Beej Chaney

Blaine John "Beej" Chaney (April 30, 1957 – January 5, 2025) was an American musician. He was best known as singer and guitarist for Minneapolis punk/New Wave group The Suburbs from 1977 to 2014. He also owned Los Angeles recording studio Shangri-La for about two decades from the late 1990s to 2011.

Early life Chaney was born on April 30, 1957, and grew up in Deephaven, Minnesota.

Career With The Suburbs The Suburbs' star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First AvenueAfter Poling and Chaney returned to Minnesota in 1977, they decided to form a new band, and asked Poling's friend Chris Osgood of Minneapolis punk band Suicide Commandos to help them find other musicians. After meeting drummer Hugo Klaers, guitarist Bruce Allen, and bassist Michael Halliday, the Suburbs were formed in the western suburbs of Minneapolis in November 1977. Chaney described his guitar style in a 1983 interview with Cashbox magazine as "a lot of emotion just brought through strings and a couple of pickups and a piece of wood. It sounds different every night, changing with my moods and different intensities. I try to reach for the moment." His quirky, unpredictable stage presence was often compared to Iggy Pop.

As part of the Suburbs, Chaney was honored with a star on the outside mural of the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue, recognizing performers that have played sold-out shows or have otherwise demonstrated a major contribution to the culture at the iconic venue. Receiving a star "might be the most prestigious public honor an artist can receive in Minneapolis," according to journalist Steve Marsh.

Solo Outside of the Suburbs, Chaney also released two solo works, the 2003 album Windows and the 1992 EP Reckless Heart. The Reckless Heart single was positively reviewed by several trade magazines. The Hard Report praised its "cutting-edge rhythm guitar" and called it "rough in nature yet effective in approach." Billboard said that the song was "bolstered by a catchy, singalong chorus" and compared Chaney's "heavily stylized vocal" to Warren Zevon. Cashbox was less positive, saying that Chaney's vocals sounded "gimmicky and dated, almost more reminiscent of Bobby 'Boris' Pickett on 'The Monster Mash'".

Before Chaney's death in 2025, he had been working on a rockabilly/punk album called Shake It All Up with Robby Vee, the son of 1960s singer Bobby Vee. Chaney co-wrote, sang and played guitar on all the songs. The album had been due for release in early 2025.

Shangri-La Chaney bought the Malibu recording studio Shangri-La in the late 1990s for $2 million. Musicians that recorded there during his ownership included Weezer, Metallica, Kings of Leon, and Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler.

Personal life and death Chaney was married to the Cargill family heiress Sarah MacMillan, daughter of William Duncan MacMillan. They divorced in the late 2000s. He had three daughters.

After his death, Suburbs bandmate Klaers told the Minnesota Star Tribune that Chaney's contributions to the band were "priceless. ... His lyrics, his singing, his guitar playing, everything about him were super unique. There's not a guitarist in the world that plays a guitar like Beej. Granted he was not a guitar virtuoso, but he was very, very profound. He was more passionate about music than anyone in the band. He just lived and breathed to play music."

Discography With The Suburbs The Suburbs EP (Twin/Tone, 1978) In Combo (Twin/Tone, 1980) Credit in Heaven (Twin/Tone, 1981) Dream Hog EP (Twin/Tone, 1982) Love Is The Law (Mercury/Universal, 1984) Suburbs (A&M, 1986) Ladies and Gentlemen, The Suburbs Have Left The Building compilation (Twin/Tone, 1992) Viva! Suburbs! Live at First Avenue live album (Twin/Tone, 1994) Chemistry Set: Songs of the Suburbs 1977–1987 (Beejtar/Universal, 2003) compilation/live album High Fidelity Boys - Live 1979 live album (Garage D'or, 2006) Si Sauvage (2013)

Solo Reckless Heart EP (1992) Windows (2003)