Courtesy: Facebook
Folk-rock bluegrass band HONEYHONEY, hailing all the way from Los Angeles, California will be buzzing in Oxford on their second stop of their latest tour, promoting their upcoming album, III, set to release this June.
Benjamin Jaffe, guitar and vocals, and Suzanne Santo on vocals, banjo and violin are excited to be traveling across the country in an old Cadillac Escalade that they purchased with funds raised after eight years of trying to obtain their own tour vehicle.
“We are just in an SUV having a good time,” Jaffe said. “It’s a 24-hour drive to our next stop, so we are just tag teaming it.”
Santo said communication and collaboration are things HONEYHONEY strives to channel in their music and performances.
Jaffe and Santo, who met at a costume party, possess an undeniable synergy and stage presence. The result is a strong bond between musicians, audience and music.
“Basically, we want to communicate with each other and with the band,” Santo said. “You can only really be in a band like this when you listen to each other, and we like to have fun and we love what we do. So, we just make sure we are communicating.”
This level of connection translates into HONEYHONEY’s music, too. Santo said the band tries to create music that is relatable to all ages. It’s rare for a group to be able to translate their own synergy to their audience, but that is just what HONEHONEY does. Their sound brings together elements found in a variety of American music genres in a clam and soothing way, but while still maintaining a really enjoyable vibe.
“We try to create music that has real feelings, songs that are stories that we’ve had and experiences – we always want to give you the juice and the real stuff,” Santo said. “It’s important for us to keep going and to keep channeling our feelings.”
HONEYHONEY gained momentum in 2011 following the release of their wildly successful rainy-day, whiskey-feeling album, “Billyjack” but since have spent more touring than making new music.
The band attempted once before to put out an album, but felt it wasn’t quite ready yet. Yet, after some more planning and collaborating, HONEYHONEY has finally brought forth the fruits of their labors with their new album, “III.” Santo said the band is proud to release the album this summer.
“We have a new motto, it is ‘slow and steady rocks the face,’” Santo said. “We’ve got a new producer who really put in a whole different approach and just wanted to get in there and go.”
The result, according to Santo, is a sound that’s changed a lot from HONEYHONEY’s previous two albums. III comes from a more natural place, with a little more rockin’ sound.
“We wanted to evolve a little,” she said. “We don’t want to make the same record over and over, we want to keep growing and changing. We are really excited about this album, like, we haven’t felt this good ever.”
