Sometimes when talking to artists, the interviews go smoothly but it feels alot like a business Q&A would go. Fortunately for us, talking with Suzanne Santos and Ben Jaffe of Honeyhoney never really feels that way. They instantly make you feel like you are longtime friends, which is a quality that more artists should really have. It gives everyone a sense of ease and the interview never feels like that, an interview. Instead it feels like like-minded souls connecting to discuss their passions, in this case music.
Matt: How did you guys meet?
Suzanne: We met through a mutual friend named Todd; we call him ‘the devil’ his nickname so if you hear us talking about the devil, we’re talking about Todd. Ben and I were both doing our solo records and Todd was engineering both of our projects and he thought we’d be a good little writing team and maybe jam and then it turned into this like, rock blossom of a band.
Ben: which became the first name of our band
Suzane:...(laughs) speaking of which, “the devil” just texted me, he’s everywhere…
Matt: How did you come up with your band name?
Ben: I wish it had a more romantic story but we were sitting around and writing out band names and this time it wasn’t some ridiculous thing and we had to come up with a band name and honeyhoney was on a list and it was one that everyone could get behind. You know what I mean?
Suzanne: You know, I feel like it’s the meaning attached to it. I used to work at a bar-b-cue restaurant, I’m from Ohio but I found myself calling everyone baby, sweetheart and honey, so when I think of honeyhoney, I think of southern sass and comfort, but not the drink, buy we could add Southern Comfort the Drink to it…
Matt: maybe have them sponsor a tour or something?
Suzanne: Ohh I like your style, (to Ben) he’s a thinker (laughs)
Ben: Do you know anyone overthere, Matt?
Matt: I don’t sorry (all laugh)…
Matt: As a band that bends the traditional genre lines, what genres do you feel most comfortable being a part of, on a basic level?
Suzanne: Many times we’ll play shows by ourselves where Ben will play the bass kick-drum and guitar at the same time and I’ll play some banjo or fiddle so our sound can be folky that way but at the same time when our music is playing with a full band, we rock out more so I think that we have a folk-rock pool we fall into and kind of wade in.
Ben: I’m personally more comfortable closer to Jazz and stuff like that and honestly, I love rock music and all of that stuff but when I think of rock, I think of distortion pedals and Rage Against the Machine and stuff like that…
Suzanne: Really?
Ben: Hey, what do you want?
Suzanne: I don’t know Ben; I’m so confused now, where are we heading (laughing)?
Ben: Basically, I feel comfortable with folk and jazz and obviously there’s a little rock stuff going on so those are the only three we can claim.
Matt: Well, I guess that’s where the Amy Winehouse vibe came from, the jazzy influences. But obviously you’re not likely to follow the same path...
Suzanne: I’m glad you have that faith in us. You never know! (laughs).
Matt: Where was your first live show and how did it go?
Ben: (laughing) I don’t know if this is the very first one but it’s ONE of the very first ones. We got this offer to play at a medical marijuana store…(Suzanne is laughing)
Matt: Wow…
Ben: So we were literally the background music in this weed store with security up front and all of this stuff…
Suzanne: They were armed too…
Ben: It was pretty hilarious…It was a good time…
Suzanne: You know it was a joke too. I’ve never seen that much pot, ever. They had barrels of weed. Ben and I were just in the corner playing our little songs…
Matt: So was that an “only in California” moment? 
Both: (laughing) Definitely…
Matt: When I hear that I think of an episode of Entourage where the guys go to the doctor to get a card to go to one of those places.
Suzanne: You know what’s funny, I think it’s real easy to get one of those cards, you just you have a back injury or something and pay $150 and get the card from the doctor.
Matt: Who would you say your biggest influences are?
