Bubbling up from the underground of the Los Angeles music scene with an indelible Nashville-influenced sound, indie roots duo honeyhoney have announced that veteran label Lost Highway will release their new full-length album, Billy Jack. Produced primarily by Raymond Richards (Local Natives) and set to drop October 24th on honeyhoney Records/Lost Highway through Fontana Distribution, Billy Jack finds twenty-something musicians Suzanne Santo and Ben Jaffe threading sweet melodies with big acoustic guitar sounds, percussive banjos and countrified fiddles.
honeyhoney's sexually tinged, bruised knee honeysuckle take on roots music must be heard to be understood, and Billy Jack pumps with the sound of hearts on fire, and real instruments played by people who really mean it. The album's first single, "Turn That Finger Around," is a steady-grooving story detailing hard times with a memorable hook and some Southern twang. A slow burn seethes beneath the gospel-flavored tale of romantic doubt, "Don't Know How (Slow Mover)," while strings baste the mourning ballad "Angel of Death" and "Thin Line" explores dissatisfaction, good times and loss through the blues. From the dark smolder of "Glad I Done What I Did" and stark piano of "LA River," to the euphoric romp of "Let's Get Wrecked"--honeyhoney's music embraces the sound of what it means to be alive.
Meandering through unique paths in life, Suzanne Santo and Ben Jaffe converged in Los Angeles and immediately found a powerful shared chemistry. It was when the hauntingly voiced Santo sang the songs Jaffe was writing for his band at the time that they knew they had something.
Encouraged by a serendipitous relationship with French record executive Bertrand Lamblot, the pair entered a radio contest and won $25,000 to make a record. "Little Toy Gun," their song from a rare early release, found life as a cult favorite, with bands in several states embracing the song in multiple YouTube cover versions. Evoking California's hippie Dust Bowl fringe, honeyhoney's music contains a strong pull of
Woody Guthrie-esque folk, vintage Buffalo Springfield, glints of Gram Parsons and bits of
Bonnie Raitt's early blues, along with Rickie Lee Jones reality and Bakersfield Saturday nights. Not country, not folk, not rock, it is a hybrid that defies exact definition.
To support the release of Billy Jack, the pair will take their full band on the road for a 41-date nationwide "Ten Buck Tour," a co-headlining trek with indie folk singer-songwriter Joshua James that begins on September 21st--with all tickets priced at $10 or less (service charge and walk-ups not included). In advance of the tour, honeyhoney will perform a slot at the Sunset Junction Festival on "The Hotel Cafe Presents" stage in Los Angeles at 6:30 pm on Sunday, August 28th.
HONEYHONEY 2011 "TEN BUCK TOUR" DATES
September 21 Albuquerque, NM Low Spirits
September 24 Houston, TX Fitzgerald's Downstairs
September 25 Austin, TX Stubb's Jr.
September 26 Dallas, TX Prophet Bar at Kessler Theatre
September 28 Nashville, TN 12th & Porter
September 29 Birmingham, AL Zydeco
October 1 Atlanta, GA Smith's
October 2 St. Petersburg, FL Local 662
October 3 Orlando, FL Plaza
October 4 Jacksonville, FL Jack Rabbits
October 6 Raleigh, NC The Pour House
October 7 Charlotte, NC The Evening Muse
October 8 Richmond, VA The Camel
October 10 Charlottesville, VA The Southern
October 12 Boston, MA Café 939
October 13 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
October 14 Vienna, VA Jammin' Java
October 15 Annapolis, MD Rams Head On Stage
October 16 Philadelphia, PA Tin Angel
October 18 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Music Hall
October 19 Pittsburgh, PA Club Café Live
October 20 Cleveland, OH The Grog Shop
October 22 Indianapolis, IN Radio Radio
October 23 Ann Arbor, MI The Blind Pig
October 25 Chicago, IL Schubas
October 26 Milwaukee, WI Shank Hall
October 27 Madison, WI The Frequency
October 29 Minneapolis, MN Fine Line Music Café
October 30 TBA TBA
October 31 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room
November 2 Denver, CO Soiled Dove
November 3 Aspen, CO The Belly-Up
November 4 Salt Lake City, UT State Theatre
November 6 Seattle, WA Nectar Lounge
November 7 Portland, OR Backspace
November 8 Eugene, OR
John Henry's
November 10 San Francisco, CA Hotel Utah
November 11 Santa Barbara, CA Soho
November 13 Los Angeles, CA The Troubadour
For updated tour information, visit
http://honeyhoneyband.com
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