Charleston-based "cowgirl punk" quarter The Local Honeys kicked off a local musicians showcase at The Mill last week, playing to a moderate crowd at Park Circle's favorite rock spot.
Opening with the 1940s Gene Autry classic "I'm an Old Cowhand", it quickly becomes clear that The Local Honeys are unlike any other band that you are going to find around town. Ukelele player Sarah Bandy is acccompanied by Brad Edmandson on the upright bass (a dying art, in intself) and Camela Guevara behind the drum kit. Completing the lineup is guitarist and singer Rachel Kate Gillon, formerly with local royalty and Metal/Punk Band of the Year (2011, Charleston City Paper), The Shaniqua Brown.
This new venture is a clear departure from Gillon's previous band, yet she approaches this project with the same tenacity and devotion that she has always given. Her throaty, torch song voice lends well to tunes like "Hell is Your Home", and is a daring compliment to the thinner, less controlled - yet heartfelt and honest - vocal stylings of Bandy. Using objects like serving ramekins and a rain stick filled with spent shotgun shells, The Local Honeys do a bang up job using Bandy's twangy ukelele as the lead instrument, delivering a charming characteristic to the band's modest wallflower presence.
Cutting through The Mill's infamous smoke and above the din of muffled bar talk, Gillon and Bandy giggle between songs and talk with the crowd. Discussing everything from what makes the rain stick work as a shaker to the discovery of watermelon seeds in King Tut's tomb, The Local Honeys clearly enjoy one another's company, as well as what they are capable of as a musical collective. Songs like the impassioned murder ballad "Caleb Meyer" lushly embrace the days of the Dust Bowl era and show off Gillon's bold voice. Playing a bright mash up of original tunes sprinkled with old country staples, theirs is a sound that combines the best of Patsy Cline's forlorn hopefulness with the brashness of Johnny Cash's "At Folsom Prison", sugarcoated with a hefty dose of Charleston punk rock.
The band played for a solid hour before taking a break, during which Gillon took to the mic with her acoustic guitar for a few solo tunes. "I wished I was smarter, I wished I was stronger, I wished I loved Jesus,*" she sang, aching like a relationship that's been dragged through hell but still holds out for better days. Bandy soon rejoined Gillon for a spot-on rendition of "Dream a Little Dream of Me" that would have made even Cass Elliot blush, followed by the harmonic and country retro original, "Honeysuckle Rose".
With the softly plucked upright providing an air of authenticity and Gillon's voice sliding from harmonic swooning to low down and dirty growls, The Local Honeys are a solid and sweet addition to the Charleston music community.
Facebook: The Local Honeys
* Patty Griffin, "Top of the World"
.pr.
Opening with the 1940s Gene Autry classic "I'm an Old Cowhand", it quickly becomes clear that The Local Honeys are unlike any other band that you are going to find around town. Ukelele player Sarah Bandy is acccompanied by Brad Edmandson on the upright bass (a dying art, in intself) and Camela Guevara behind the drum kit. Completing the lineup is guitarist and singer Rachel Kate Gillon, formerly with local royalty and Metal/Punk Band of the Year (2011, Charleston City Paper), The Shaniqua Brown.
This new venture is a clear departure from Gillon's previous band, yet she approaches this project with the same tenacity and devotion that she has always given. Her throaty, torch song voice lends well to tunes like "Hell is Your Home", and is a daring compliment to the thinner, less controlled - yet heartfelt and honest - vocal stylings of Bandy. Using objects like serving ramekins and a rain stick filled with spent shotgun shells, The Local Honeys do a bang up job using Bandy's twangy ukelele as the lead instrument, delivering a charming characteristic to the band's modest wallflower presence.
Cutting through The Mill's infamous smoke and above the din of muffled bar talk, Gillon and Bandy giggle between songs and talk with the crowd. Discussing everything from what makes the rain stick work as a shaker to the discovery of watermelon seeds in King Tut's tomb, The Local Honeys clearly enjoy one another's company, as well as what they are capable of as a musical collective. Songs like the impassioned murder ballad "Caleb Meyer" lushly embrace the days of the Dust Bowl era and show off Gillon's bold voice. Playing a bright mash up of original tunes sprinkled with old country staples, theirs is a sound that combines the best of Patsy Cline's forlorn hopefulness with the brashness of Johnny Cash's "At Folsom Prison", sugarcoated with a hefty dose of Charleston punk rock.
The band played for a solid hour before taking a break, during which Gillon took to the mic with her acoustic guitar for a few solo tunes. "I wished I was smarter, I wished I was stronger, I wished I loved Jesus,*" she sang, aching like a relationship that's been dragged through hell but still holds out for better days. Bandy soon rejoined Gillon for a spot-on rendition of "Dream a Little Dream of Me" that would have made even Cass Elliot blush, followed by the harmonic and country retro original, "Honeysuckle Rose".
With the softly plucked upright providing an air of authenticity and Gillon's voice sliding from harmonic swooning to low down and dirty growls, The Local Honeys are a solid and sweet addition to the Charleston music community.
Facebook: The Local Honeys
* Patty Griffin, "Top of the World"
.pr.
No comments:
Post a Comment