The vocal performance is autotuned, the guitar solos dont even really exist anymore We got into this radio-friendly format of recording that lost all its soul. Meanwhile, California Dreamin, the debut albums lead single, is firmly in the bands Aerosmith-y wheelhouse. We don't want to bring anything back we just want to make music that's sexy and hard and rocking all at the same time. There are a lot of people in LA who don't want to take that risk. If you do what feels good and right, that can't be wrong. We weren't looking to sound different, or prove our growth, necessarily. CBS SF: Do you find it's hard -- as you look back through history -- to do stuff that has not been done? Or why not treat yourself? In fact, they were hired to open a two-week warm-up tour in June for Dirty Honey. I know you did at least a one show at the Viper Room that was streamed at some point. There's no tickets or anything, you just do it. Before our conversation ends, I say how it would be cool if in 30 years Dirty Honeys headlining an anniversary tour for their own debut album. I know you've played with big bands and played bigger venues before, but is the first tour where you're playing large amphitheaters? Dirty Honey came together in 2017 when Labelle, a New York native, met guitarist John Notto at the singer's regular covers gig at a Santa Monica bar. LaBelle meanwhile, takes cues from his songwriting idols (to name a few, Robert Plant, Steven Tyler, Mick Jagger, Chris Robinson, and the late Chris Cornell) when coming up with lyrics. I Got Dirty Tee. Theres a lot of songs, especially on the first album, that came about by us just playing together. Feb 2. LaBelle recently spoke with CBS SF about the new album and his musical influences ahead of his band's visit to the Bay Area as they open for the Black Crowes at the Concord Pavilion (Saturday, Aug. 21) and the Shoreline Amphitheatre (Sunday, Aug. 22). It was fucking awesome. Ages 16 and Up. WHAT BAND OR MUSICAL ARTISTS ARE YOU A BIGGEST FAN OF? Hold my beer. Los Angeles' rock band Dirty Honey are gearing up for an ambitious 2019. Dirty Honey are all about the spit, not the polish. I'd play "Rolling 7s." It was more about capturing takes. And Im wearing a kilt too., Dirty Honey might be a hot tip for 2021, but their real mission was to make a record that transcends their era. Sure, belting lyrics about nightlife heartbreak over Les Paul thorns isnt bleeding edge. Write CSS OR LESS and hit save. CBS SF: You came to Los Angeles specifically to pursue a musical career in 2012 from what I was reading in the band's bio, but you didn't connect with the other members until like five years later. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. We've done one offs with Guns n' Roses and the Who, and we did a theater tour with Alter Bridge and Skillet and some dates with Slash and similar sized venues. TV Series Hot In early 2023, they released "Heartbreaker 2.0." Members The band is comprised of Marc LaBelle, John Notto, Justin Smolian, and Corey Coverstone. If the world seems to weigh a little lighter when you listen to the louche swagger of their song Tied Up (That one is just about fucking, says LaBelle), thats because Dirty Honey planned it that way. I haven't heard much of the Struts' stuff, but from what I've heard, it's a little more produced sounding. PROVE YOUR FANDOM. We recorded live, in a room together, and I think you can feel that. On a few occasions, the version that people kept going back to was the sloppiest, if you look at it from a performance standpoint. A bold opener with towering chorus hooks and slipshod grooves, "California Dreamin'" features smoking guitar solos bookended by massive riffs and hooks. But at the end of the day, if you're really a good band, you have an X factor that you can't quite put your finger on. We basically just erased the year tour by tour until there was nothing left., Stuck at home in Los Angeles, Notto didnt waste a second and got right to work. Dirty Honey opened for Skillet and Alter Bridge on their Victorious Sky Tour from September 22 to October 25. And that was kind of the moment we were waiting for; for somebody to say that sort of thing. Dirty Honey L-R: Marc LaBelle, Justin Smolian, Corey Coverstone, John Notto. Notto had moved to Los Angeles from Maine. Dirty Honey's album indeed builds on the band's output to date, with airtight songwriting that plays up their strengths: sexy, bluesy, nasty rock'n'roll, melodic hard rock, and soulful '70s blues-rock. I just think people are ready for rocknroll again.. Was there a personal connection between your band and those guys? The result? But it sounded kind of like two different bands. They burst onto the scene in 2019 with When Im Gone, which zoomed to the top of Billboards Mainstream Rock chart, making the band the first unsigned act to land at Number One. Maybe in the early days of writing, we were just thinking too much about how to be unique, and it maybe wasn't the best way to go about it. Last year, Dirty Honey self-released their debut album, which included the hit "When I'm Gone." The rest of the songs found on the bands self-titled LP, released in April, are also tuneful, but all no-nonsense forward-motion. What