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All Access Exclusive - 10 Questions with Marc LaBelle of Dirty Honey
March 1, 2022
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. Visiting all the radio stations for the first time from Seattle to Detroit and NJ was all really fun, but specifically I remember driving to the airport in Denver after vacation in Colorado and hearing “When I’m Gone” on KBPI for the first time. That was a special moment for me.
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From Left to Right: John Notto—Lead Guitar/Vocals, Marc LaBelle—Lead Vocals, Corey Coverstone—Drums, Percussion, Justin Smolian—Bass Guitar
1. Where does this interview find the band right now?
Reno, NV
2. Let’s start at the beginning. Give us the scoop on when, where and how the band formed?
It kind of formed over time gigging and meeting people in LA. Finding like-minded musicians that wanted to be in a band was difficult at first, but over time we all met one another organically at various shows and formed Dirty Honey.
3. Who came up with the name Dirty Honey and what is the origin of the name?
I did. I’m not sure exactly where it came from, but I put it in my phone one day as a cool idea for a band name and it popped back into my head when I heard Robert Plant talking about his band the Honey Drippers in an interview and revisited our “band names list”. It seems like an obvious choice once we went through a list of probably 100 bad names.
4. What bands or artists have inspired you and you’d list as major influences from the start and even up until today?
Everyone from Aerosmith, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, GNR, The Black Crowes, The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, The Eagles, the list could go on forever. Any band with great songs.
5. If you were to describe Dirty Honey’s music to someone who had never heard the band, what would you say?
Sexy, Soulful, Sweaty, rock n roll.
6. Now let’s talk about the new single “Another Last Time” that has just been released. What’s the inspiration for this song?
There wasn’t any initial inspiration other than picking up the guitar one day and that’s what came out thanks to the guitar being tuned to Open G. I stumbled upon a nice progression, improvised some melodies I liked and for whatever reason the words “Another Last Time” came out. Once you have a lyrical hook like that the song can write itself.
7. Your first EP release came out in 2019, and last year you released your first full-length album. Both releases have had successful singles at Rock radio. How does it feel to see success at radio right out of the box?
It’s obviously nice to be acknowledged for your hard work, but having it happen so quickly was something none of us could have expected. Hearing your song on the biggest radio station in L.A. 8 hours after it’s released is something pretty special.
8. With this early success on the radio, what’s your take on Rock Radio and do you have any choice Radio moments you can share?
I love hearing it evolve. It’s obviously an important part of our success and seeing new bands emerge from it is really cool. I mean visiting all the radio stations for the first time from Seattle to Detroit and NJ was all really fun, but specifically I remember driving to the airport in Denver after vacation in Colorado and hearing “When I’m Gone” on KBPI for the first time. That was a special moment for me.
9. I know Dirty Honey loves to play live and is touring now with Mammoth WVH. There’s a definite difference between making a record and going out and playing it live in front of an audience. Many feel that the real work is making the record, and the fun part is playing it live. What’s your take on these processes?
They both can definitely be fun, especially when you write a good song. Having a great show and writing a great song can definitely change your mood and the same goes for if it’s going bad. Both though for sure take hard work to be great and like anything else the more you do it the better you’ll get.
10. Finally, what do you and other members of your band like to do for fun (hobbies etc.) when you’re not in “Rock Band” mode?
Other than the obvious answer of playing music (We do it because it is in fact fun and we fucking love it), I enjoy riding motorcycles through our national parks and all over the world really, playing hockey, playing guitar, riding my bicycle, hiking, camping, and just traveling in general. I think it’s nice that when you’re around people so much in the live concert atmosphere it’s really good for the mind to get out in nature whether you’re riding a motorcycle through a national park or hiking. I know Notto loves playing basketball, Corey’s really into mountain biking, and Justin likes to do a lot of drugs ;) We’re all pretty active and like to work on physical fitness both on and off the road since it’s a pretty important to be physically fit if you’re going to run around.
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