Beautiful Creatures and Quiet Riot's Alex Grossi

By Jay Oakley

First of all, congratulations are in order for the release of the new Quiet Riot record, Road Rage. How does it feel to have all that work finally and officially released?

It feels great! Even though there were some "road blocks" (No pun intended,) I am glad this release was presented with it's best foot forward.

Now, you have always been active with music projects and you just helped reform Beautiful Creatures. How did the talks begin?

I wouldn't really say I "helped." I would say that the second that Kenny (Kweens,) Joe (Lesté,) Timmy (Russell) and I played together on the MOR (Monsters Of Rock) cruise, the fans took it from there.

There were no real "talks," we just have always stayed in touch.  After that initial performance, we were all in full agreement that 2017 was the time do it.

The thing about that band is, even when we were inactive for almost a decade, things drew us together whether we wanted it or not. That brought BC right back to the forefront of whatever we all had going on at the time.  In 2008, we get a call out of nowhere from a music supervisor asking to license the track "Anyone" for this new FX show called Sons Of Anarchy, which ended up lasting 7 seasons and was very successful.

Then, in 2009, we were contacted by Walt Disney/Touchstone for usage of the track "Freedom" for the movie The Proposal, starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, which again, became a big hit at the box office.

Beautiful Creatures has always been blessed to have gotten some great movie soundtracks and TV placements, all the way back to the band's self titled record on Warner Brothers. This goes to show that no matter what, people still like real rock n' roll.

Talk about your first show in Golden, Colorado. How did it feel to reconnect with your band mates and revisiting those songs again?

It was just like riding a bike.  That "bike" may have needed to be slightly restored and maybe a month or two of therapy, but we rode it!

We actually got it all together very quickly. It was more about re-connecting as people, rather than just doing a one-off for a quick cash grab. 

The show itself was a lot of fun. We are really happy that Colorado had not forgotten about us.

If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you about your original departure from the band and the band's hiatus that followed. Was the decision due to your involvement with Quiet Riot?

I joined Quiet Riot in 2004. Creatures continued on in support of the original Deuce record until 2006 and then some. In the end, it was time for everyone to go do other things, which is what makes doing it now so much more fun.

What is Beautiful Creatures' current plan for new music?

We have the brand new track "Get You High" on Deuce Deluxe and some other stuff in the works. I think the general idea within the camp is to do anything and everything when the time is right. The "beautiful" thing about not being tied down to certain stipulations that come with dealing with an outside label on this release, is that we can call the shots. This will make it easier to release more music in the future.

I think I can speak for all five of us that when it comes to releasing a record with BC, we can all meet deadlines when we have too, and meet them well. But when it comes to music, my experience shows that this band prefers to hit the proverbial "Snooze Button." (Ask any of our former managers)

For a little change of direction, you have also been active as a booking agent for bands. What got you started there and have you always been interested in that side of the business?

I have always been into seeing how things work. When I was a little kid, I would take my toys apart to see how they all fit together, including the cheap guitars I had in my formative years. I suppose becoming a Booking Agent on the side at first was a way to "look behind the curtain" if you will, and I actually ended up really enjoying it.

An added bonus is that it actually PAYS a solid 10%. Hopefully, SPOTIFY will catch up someday ; )

And, as a final question, what's the current status of Hotel Diablo?

Your guess is as good as mine. That band was a labor of love.  I am very proud of what Gilby Clarke, Rick Stitch, Mike Duda, Mike Dupke and myself did.  It's a one off record that we are all very proud of. It may just stay that way.

Alex, thank you so much! I hope you enjoyed and felt respected by your interview and congratulations again on the new Quiet Riot record and the reformation of Beautiful Creatures.

Thank you buddy! See you out there soon!