The Beauty Shop (band)

The Beauty Shop
The Beauty Shop in 2007
Background information
Origin	Champaign, Illinois, U.S.
Genres	Americana Alternative rock Alternative country
Years active	1999–2008, 2016
Labels	Parasol Records Shoeshine Records Snapper Records
Associated acts	The Living Blue, Lorenzo Goetz, Headlights
Past members	John Hoeffleur (vocals, guitar) (1999–2008) Casey Smith (drums) (1999–2001) Ariane Peralta (bass) (2000–2006) Joe Martin (drums) (2002) Steve Lamos (drums) (2004) Brett Sanderson (drums) (2004–2005) Ben Ucherek (drums) (2005–2008) Eric Fisher (bass) (2006–2008)

The Beauty Shop was an Americana rock / alt country band, led by singer-songwriter-guitarist John Hoeffleur, based out of Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1999, they released two EPs and two full length albums before disbanding in 2008. Hoeffleur described their music as "influenced by old-school punk (Wire, Minutemen, Misfits) and old-school country (Hank, Lefty, Patsy, Johnny) with a dash of singer/songwriter (Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake)".

The Beauty Shop was formed by John Hoeffleur and drummer Casey Smith in 1999, in Champaign, Illinois. Hoeffleur (b. Arlington Heights, Illinois, 26 November 1977) grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, and graduated from the University of Illinois. He had previously played with local band The Blackouts, and on his own playing in local coffee shops.

The duo’s first release was The Grief EP, a self-released limited edition recorded in Smith's home, which they sold at local concerts. The EP caught the eye of the Urbana, Illinois-based record label Parasol Records, who signed the band to produce an album. At the same time, the band put out hand-written ads for a bassist, and recruited Ariane Peralta. The band released their first album Yr. Money or Yr. Life in October 2000. The album garnered many positive critical reviews, and the band attracted a growing audience at its live performances, boosted when they opened at the last minute for The Violent Femmes in Champaign. According to one reviewer, "the unsettling cover art reflected the bleakness of Hoeffleur's lyrical vision … spinning tales of dysfunctional characters drawn into seemingly terminal decline."