more contemporary rock bands would you say inspired you? There's plenty of people you get to meet up with on the road, friends who have moved to Seattle or wherever, and it's nice to catch up with a familiar face in a random city. Stay up to date with in depth music reviews, exclusive interviews and widespread coverage of whats happening from your favourite music genre. Although each band member started playing music as kidsat the age of eight, Notto's parents even bought him a red-and-white Stratocaster . I hope youre right.. In the end, even with the pandemic in full swing, it all seemed to work out. Feel free to contribute! Members: Marc LaBelle - vocals; John Notto - guitar; Justin Smolian - bass guitar; Corey Coverstone - drums; Albums: Dirty Honey EP (2019) Dirty Honey (2021) Dirty Honey is a hard rock/blues rock band from California that formed in 2017. John introduced me to bassist Justin Smolian who in turn introduced us to drummer Corey Coverstone. Whether its traveling, going to restaurants, or enjoying the company of others, it doesnt seem to matter. The song explores the darker, more, The third single from Dirty Honeys self-titled debut album. Taylors one of my best friends, LaBelle says. We want the band to grow to a place where Dirty Honey is just its own identity, like all of our predecessors. The band traveled to Australia to record their self-titled extended play with producer Nick DiDia. Honestly, the biggest challenge was convincing the other band members to simply play what feels good. About Last Night, the final track, is a slow blues pattern shaped by LaBelles soulful vocal. Marc LaBelle: I would not disagree with you, and I know our guitar player would not disagree with you. Do you want to go to waste five years of your life of pursuing the thing that could never really pan out, unless you're extremely hardworking and lucky? By the time the guys were done adding their thing to it, it became a stadium rock kind of sound big and powerful.. The official music video for "California Dreamin'" by Dirty Honey. It was very casual. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Tied Up and the albums lead single California Dreamin, both feature smoking guitar solos bookended by massive riffs and hooks. Marc LaBelle: Yeah, other than festivals that we've done here and there, this is definitely the first big, 10-15 thousand seat venue sort of tour that we've done on this scale ever. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. Dirty Honey is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 2017. ", Notto also admits that the creative process isn't necessarily always all fun and games. Could be an old soul song or could be an old Beatles song or something like that, LaBelle says. I never like to be perfect in the studio. Were here for a good time., LaBelle says hes about to go grab lunch before departing for rehearsal at Nottos San Fernando Valley home. The Underground Sounds Of America: Dirty Honey. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. The band had planned to record it with producer Nick DiDia (who produced there EP) in Australia, but they had to change plans because of Covid-19. Heres how it works. We had a slight idea that maybe we could sneak into Australia, but we decided against that. I also wanted to extend the artistic statement that weve already made, says the guitarist John Notto. Marc LaBelle: No, the classic rock radio station was in my hometown. Formed 2017 Origin Los Angeles , CA Genre Rock #1237 band Boost Dirty Honey Popularity Band #1237 Dirty Honey Fans Also Viewed Mneskin Wallows Calpurnia That took a long time to find that special sauce for it. These Los Angeles hard rockers dont need no stinkin label to land a #1 single on the Billboard charts. Sometimes it's five minutes, sometimes it's five years. August 17, 2021 / 8:55 PM Originally it was supposed to be like maybe 10 or 15 shows of the run, like do a leg of the tour. John Mayer was in the next room, and he complained that he could hear our bass, it was bleeding through. Were you able to play together? The bands members are no strangers to the rock and roll assembly line. It was just very lucky, spur of the moment thing that honestly changed my life forever. On "The Wire," LaBelle reaffirms his status as one of contemporary rocks best vocalists, while Another Last Time is a raunchy, timeless ballad about a toxic relationship that you just cant stop saying goodbye to. Though the guitarist demos a lot of the material for the band to try out, he stresses its not quite that cut and dry. We were doing that gig and Cory learned this song, "Fire Away." It meant that we were able to workshop the songs a lot more, and I think it really made a difference.". . $30.00. We worked with a producer that really tried to make us really radio-friendly, and we listened back to the record and said, We fucking hate this, says Marc with a laugh. Because the group couldnt make it to Australia where their producer, Nick DiDia, is based, they opted to record the album in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles quartet has dropped a new single, "California Dreamin'", with a news feature and video that premiered today via Rolling