Quick Hit Band Interview: The Honeysticks

The Honeysticks at the Teragram Ballroom

Interview with the band. Enjoy:

What's the story behind how your band started? I had been working on putting a tour together for my debut LP in mid 2015, Montgomery Ricky, and The Honeysticks started out as the touring band. I realized pretty early on that I felt much more excited about the opportunity to make a new band entirely and we went that route. I met our bassist in kindergarten, our guitarist on Vine (we were both viners at one point), and our drummer on Craigslist.

I noticed a number of individuals singing along to your songs. Do you find greater enjoyment writing a great song or performing a great song? Why the choice? I grew up wanting to write books, so I suppose writing is really where I feel the most confident. I also unapologetically love pop music, so I feel like that’s why folks wanna sing along.

Own Q&A. I’ve heard a lot about The Honeysticks Patreon . . . expand on that? Of course. We’ve got a service we’re developing with Patreon’s help where folks can watch us post early stage demos, stream, blog posts and so much more for free as part of a paid subscription. We give free stuff to our patrons all the time and they run a mobile forum with us. It’s all very exciting and new. Join the Patreon, folks!!!

Teragram Ballroom: The Fontaines with SWIMM and The Honeysticks

Back in April, I ran across Hank from The Fontaines after a Livingmore's set at The Satellite. I mentioned that I noticed they were playing a set at the Teragram Ballroom and would love to shoot their set. He said, "No problem." I didn't realize at the time, that I was going to be photographing their last show ever. I first came across The Fontaines in January 2015. They were doing a residency at the Silverlake Lounge. I loved them so much that I went twice.

Of interest, perhaps, is that this was my first time at the Teragram Ballroom. So this night was my last time catching The Fontaines and first time going to the Teragram Ballroom.

It was a solid night of music and what I noticed most, actually, was how the crowd switched out between bands.

The Honeysticks opened up the night and had the teen crowd hanging. I went up to the stage and felt like I was surrounded by 16 year-olds. I kept looking around, hoping to see folks that might be older. Their pop sounds had the teenagers singing along to most of their songs.

The Honeysticks

As soon as they ended their set, the teenagers took off and in came the young and beautiful. SWIMM brought meditative melodies to the stage. Individuals could be seen swaying to the music. For one song, the lead singer asked for soft purple lights and then asked the fans to come close to the stage. Fans got as exaggeratedly close to the stage as possible.

SWIMM

The Fontaines brought a whole new group of individuals up close to the stage. There was a nice mix of young and old, all wishing them well. So I believe Charlotte brought this up in an Instagram post, of all the bands playing, she was the only female gracing the stage. Her vocals brought a soulful sound to the night. To end the night, Hank and Charlotte played a song without their backing band. During the time, Charlotte mentioned that she was trying not to cry. I think one could say the same for their fans. It was a solid four years.

The Fontaines

What did I notice as The Honeysticks came off stage: One of the members accidentally spilled water on the stage. He was so apologetic to the stage guy that it was amusing to watch.