Artist Spotlight: Honeysuckle
Courtesy of Will Jelly
The Appalachian Preservation Project is proud to present Honeysuckle as this week’s artist spotlight.
The following answers are courtesy of Holly McGarry.
How did HS come together? How long have you been together?
Honeysuckle was a trio when we first formed. Chris Bloniarz, Ben Burns and I (Holly McGarry) met at Berklee College of music in 2012 when by happenstance Ben and I ended up in the same orientation class. The three of us started playing music together more formally in 2014/2015 and with the release of our first EP, Arrows, in 2015 we solidified ourselves as a band under the name Honeysuckle. In 2019 Ben decided to leave the band to pursue other interests but Chris and I have continued on as a duo. I would say Honeysuckle has been together for about 8 years though really we’ve been playing music together even longer than that.
What are the backgrounds of each of the members?
Chris Bloniarz was born and raised in Long Island, NY. He started playing piano at the age of 4 and picked up the violin at an early age as well. In high school Chris began to play the mandolin and banjo as well as the drums. He graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2015 with a Bachelors Degree in Music Production and Engineering. Since graduating Chris has been writing, touring and recording with Honeysuckle as well as several other bands including; Quinn Sullivan and Reese Fulmer on a myriad of instruments.
Holly McGarry grew up primarily in a small town in the northern panhandle of Idaho. She began playing guitar at age 12 and picked up the banjo in high school. She’s been writing and recording original music since her debut record, Small Town Kids, came out in 2012. She graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2015 with a Bachelors Degree in Music Business Management. Since graduating she’s been writing, touring and recording with Honeysuckle as well as working for non-profit folk music venues; Caffe Lena and Club Passim.
What is the inspiration behind the name “Honeysuckle?”
Generally speaking we wanted a one word name, something simple that evoked a folk-y feeling. We really wanted a plant name since that seemed to fit our general vibe and cycled through a few ideas before releasing our debut EP. The specific story behind the name is that, especially in the early days of the band, we had a lot of songs about death. For this reason, Ben (former member who played with us from 2015-2019) suggested Honeysuckle as a name because he closely associates the smell of Honeysuckle flowers with death. When he was a child he attended his first funeral and the casket was adorned with Honeysuckle flowers. A bit odd but that’s the story!
What artists are currently inspiring the band?
Andrew Bird, Wilco, Margaret Glaspy, Broken Social Scene, Gillian Welch
How would you describe the band’s sounds/style?
Honeysuckle began as more of a traditional folk band in the style of Gillian Welch or the Milk Carton Kids but we’ve slowly tweaked our arrangements and added instrumentation on certain songs to push things in more of an indie-folk or folk rock direction.
How do you hope your music impacts people?
I hope that people can connect with the music and lyrics in such a way that it comforts them or helps them process something difficult in their lives. I would love for them to have the experience I’ve had writing them, a feeling of relief and understanding. Or, I just want them to enjoy themselves. Music is such a powerful tool for processing emotions and cultivating community.
What life experiences inform your music?
My songwriting is very much informed by my experiences growing up, difficulties I’ve had to overcome and navigating certain familial relationships.
What is the importance of collaborating and engaging with other musicians?
As a band we don’t do much collaborating but Chris plays music with many other people professionally which I think helps to bring a different flavor to his playing and arrangement styles as time goes on.
Are you currently touring? Where can people find your show dates?
We are currently playing mostly weekend dates in the northeast. People can find our show dates at https://www.honeysuckleband.com/ and are welcome to sign up for our newsletter on the contact page if they would like to be the first to know about new shows, songs and videos.
Are you working on a recording project? Tell me about it.
We are currently working on releasing a new EP, Shadow Dance. Every other month we have been releasing a new song as well as a new music video to support it. So far we have released two songs; “Caught You Knockin” and “Shadow Dance.” This will be our 6th release to date.
