Bumbershoot Preview: Interview with the Honey Brothers

Continuing my ongoing preview of bands heading to Bumbershoot, I hopped on the phone last week with Andrew Vladeck and Adrian Grenier of the Honey Brothers. The NYC-based quintet plays some odd assortment of Americana rootsy styles, usually under a thin indie rock veil. There's a lot of banjo shredding, in other words, and a lot of poppy harmonies. Here's a handy dandy video they put together to introduce themselves to the world on YouTube:

Of course, you may know Grenier (and their bandmate Ari Gold) from the major hit TV show Entourage. (CORRECTION: Ari Gold in the band is not the same as Ari Gold from the TV show. Same name, different guy. According to the band's publicist: "[Ari is] just his name. He was born Ari Gold, to the beatnik writer Herb Gold, and his brother is Ethan. It’s true that Ari knew Adrian and Adrian’s manager, Lev (Stephen Levinson), before Entourage was launched. So maybe Ari’s name got stuck in Lev’s head when he and Wahlberg were creating the show, but everything I’ve heard suggests that 'Ari Gold' [in the show] is a composite of Ari Emmanuel and some other agent...with the last name Gold.") That doesn't have a whole lot to do with their music, just an interesting factoid. Regardless, here's a full transcript of our interview (and here's Honey Brothers' website):

Y'all are from New York, which seems to have quite an Americana scene…

Andrew Vladeck: There’s been an amazing blossoming of Americana music, reaching from real traditional old time to the more modern strain of alt-country and alt-Americana. Even in the rock music, I guess, is a lot of traditional interpretation. Americana is rampant here.

Why do you think that is, in New York City of all places?

AV: I think it’s a couple of things. New York attracts people from all over the country. There’s also something wonderful about the contrast of the two. I think we’ve discovered that, in New York, there’s something wonderful about having an organic music form within the mass of Gotham. The two begin to inform each other and make for some interesting things and an interesting experience.

I know it’s drawn a lot of folks from the south up – Justin Townes Earle moved up there, for example – pulling in southern music styles…it seems to have changed the scene from when I was there just seven years ago. Then it was the anti-folk thing…

AV: You know, I think anti-folk seems to be coming out of punk more. The only thing that makes it folk is that it’s art-punk music being played on acoustic guitars. I never really thought of it as much as folk as it was coming from the punk aesthetic, which is awesome. I think a lot of those people inclined in that direction are leaning more toward electronica and art-rock [now]. I think the growth of Americana is separate from the anti-folk thing…it’s its own thing, developing from national trends and being inspired by other musicians who are cultivating the old and the new.

It’s been a while since you’ve put a record out. Do you have another one in the works?

Adrian Grenier: We’re in a peculiar situation because we’re more like a family. We started out as a family and the music kind of spawned from that. We’re not career musicians, we do it because we love it and we want to share it with our fans. The reason we take a long time between releases is because we’re not necessarily the most business-savvy. We’re just looking to write songs and play them. It wasn’t until recently when we got management that we started thinking of the larger implications of being a band and how to present that to people in a more formal way. We’re looking to be more aggressive and more pleasing to the fans with more songs and more media for them.

Are you writing now?

AG: Yeah, we even have a schedule now. We’re playing all the time.

How has that changed for you, going from a casual group of guys just making music...

AV: I’m a little bit at odds with the word “casual” because [while] it’s been a tremendous amount of fun…I think it’s not casual in the sense that we’re all really serious about it. From the moment we started, we were really excited about what we were doing and we were working very hard to write songs and record them as much as possible. We’ve had a couple of challenges in the past couple of years. Everyone has various projects in the band. It’s like getting the planets to align sometimes. We’re so excited, though, now that we have the opportunity to get together and play music…it’s a mixture of the casual element which sparks inspiration, but then there’s the hard work. We’re able now to get together a lot and be in the same room….we’ve got a lot of material for a record and we want to write a bunch more. We just want to take advantage of that.

What kind of music do you love? What are you listening to these days?

AG: I’ve been really into…Vampire Weekend, Arctic Monkeys, so many great bands coming out.

AV: We’ve gotten to share the bill with a lot of artists I love. Andrew Bird is someone I’ve enjoyed for a long time and Josh Ritter I’ve been listening to a bunch lately. I mostly go back and listen to the old folk songs. I’ve been on a Guy Davis kick in the past year and I’ve learned six of his hard-core finger-picking songs. I just think he’s the best thing ever. There’s a lot of time spent on YouTube looking at footage of him and the people from that time period.

What is it about that time period which speaks to you?

AV: Growing up with over-produced rock and roll and hair bands and studio tricks, there’s something undeniably honest and frank and earnest about people on their instruments with a microphone, nothing else, no bells or whistles. They’re telling a story and really trying to communicate with people. Not only is it the musicianship I appreciate, but the desire to connect on a human level. Even though our band has such disparate influences – I’m probably the most steeped in folk music – we’re all on the same page with that desire to connect and be more immediate.

Do you think it’s easier to do that now with the industry faltering and people not spending as much money on super high production, etc.?

AV: Absolutely. Just being at music festivals this past month, seeing bands I don’t think would have gotten much of a chance ten years ago. The Fleet Foxes are amazing, and I feel like they are able to capture that sensibility with such an inventive and virtuosic flair…I think there are a lot more bands that have modest levels of exposure, and that’s great for more people, I think.

What do you like about playing festivals? Is it different for you than playing in a club or bar?

AG: I really notice when we’re on tour and playing festivals, I literally do not think of anything except for good music and what’s happening in the moment. I find it to be the most liberating experience.

AV: They attract a whole other level of music lover. People who will come that distance to commit that much time…it’s a very selective bunch. Not only do they come to it with a particular keen interest, but over the course of the day and five or six beers, they’re extra open to the message. It’s really as much fun to be in the audience as it is playing at festivals.