For the honeyrods, the past year has been an
intensive learning experience—kind of like a crash
course ROCK 101. “Its a sickness or an addiction---to
us Rock N Roll is an epidemic.” Explains Cabaniss.
“We’ve seen a lot this year, we want people to know
what we know. There’s more to Rock than what the
radio is letting you hear, or what TV lets you see.
You’ve gotta live this. Kids aren’t stupid today. They
can see right through you. We signed the dotted line
and that changed everything. I’ll admit that we’ve had
to play the game this year, but not anymore. We not
interested in being the next Beck, we’ll let other
bands do that.” Cabaniss pauses for a moment then
exclaims, “The Who, now that’s a band to be!!!!!”
As the honeyrods continue their rapid-fire growth in
1998, it’s worth recapping the events thus far. Back in
July 1997, when they released their self-titled debut
album, the quintet was still ensconced in the region
immediately surrounding their Nashville home base.
Today they’re a seasoned rock band with thousands
miles under their belts.
Meanwhile, the debut single/video “Love Bee” earned
the honeyrods exposure on MTV’s 120 minutes and
on M2(where it was a top 5 video for weeks) And an
appearance on MTV’s “Oddville” provided a
nationwide platform for Cabaniss and his
compadres—guitarists Chris Hunter and Matt
Clemmons, bassist Jeremy Brashears, and drummer
Michael Dale.
The honeyrods recorded their debut record at
producer Matt Hyde’s North Vine studios, a
Hollywood landmark which has hosted legendary
artist (including Stevie Wonder, the Beach Boys,
Supertramp, and Hendrix). The album typifies a
sound where brawny guitar hooks rule, from the
anthemic “Float,” “Child,” and “Wishing,” to the
stinging distort-o-funk humor of “I’d Rather,” a paean
to a screw up. “Recording at North Vine was almost
Spiritual,” says Cabaniss, “the ghosts were
everywhere.”
Above all else, Hyde encouraged the honeyrods’
spur-of-the-moment energy in the studio. “Some of
my favorite moments were accidents,” admits Hunter.
“The album is full of them. Weird, sonic, unintentional
effects really set us off.”
Armed with their arsenal of Gibson Guitars and
Marshall Amps, the honeyrods proceeded to gig
mightily throughout the Southeast region, earning an
intensely loyal fan base with live shows punctuated
by rowdy guitars and sweating bodies. Two
self-produced releases set the stage for the
honeyrods’ major label debut on Capricorn, and
months of non-stop touring.
Meeting fans across the country has proved one
thing. “Rock ‘n’ roll definitely isn’t dead,” says Hunter,
“it’s alive and well. Despite all the samplers and stuff
on the radio, kids out there really want to experience
live rock music.”
“In some ways,” adds Cabaniss, “our shows have
gotten more rowdy—we definitely like to turn it
up—but we’re also confident enough to use dynamics
and go into a laid back groove. We don’t need to hide
behind a wall of guitars when you can express
something more powerfully with a quieter approach.
But in situations where we may be facing a tough
crowd, we feel like we can go in there and work them
over. We played a Marine base once, and I was
thinking ‘man, this is going to be a tough one.’ But
we kicked ‘em around, and they loved it.”
The entire honeyrods story embodies the weird, cool,
and unintentional triumphs of a group which first
formed four years earlier, intent on merely trying to
score local club dates to play their precocious rock.
Friends since childhood, Hunter, Dale, and Brashears
were born and raised in Nashville, and grew up
listening to everything from the Led Zepplin to Run
DMC. The Tennessee contingent linked up with
Austin, TX native Cabaniss and Matt Clemmons
(originally from Muscle Shoals, AL) while being
students in Nashville.
Despite hailing from cities famous for music, their
southern roots seem to exist more subliminally in the
honeyrods collective sound. “There is a lot of
Canadian’s singing country music around here,”
jokes Dale “So don’t tell me I can’t be from Nashville
and be rock!”
