We're Back in Black (and White and Read All Over)

2015 has been incredible so far, packed full of excitement and big opportunities that we can hardly believe ourselves, so let's have a quick recap before we look forward. We kicked off the year with a sweet acoustic show and a packed house at the Plant Cafe, then spent a week in Music City, taking it all in, handling a few meetings, and eating more than a little good food! We left our hearts in Nashville, and we're more than ready to go back (check back later this week for a full travel journal!). 

We only had a few days between playing the tourist in Nashville and playing shows in Daytona and New Smyrna Beach, FL over Speedweek. The love and support we got from you guys during a week packed full of shows and appearances, and capped off by a once-in-a-lifetime experience in the pits at the NASCAR XFINITY Series Alert Today 300. 

Following the race, we played two weekends back to back at Moccasin Creek Offroad Park, sharing the stage with our new friends Young Sullivan at the Muddin & Music for Makinley Rain Nobody Fights Alone Benefit, and then the next weekend, first at the Blackshear stage dedication, and then back at MCORP with The Steven Flowers Band. 

We headed back to New Smyrna Beach for the New Smyrna Balloon and Sky Fest, where we played a four-song set before getting rained out. The weather didn't pass in time for us to go back on, but we did get to hang around and watch the lovely and talented Brad Sayre blow our minds, and then Jared Blake and his awesome band rock the stage. Finally, we played at the historic Annual Blessing of the Fleet in Brunswick, GA. It's always an honor and inspiration to play with people who are driven, dedicated, and passionate about what they do, and, as always, we had a fabulous time. 

While in Daytona, we released our EP, Long Way Home, with three songs: Fire, Uncaged, and Long Way Home. We've been anticipating such an exciting event since we started writing our own music, and we've been thrilled at the reception it's received, as well as the release of Fire to radio on April 20th! It's been so cool to see all of your feedback, and to hear how much you guys love a song that we've put our heart and soul into. Keep letting us know where you are when you hear it. It's such a humbling and encouraging thought to know that our music is being played all over the world and touching the hearts of people we may never meet face to face, but that's why music is so special: it's a universal magic. We're just glad to be a small part of it.  

Also...WOW. We're so close to hitting TEN THOUSAND LIKES, a huge milestone for us. We're so blown away by the love and support you've given to us, and we want you to know how grateful we are to every single one of you, whether you were here from the very beginning or hit that "LIKE" button yesterday. Either way, keep liking and sharing, and let's get to 10,000. As soon as we do, you'll be entered into a raffle, and one lucky winner will get a really cool prize. 

Lots of love, 

B + L

Beau + Luci: Family, Friends, and Music

Originally published in the Spring/Summer 2014 Issue of the Waycross Magazine.

Down at the Market

Article originally published in the Waycross Journal Herald on June 25, 2014.

Hello, September!

Wow, what a month! August is always a whirlwind for us, between school starting and birthdays and the one thing we've all been waiting for: football season. It's finally here, and even though the first game didn't go exactly how we might have wanted it, we're still bleeding red and black and believing that the Dawgs can come out on top.

That being said, we wanted to take a minute and share what's been going on with B+L. We started out the month in the studio, and we're both in agreement that there was no better way to kick off August. There is a sort of giddy, long-lasting energy that comes from making music, and I can truthfully say I'm beyond addicted to the rush. We get to hit the studio again in a few weeks, and we're working as quickly as we can to get new music finished so all of you can hear it. It's a long, sometimes frustrating process, and we apologize for the wait! Please be patient with us and know that we're trying to get the best sound and the best product to share, because we firmly believe that you guys deserve only the best! So many people have been incredibly supportive and encouraging throughout this adventure, and we hope to continue sharing it with you. We'll be partnering with some really incredible, talented people, getting involved in things we're passionate about, and seeing some exciting stuff come to fruition. I can't wait!

After our time in the studio, we all gathered around to watch the Teen Choice Awards, looking forward to seeing One Direction and Paramore play (and didn't Hayley absolutely kill it?!). We did get to see them perform (and Harry Styles twerk), but we also got a big surprise: Ashton Kutcher's speech. I've always been an Ashton Kutcher fan, promising Mom over and over that no, he's not really like Kelso in real life! But it wasn't until he got up and spoke about working hard, staying humble, and how important intelligence is that she really believed me. He surprised us all, to be honest. He said things that should be said more often but are just glossed over. We're growing up in a generation where working hard and being smart are not cool, and that's really sad, because there is so much wasted potential. We're fed television, music, and literature that have less substance than cotton candy. We're told to look up to people who glorify taking off their clothes and partying instead of doing something that matters. We're told that "swag" is more important than self-respect, class, or brains. We're told that we are too young, too inexperienced, and too immature to care about what's going on in our society, a society which is only as strong as its weakest link. We are encouraged to sit idly by, sated on reality television and bubblegum pop music, while other people run the world. Why is that popular? Why is that considered the social norm? Why are we content with living like this?

Ashton went on to say that "the sexiest thing in the entire world" is being smart. "Life can be a lot broader when you realize one simple thing-and that is that everything around us that we call life was made up by people that are no smarter than you. And you can build your own thing. You can build your own life." He finished off his speech by saying, "So build a life, don't live one, find your opportunities, and always be sexy." I think that's an incredibly powerful way of looking at life. What could be more satisfying than living a life that I built? Plus, being sexy is one of my goals, because awkward, hopelessly ridiculous, and socially inept really aren't working for me.

Just kidding. I rock awkward like nobody's business.

A week after being inspired and challenged by Ashton Kutcher, we went to St. Simon's to celebrate Beau's 16th birthday (woohoo!). We spent the entire day downtown, eating cheeseburgers and more frozen yogurt than any self-respecting human would ever admit. I have yet to achieve my goal of taking a five gallon bucket into a yogurt shop and filling it up, but man. Those large cups are pretty dang close to a bucket, and we filled them up, since it was a special occasion and all. All in all, it was a successful weekend. The only problem is that Beau now thinks she should be able to drive all the time. Needless to say, I'm going to go gray very early.

We hope you've all had a wonderful August and are looking forward to September as much as we are (goodbye, 100 degree weather, hello, sweaters!). This year has flown by, and while there have been some bumps in the road, some really great things have come together, and it is our belief that the rest of the pieces of the puzzle will fall into place. Oh, one last thing: we've decided that once a month, we'll be putting out a debriefing of sorts, letting you know what we've been up to and how much time we've spent fangirling. Maybe there should be a disclaimer, because we're really not very exciting, but who knows. Stranger things have happened.

Stay sexy, my friends.

Xx, L