is greatly appreciated. If that wasn't enough for you, come to the Lizard Lounge on the 12th for BRB with Starhick and Lucky 57. Also, if you didn't get a CD at the release, you can buy it at CD Baby, or at shows.

2/26/06 - Well, the recording went swimmingly; everything sounds great. We're doing some minor loose-end-tying, we'll mix and master, and have a great big CD release party at the Abbey! That's right, on April 27, we'll be officially releasing Northern Hospitality, so mark it on the ol' calendar. See shows page for more info!

1/24/06 - The Beau Roland Band is going into the studio on February 4th and 5th to record our second album, Northern Hospitality. So, in lieu of that, we're not really playing out for right now. This will be the first thing we've recorded with our present lineup, Jeremy Eagle on drums and Rick Dillon on guitar and mandolin. And, we're throwing in some fiddle and some New Orleans-style Dixieland horn arrangements for good measure. We'll keep you posted on the progress, and hopefully a CD release will be happening in the not TOO distant future. Take care!

12/23/05 - Hopefully everyone's holiday spirit hasn't been squelched by the insidious War on Christmas (c)! I know ours hasn't, after all, we just played a show over at TT the Bears, and had a great time. Music, beer, pool, and Wham Christmas covers: who needs anything else? Big thanks to David, who came and took photos. HAPPY HOLIDAYS Y'ALL!

9/07/05 - 'twas a pleasure to play with Eli ("Paperboy" Reed) over at Johnny D's; hopefully we'll play there again real soon. If ya missed it, check out the photos Yuli took...much props, Yuli!

7/8/05 - Thank to everyone who came to the Toad, my folks especially (all the way from Little Rock). It was a great night, dancin' and drinkin' and carryin' on. Hopefully we'll play there again soon. I'm pleased to report that we've nearly completed the studio recording of The Red Headed Stranger, and it sounds fantastic (thanks to, as usual, Jack Younger over at Basement 247 - the man's a genius!) Ask us about it at the next show you come to, and maybe we can hook you up.

6/6/05 - Check out some live tracks on the Music page...from our appearance at Somerville Community Access TV! the Willie show was amazing, thanks to all who came and yelled into the night. Hopefully, a recording of that show, or a studio version of the Red Headed Stranger by the BRB will be available at some point in the foreseeable future.

4/5/05 - We're gearing up for the Willie Nelson Tribute night at the Abbey Lounge on May 11. We'll be doing "The Red Headed Stranger" (the album) all the way through, complete with piano. For a full list of performers, check the shows page!

3/25/05 - I've gotten lots of excited comments about the zuzu flyer (with the robot cowboy)...Joe Keinberger is the genius behind the illustration, if you'd like to see more of his art, click here!

3/15/05 - keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming story in Wicked Hawt Magazine about the Beau Roland Band...it will be in all Newbury Comics stores and other locations!

2/25/05 - here's more info about the benefit show on April 8, a benefit for the New School of Music. Should be a great show, and for a good cause...

2/16/05 - Thanks to the Abbey Lounge for having me last night! I did a solo set; The new "pub stage" is great, and I'll hopefully be playing there pretty regularly. Check it out.

1/24/05 - SCAT rocked, and the show at PA's was the shit. Thanks to eveyone who played and came down in the bitter cold to see the show. Hopefully we'll soon have some video up on the site from the TV show, and maybe some live MP3s. Also, if you live in Somerville, check the show out in February on Channel 3.

We've been getting quite a few emails from folks in the UK, the Netherlands, and Belgium. If you're one of our European friends, send us an email and say hey: phillip@beauroland.com

1/10/05 - The Beau Roland Band on TV! We'll be performing on Somerville Community Access TV on Jan. 19; the show will air every Friday in February at 8pm in Somerville on Channel 3.

Also, the Beau Roland Band is booking shows for next month and on into the spring, including a benefit for the New School of Music in April. Check the shows page for updates.

1/04/05 - Come celebrate the New Year at the Lizard Lounge with us, Starhick, and Zipper. One of the coolest clubs around. Also, we'll be playing at PA's lounge on the 21st, and I'll be performing a solo set at Laila's in Brooklyn on the 29th. Check the show page for updated info.

12/14/04 - I hope no one misses Mr. Buffalo; maybe he'll make a reappearance. Instead, enjoy the moving road to the left. It actually becomes kind of hypnotic after awhile.

Thanks to the folks at Harper's Ferry for a fun night on Sunday. Thanks to our friends who came to see us, especially to Jessica for taking some photos (see them on the photo page)...

...and, we're pleased to announce that Press Records has decided to carry our record on their website. If it's not up for sale yet, it will be soon. Please check out the website, www.pressrecords.com, (also home of the super-duper Meagan McLaughlin).

Lastly, "The Road to Wichita" is now officially on sale at Miles of Music, a great web zine that specializes in country and Americana music.