The Honey Brothers

Biography

Hailing from New York City, the Honey Brothers are a five-piece indie rock combo whose approach fuses the sunny vibes of the jam band scene; the off-kilter humor of bands like Camper Van Beethoven and Ween; and instrumentation that brings together rock and newgrass, with drums and electric guitars sharing the stage with banjos and ukuleles. The Honey Brothers were formed in late 2001 by Dory Honey (aka Andrew Vladeck) on banjo, Carl Honey (aka D.S. Posner) on guitar, and Hoyt Honey (aka Ari Gold) on ukulele; in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, many New Yorkers were eager to take their minds off the horrific events that had been visited upon the city, and the self-proclaimed Honey Brothers created their own variety of witty folk music as a form of musical comfort food. Their debut gig in early 2002 so impressed two of their best friends that they asked to join the band, and soon bassist Kid Honey (Ethan Gold, who is Ari's twin brother) and Honey DuContra (aka Adrian Grenier) were added to the lineup. DuContra had a small studio in his Brooklyn home, and there the Honey Brothers recorded their debut EP, 2003's self-released Honey 4 U. A nine-song EP, compiled from studio and live recordings, was issued to coincide with a tour in late 2005, and the group's first full-length album, Songs for Your Sister, followed in the spring of 2006. A third EP, Demonstration, was released in 2009 as the group set out on the road to play a handful of summer music festivals. When they're not busy with the Honey Brothers, Andrew Vladeck records and performs as a solo artist; Ari Gold is a writer, filmmaker, and performer; and Adrian Grenier is an actor who stars in the HBO series Entourage and has appeared in the films The Devil Wears Prada and Anything Else. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide