thePULSEFake Names, Real Talent
By Len Sousa
It may be no secret that The Honey Brothers aren’t really brothers at all ~ well, except for two of them ~ and guitarist Andrew Vladeck’s real name isn’t Dory Honey, though don’t ask him to admit it right away. What he will admit at least is a certain kinship with his fellow bandmates. “We all get along like brothers,” he says about the band’s moniker and the decision to use fake names. “There was something nice about reinventing ourselves and having alter-egos.” Nice, yes, but at first confusing for outsiders ~ it was all this writer could do to remember that Singer/pianist Ari Gold becomes H. Hoyt Honey, Gold’s twin brother and bassist Ethan is Kid Walker Honey, and guitarist D.S. Posner goes by Dr. J. Carl Honey.
Together since 2001, The Honey Brothers have enjoyed a fair amount of success in part due to their strong indie folk sound ~ and also in good part due to their drummer. Sure, he can stay on beat, but unlike most drummers, he has the most familiar face and recognizable name in the band. Honey DuContra is none other than Adrian Grenier, the tousled-haired Vincent Chase on HBO’s wildly popular Entourage.
“Once DuContra wound up on a TV show, it gave us much more exposure out of the blue,” Vladeck says. “[But] we all still see ourselves as an arty, folksy, indie rock band that likes growing organically and slowly.”
One other member, however, gets special mention when Vladeck is asked why so many tracks on the band’s new album, Songs For Your Sister, were recorded live instead of in a studio. “We recorded a live show because it was easier to do with everyone’s schedules so hard to sync up. [Also] I don’t know how to say this ~it’s weird when people don’t know ~ and I feel bad omitting it, but we were already dubbing tracks in the studio when our loving friend and brother, Mighty Honey, tragically died in an accident. And we had added reason to want to finish the tracks that he played on.”
Mighty Honey (real name: Pierre Michel) played bass for the group and was a former housemate and good friend of Grenier’s. An impressive musician, Michel died in 2004 at the age of 23 in a kayaking accident in Massachusetts. His image still appears in a promotional photo for the group in a window just above Posner’s head.
Seemingly eager to be taken seriously and on their own merits, the group is aware that they are more often immediately known for a single band member than for their music. Like Jared Leto and 30 Seconds to Mars, the group bars venues from using Grenier’s name for promotional purposes, but it’s no secret that many fans (often female) turn up at shows to see Grenier rather than to hear the band.
“It’s a blessing and a curse,” Vladeck admits. “People should be skeptical of anything that’s come along with hype. But of course it’s often easier to criticize. We’ve been so psyched to find that our shows overcome that, and even the most skeptical people walk away saying, ‘Holy crap, you guys blew us away!’”
The Honey Brothers put on a great show at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den right after Thanksgiving. With any luck, we’ll be seeing them back in the area soon. Their “Songs for Your Sister,” 21 Honey-licious tracks, is now available on I-Tunes. Visit them on-line at www.thehoneybrothers.com to buy CDs and gear, for fan club info, news, additional show dates, photos, and more. And befriend them at www.myspace.com/thehoneybrothers.
