The greatest art can arrive through the most mysterious of methods. When Kelly Queener decided she wanted to make music like her friends in the Magic Twig Community, a Roanoke-based confederation of musicians that included The Young Sinclairs, The Sad Cobras and The Lobsters, it was only a matter of time in her eyes before she’d make it happen. “My impulse to write songs comes from my early love of poetry,” she recalls, “and from being around musicians for so long that I felt I needed to offer something back.” Close proximity to this creative drive, as well as her own personal artistic accomplishments, helped enable her to, when the time felt right, start her own band–a band known as Peace Beast.
The greatest art can arrive through the most mysterious of methods. When Kelly Queener decided she wanted to make music like her friends in the Magic Twig Community, a Roanoke-based confederation of musicians that included The Young Sinclairs, The Sad Cobras and The Lobsters, it was only a matter of time in her eyes before she’d make it happen. “My impulse to write songs comes from my early love of poetry,” she recalls, “and from being around musicians for so long that I felt I needed to offer something back.” Close proximity to this creative drive, as well as her own personal artistic accomplishments, helped enable her to, when the time felt right, start her own band–a band known as Peace Beast.
With most of her time spent in an art space, one might wonder how Queener, a painter by trade, would find parallels and similar qualities in painting and songwriting. Her love of poetry and visual beauty leads to a sense-based approach to combining music and words that sound eloquent and appropriate for the story she wishes to tell. Regardless of craft or medium, the search that most artists embark upon in a studio is very similar. Queener’s work as a painter therefore influences the direction that her lyrical output has taken. It is best observed in songs like “Something Seen” and “Chasing Song.”
Kelly Queener, Radical Light, oil on canvas, 2009
In light of the fact that she was surrounded by musicians in Roanoke, Greensboro and Richmond, it is no wonder that assembling the rest of Peace Beast was an easy process. Joe Lunsford has been an active participant in the Roanoke community. While working to improve his skills as a recording engineer, he has also become a strong presence in his role as a drummer in various bands. His work as a reactive force to Queener’s songwriting helped to shape the ways that early Peace Beast songs developed.
The first time I had heard of Peace Beast was through a conversation with Kyle Harris of The Diamond Center. He was ecstatic about some new songs that Queener sent his way. She wanted him to contribute to these songs, and he obliged immediately. Before long, Brandi Price joined the band on bass duties, allowing Harris to focus on crafting lead parts and giving the songs a complete shape. The final product extracted sounds from different eras of rock music–female-fronted indie rock outfits of the 90s, as well as mid-60s psychedelia–which met in an innovative way that escaped easy comparison.
Peace Beast’s first show happened at the Summer Solstice Island Power Jam this past June. Despite the quiet nature of their debut, its impact was heard loud and clear. There was something impressive at play that only needed the slight push of amplification to get to where it was headed. Now, the group has put in their hard work to deliver aching sets full of whimsical tunes that lift and float through the air towards adoring listeners. Next up for Peace Beast is a formal release that should see the light of day sometime this year. When considering what Peace Beast means to her, Queener found it pretty simple. “At the end of the day, we’re there to find some good sounds, and rock while we have the chance.” They may not be reinventing the wheel, but Peace Beast are achieving a nostalgic renovation of a psychedelic pop approach that resonates strongly with fans of rock music.
Words by Shannon Cleary
Videos by Brad Kutner and Brad Fulton
