Music Review: Honeycreeper

I haven't heard any good rock music in a long time. They just don't seem to make it anymore. No one alerted the press or sent out any memos that good rock music production was on the fritz but we all know it has been for some time.

Well I finally found some. A couple weeks ago, I stumbled into a punk bar in downtown Louisville and discovered a little band called Honeycreeper out of upstate New York. I asked the guy at the door what type of music we were about to hear and he replied, "The loud type." Although the bar lacked any kind of respectable stage, the bands set up in what looked like a large bay window at one end of the bar, which of course is an acoustical disaster for any aspiring group. The band launched hard with a gasoline meets gun metal cut from their CD Frequalizer and it was clear that the guy at the door wasn't kidding. It was loud and it was damn good.

The Honeycreeper sound is a unique blend of metal and ska that teeters on the edge of funk, soul, metal and punk. The band is fronted by a sax playing vixen who's vocals hit the mark in every song. Fast and somewhat furious, her tone fits the band's style like a leather facemask with zippers. There's only one thing hotter than rocker chicks who can sing: Rocker chicks who can sing AND play the saxophone. She's also backed by a great bass guitarist who's fast walking baselines carried more melody than your average bassist (partly due to the fact that Seth, the ex-guitar player had quit the band a couple days prior to the show - we all got to yell F#@K SETH over and over in triumph with the band as they got over this supposed "loss"). The sweet thump thump pow of their drummer nailed the perfect balance of free-form rock n roll and precision-based drumming. This guy was drumming like it was his last gig ever and that made me feel damn good inside. The band was a blast to watch and everyone around me had an excellent time. Although Honeycreeper was only the opening act, they were by far the best. We're all hoping they headline if they come back around this way.

I grabbed the CD before leaving and it's one I HIGHLY recommend. You can actually stream or download it off the net >> Here's the Link from the band's website << . The songs are great fun and being able to listen to them as they were intended with the guitar is cool, although the guitarless trio that played live was equally as impressive. The high tone of the sax and the singer's voice brought enough balance with the bass and drums to easily shrug off a missing guitarist. My only complaint would be a moot one, since it deals with the guitarist on the CD. He used the same type of distortion in just about every song. This tends to muddy up the guitar crunch causing many decent riffs to get lost in a buzzy, thrash effects pedal feel from 1991. The band is all pro, but the guitar sounds as if it is still confined to the garage. This doesn't hinder the songwriting or the band's ambition however, as the feeling of good ol' rock n' roll jumps out of this CD with every song. Make with the clicks and buy it >> here <<. Be sure to check the band's website for tour dates!