"You can add Pete Krebs and Leslie Beia — aka The Earnest Lovers — to the long list of first-rate male/female duos in country music."
-Pittsburgh In Tune
"Krebs and Beia…harmonize with the warmth and surety of Dolly & Porter and Tammy & George"
-No Depression
The Earnest Lovers are honky tonk heartbreak serenaders Pete Krebs (Hazel, Stolen Sweets, Portland Playboys) and Leslie Beia (Copper & Coal). Based in Portland, OR, a town with a surprisingly vibrant underground country scene, the Lovers have established themselves as hardworking, genre-bending performers who in their short year-and-a-half existence have played venues as diverse as Pickathon, Portland’s beloved jazz club Jimmy Mak’s, The Pendleton Real West Film Festival, What The Festival, the west coast’s largest electronica music festival, and a bonafide nudist resort in northern Idaho. They’ve been around! 2015 took them on the road down to LA, into the honky tonks of Austin, TX, all over Montana, and to some sweet spots in Leslie’s home state of Michigan. The duo plans to tour these same places more extensively in 2016 and also expand their range into Alaska and Louisiana. When not on the road, they perform constantly in clubs, bars, theaters, and more recently and regularly in people’s homes: house shows have become a favorite way to connect with fans. Working as a twosome with a jumbo acoustic and an old Harmony Rocket, or as a full band with pedal steel, doghouse bass and drums, the Lovers are completely at home playing anything from intimate, quiet listening rooms to jam-packed, sweaty dance clubs.
Pete Krebs was called “a legendary musician” in a recent biopic of his musical impact on the Portland music scene in Portland Monthly magazine. A master of jazz and western swing guitar, Pete’s career has spanned the late-80’s punk scene all the way through to his current role as a country crooner. Leslie is newer to the call of a full-time musician, but has been gigging like crazy since she first came to Portland 5 years ago, fronting several of her own bands as well as co-fronting the critically-acclaimed duo Copper & Coal. Pete and Leslie met fittingly under the dim lights of the Landmark Saloon, Portland’s one true honky tonk, and immediately combined forces to form The Earnest Lovers. They’ve been gigging, travelling, and writing for this project full-time since August 2014.
The Lovers released their debut recording, an EP of original tunes called Sing Sad Songs, in June of 2015. Folk Alley called it “a classic collection for the modern age”, which hits the intended target perfectly. Pete and Leslie set out to keep the classic country sound of the 40’s-60’s front and center, while infusing it with new takes: lyrical and structural complexity that doesn’t steal away from the simple and honest music of the past. No Depression said they “harmonize with the warmth and surety of Dolly & Porter and Tammy & George”, and indeed the project is vocal-centric. In their live sets, Pete and Leslie combine voices on obscure classics by Red Foley, Charlie Feathers, and Cowboy Copas and on their own imagery- and harmony-heavy tunes which amounts to a listening experience that covers everything from hard shuffles to lilting waltzes.
At the turn of the new year, the Lovers are hunkered down: Leslie is working through a maze of emails and information, putting together an ambitious touring schedule that will have the band on the road for much of the summer. Pete is up in his studio space, surrounded by piles of notebook paper, starting work on the full-length album they plan to record in the fall. Pittsburgh In Tune says: “you can add Pete Krebs and Leslie Beia- aka The Earnest Lovers- to the long list of first-rate male/female duos in country music”. The Lovers are proud to be able to carry on a music tradition that appeals to young and old, dancers and listeners, old-school or hipster. Songs that are timeless, old or new, that they just can’t wait to sing for you.
Previous Bio:
The Earnest Lovers are vintage honky tonk heartbreak serenaders Pete Krebs (Hazel, Stolen Sweets, Portland Playboys) and Leslie Beia (Copper & Coal, The Lowburners). An alliance forged from their mutual and devoted love of the golden era of country duets, the Lovers have set out to capture that classic sound and to invigorate it with new life in the form of original compositions. With one foot solidly rooted in tradition while allowing the other to two-step forward in exploration, they promise a sound as comforting as old whiskey and as compelling as that fancy new cocktail at the Sapphire Hotel.
Pete and Leslie’s many mutual friends have been surprised to learn that, although having circled each other for years in the roots music scene, they hadn’t officially met until early Summer 2014 under the dim lights of Portland’s favorite honky tonk, the Landmark Saloon. It didn’t take long to get going. Within a few days Pete was sitting in with Leslie’s side project, the Lowburners, and Leslie was jumping up on the mic at Pete’s solo, duo, and Portland Playboys gigs. A week-long river retreat solidified intentions, expanded repertoire, and got the wheels spinning for a new project. A month later, a debut was made and the duo is off and running, leaving happy memories and a cloud of dust, so thankful to have found their voices together.
Some uncanny and yet auspicious stars have aligned for the Lovers right from the get-go: the first meeting produced a literal Ring of Fire (you can ask us about that); the first $100 in the band fund came from a winning lottery ticket in the tip jar, and the first-ever gig turned out to be a surprise appearance at Portland’s beloved Pickathon! At this rate, expect no less from the Earnest Lovers than full-speed-ahead. Debut EP is slated for release June 11th, 2015, and they'll be hitting the road starting in Spring. Performing as a duo, trio, or full 6-piece band, keep an eye out for a bright Lovers star shooting across the western sky.