What do you think of when you hear the term "BUZZ BAND"? You think talented, energetic, business minded, emerging, etc. The staff of GoGirlsMusic.com chose one band that best fit the description and their name is Honey Tongue. This Seattle band's on-stage electricity, impressive songwriting skills, rave reviews and frequent radio/T.V. appearances have earned them the title of this year's GoGirls SXSW BUZZ BAND. They will be performing this month at all three "Invasion of the GoGirls" showcases in Austin during SXSW. We recently caught up with frontwoman Jen Ayers to get an inside look into this BUZZ BAND.
GoGirlsMusic.com: How would you describe the band Honey Tongue and where did the name come from?
Honey Tongue: A big voice, a piano, a gritty guitar, a thumping bass and a superhero drummer --- living together on stage the same way we do on the road – in close quarters but loving every minute of the ride.
I like to tell people that Honey Tongue is my secret weapon. That answer makes guys literally giggle like school girls and makes women smile. The name is sexy, surprising, edgy and in your face. Kinda like the band itself. I was learning how to read tarot cards a couple years back and came upon the word “honey-tongued” – sweet-talker. It seemed to fit.
GG: What do you think it takes for an indie band to be successful these days?
HT: Perseverance and commitment are key. Honey Tongue is lucky – we were 4 individuals who jived creatively and were willing to take a huge risk together, no matter what the cost. That meant quitting day jobs, eating ramen noodles, living together in vans and RV’s, sleeping on floors. It meant learning how to run a business together in addition to playing music. It meant being married to each other, compromise, adventure, stamina, hard work, dedication and faith.
Where we are as a band today is worlds beyond where we were when we took our first tour across the country. We have grown musically, as people and as a business.
We have learned how to take the good with the bad - not to get down when it’s tough. Part of the beauty (and sometimes the difficulty), in being an independent artist, is that you have absolute control over your music and your business in the music industry. We have realized that we are able to experience and accomplish many of the same things a major label band does (and sometimes more). And when we do, even if it might take a bit longer, it’s all the more rewarding.
We booked Honey Tongue’s first U.S. tour, and several others, all on our own. It wasn’t until just recently that we started working with an international booking agency and management company.
In the beginning, we bought a book of music industry contacts, surfed online, talked to people we knew around the country, sent press kits out, made follow up calls and sold ourselves to clubs who had never heard of us.
We did the same thing with radio and press…and little by little our database and Honey Tongue’s name and reputation grew. The word spread and is continuing to.
It didn’t hurt that the four of us are originally from different parts of the country. This meant Honey Tongue had small, built-in fanbases in many of the major markets in the U.S. This helped us get the first show and build from there. It doesn’t necessarily make sense to tour 2000 miles from home if you don’t have some type of fan support to start with.
Also, one of the most valuable resources out there are other bands and musicians. For independent bands to be successful, it means getting to know other artists and helping each other out! There’s no room for competition out there – we need each other. That’s why GoGirls is such an amazing resource.
A lot of folks in the music industry still think “chicks can’t rock.” I’m truly sick of hearing that one. Anyway, we can, and we do. In fact, I’m waiting for the day when the industry starts seeing beyond our sex and takes notice of the music. I thought that was what the MUSIC industry was about.
On Honey Tongue’s journey to date we have learned the ins and outs of the music biz and have become pretty damn good at figuring out who’s for real and who isn’t. We learned quickly not to get excited about the drunk guy at the merch table who tells us his brother is an A&R rep.
In a nutshell, persevere, commit, take risks, believe in yourself, stay true to yourself as an artist, don’t give up, prepare for the long haul and remember that the business end of things is important. But don’t let your music suffer at the expense of working on your computer or talking on your cell phone.
GG: Tell us about your new CD, “Take Me Anywhere”, from production to fan reaction.
HT: Two years ago our friend Tonya Terbrueggen, booker/promoter for Seattle’s Central, told us that her partner Brett Eliason, was interested in meeting with us. Tonya had been playing Honey Tongue’s debut EP at home and the song “Senator” sparked his interest. Brett is a producer/engineer/sound man for Pearl Jam, Neil Young, REM.
We were psyched to meet with him and even more grateful to get to know him and begin work with him on what would become “Take Me Anywhere,” Honey Tongue’s first full-length CD.
We spent quite a bit of time working on pre-production. Brett would come to our home studio and we’d play all our songs, work on arrangements, fine-tune a bunch of material and decide which tunes worked well together etc. We began by recording just four songs with Brett at Seattle’s Studio X – which we then mass-duped ourselves and gave to fans as a teaser.
Fans would approach us at shows and say, “Is your new CD out yet?” At first it was fun to GIVE them the “demo” CD as a precursor of what was to come. It didn’t take long to be completely frustrated at not having a better representation of who Honey Tongue is for them to take home.
Fortunately, our time on the road helped us get to know each other and our songs really well. So when we returned to the studio with Brett a few months later, we were totally ready to pump out 8 more songs.
The process of doing the artwork, finding a good duplication company and getting press kits ready to “release” the CD is always a ton more work than you think it’s going to be. So the months leading up to “Take Me Anywhere’s” release were crazy. We also toyed with signing with a CD distributor. We had some offers but decided that without a substantial PR budget and radio play to go along with the distribution contract, it probably was better to wait.
With Honey Tongue fan bases sprinkled throughout the U.S., a good website (with a STORE page where we sell our own CD’s and merch), and CDBaby.com, we figured we had enough selling strategies to at least begin the process. We also began selling our CD to independent record stores around the country. No consignment. We targeted the stores in cities where we have fanbases and sold them units outright. More major distribution could come later.
The release of “Take Me Anywhere” was completely rewarding. We finally had all our bases covered. We’ve been selling a ton of CD’s and the feedback has been awesome. A few bands have asked us if they could cover a Honey Tongue song – very cool. And there are a lot more people out in the crowd singing along to HT’s songs…very gratifying.
GG: What is the best and worst part about touring?
HT:
The best part about touring is being able to play music every day, meeting amazing people in cities across the country and hooking up with family, friends and other artists. Community building all the way.
The worst part about touring is leaving your other world behind. And building our fan bases at an independent level took a lot longer than we thought it would. It’s paying off now but it hasn’t been easy.
GG: What advice do you have for fellow GoGirls?
HT: Get to know each other!
The music industry, like any industry, is all about who you know. Cultivate real relationships and friendships, even outside of the music. If something comes out of that relationship that helps you as an artist, great. And if it doesn’t – well, that’s alright too – because you just made yourself a new friend.
Derek Sivers (CDBaby.com founder and “indie music guru”) said (in so many words), “Anything that happens to you in this business comes from knowing somebody.”
Knowing somebody is not just shoving your press kit in their face and calling them and asking for something. Getting to know people on a more personal level is what’s important and far more valuable. The more you give, the more you get.
Check out www.honeytongue.com and "Invasion of the GoGirls"