Stone. It was more about, 'Oh, you thought that was good? Sometimes, Ill hear a style for the solo.. I was super young, like seven or eight years old. There was this event that takes place out in Silver Lake where like a bunch of storefronts will have music right on the sidewalk along Sunset. For some artists who tour regularly, it was a time to reflect and reassess, while others scrambled to make ends meet. It doesn't seem like they care what the label thinks, which is definitely more an attitude that I'm drawn to. I couldn't imagine it going any better for us professionally, and just in terms of having fun. I cant tell that with a lot of modern bands today.. At a very young age, I was putting two and two together and realizing thatAerosmith from the 90s was the same group that recorded Toys in the Attic 20 years before. CBS SF: What is the band's writing process like? My dad and I used to listen to Aerosmith on hockey trips, and the Rolling Stones. There are other exceptions as well. Nobodys really heard the songs live before, so thats exciting for us. "We did a lot of rehearsing and got tighter as a band. When you get people with personality in their playing, you want that to shine through. All user-contributed text on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. And that was more of a bluesy, rock and roll thing. California Dreaming was the last song we wrote, said bassist Justin Smolian. "What makes all of our songs fun to play and listen to is we don't allow ourselves to stop short of getting the best possible results out of each one of them.". It consists of singer Marc Labelle, guitarist John Notto, bassist Justin Smolian, and drummer Corey Coverstone. The band had planned to record it with producer Nick DiDia (who produced. CBS SF: How did you end up opening for the Black Crowes on this big reunion tour? From left, Marc LaBelle, Justin Smolian, Corey Coverstone, John Notto. Still keen to work with DiDia, they came up with a Plan B: record the full-length at Henson Studios in Los Angeles studio with DiDia beamed into the proceedings via the magic of modern technology. The band's members are no strangers to the rock and roll assembly line. Singer Marc LaBelle: "Soulful, sexy rock & roll that's what we're all about". READ THIS: The Underground Sounds Of America: Dirty Honey, I think the rock format got really stale, says Marc. Connecting Dirty Honey with his brother Nick DiDia -- the longtime engineer of choice for famed producer Brendan O'Brien, who worked on recordings by Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine and many others -- the group would travel to DiDia's studio in Australia to track their debut EP. Youll ease in on the slumbering waves of California Dreamin before a new set comes in and takes you out for a ride. Marc LaBelle: Honestly, it's been a dream come true for me. "When you finally come through on those moments, that's where the real magic comes in," Notto says. But it still doesn't have a meaning that's easy to pinpoint. By all reports, the jaunt was well received. But there was that one where we just captured it, and it was magic.". It's that classic thing: if I hear Angus Young and AC/DC playing on the radio, I know it's them. But Dirty Honey flaunts their roots without sounding exactly like any of those bands. We were going to go to Australia, John Notto, the bands guitarist, remarks during a phone call about their derailed plans for 2020. Later they bonded over motorcycles, even going overseas to places like Italy on motorcycle trips together. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. From the ragged glory of their debut album to the happy accidents of their shows, Dirty Honey prize personality over polish. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). They dont give a fuck (and neither should you). '", "Because of the pandemic, added drummer Coverstone, we had a lot more time to write and prepare, which was great. History:When vocalist Marc Labelle moved to Los Angeles he met guitarist John Notto. Formed in 2017, the blues-tinged rock outfit came together after singer Marc LaBelle and guitarist John Notto -- who had been playing in the LA-based group Ground Zero -- decided to split with that band to follow their muse and find their own path. On the other end of the phone line, the frontman for the best new hard-rock band in recent memory sings and plays guitar for a few seconds. Labelle came up with the name Dirty Honey after hearing Robert Plant mention his band The Honeydrippers in a Howard Stern interview and thought it sounded like such a "dirty" rock and roll name. They put their time away from the road to good use by writing and recording new music. In June, Dirty Honey hits the road on a headlining tour opening June 3 at Tempe, Arizonas Marquee Theater. Where that danger is differs from artist to artist. But at the end of the day, Chris and Rich are picking the bands. When it comes time for a solo once the song has shaped up, I just follow with what my ear hears. We did the live stream at the Viper Room, then we did another live stream for Harley Davidson. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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