Suzanne: Definitely. I would say a little Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday are there as far as my vocal arrangements and stuff but as a kid I obsessed over Mariah Carey and Disney movie soundtracks so I kind of feel that they helped me get this little soulful sound and pack a little punch. But as far as writing goes, Gillian Welch, I’m a huge fan and Elliot Smith as of right now, because it’s always changing. I go through phases so I change often but those are my favorites right now.
Ben: I really love Randy Newman. Basically I like anyone who writes songs that tell stories that I want to listen to…
Matt: Like great lyricists?
Ben: Yeah, exactly. The masters of songs, the guys who were really paying attention to what, traditionally, a song is. Not that I don’t like other untraditional stuff too but those people who really make me want to listen to it.
Suzanne: You know what, Ben, That was great (laughing)…
Matt: I was talking with a songwriter in Nashville and he said that he didn’t understand abstract lyrics or experimental music because he liked the ability to feel the lyric and relate to it…
Suzanne: I think that after Ben articulated his influences, that he explained it better for me. I always feel I would give a different answer to that question so it’s interesting; it’s the stories. The stories are what get you to listen.
Matt: How did you hook up with Ironworks?
Suzanne: It’s kind of one of those crazy stories that sometimes when I think about it I can’t believe it. There was a man who found our MySpace page in France and he works for Mercury Records and he kind of hounded us for a while. He would come to the states for other business but while here he would show up at the bar I worked at in Venice Beach with three friends of his, who after a little while I came to realize who they were. They were Bob Clearmountain, who is one of the best music mixers, Bob White and this guy Kevin Harp who was mixing with Bob and also works with Producer Mitchell Froom. It was one of those moments where this guy found us on MySpace and was really interested in us. We became good friends and the thought that Ironworks would be the perfect label for us because were kind of an indie band and we were always trying new creative stuff and he felt they would give us the creative freedom
We couldn’t get into the label doors very well because they were very busy but they (Ironworks) was having a contest to do an EP with a new artist so Bertrand Lamblot, who we call “Frenchie McGee,” helped us get an audition tape together and sent it into Ironworks and ended up winning the contest and getting their attention. It’s kind of a crazy story.
Matt: What was it like to work with Keifer Sutherland on your video?
Ben: it was really great. You know, I didn’t grow up in LA so I always thought the movie business was crazy, kind of a bizarre world. It was the first time popping into this world where Keifer Sutherland was yelling or shouting at all these people (as the director). It was pretty amazing, classic experience. People dressed up in western clothing shooting blanks, and all of this Hollywood sh-t going on.
Suzanne: We hadn’t really spent a lot of time with Kiefer at that point, we’d see him a little bit but we didn’t have any in-depth conversations or really get to know him and he worked really hard and pulled all of these favors from people he’d helped out and got this huge crew together for the video. I’d seen him on TV and stuff like “24” but to see him in action and the way that he thinks…He directed it. He helped me when I was feeling nervous. He’s one of those guys who really take charge, he knows what he’s doing, and he’s so smart. We couldn’t have done it without him, it wouldn’t have turned out that well.
You know when Ben says yelling at people and stuff” it wasn’t in a mean way but to take charge and get things done in an orderly time. He was great. A pretty powerful guy.
Matt: Yeah, I remember his working with Rocco Deluca on their tour to Europe so his love of the music being paramount to things. So I guess it helps having a guy like that around with Ironworks?
Ben: He’s pretty legit with his love of the music and he completely let us do our own thing. He didn’t come in and demand things.
Matt: What was it like to work with Jude Cole in the studio?
Ben: He’s someone whose opinion that you trust and from the start was completely honest with everything. He was easy to work with because he wasn’t messing around.
Suzanne: Ben’s recorded a lot of other stuff before but this was my first big project other than our EP and I feel like Jude challenged me in ways to make me better and how to understand this project. He’s a smart man and it’s pretty cool.
Matt: I think that a producer has to have that ability, like a director, to guide the singers to make the best thing it can be, on top of what the artist may think. Like being able to hear instruments in places that an artist might not exactly hear…
Suzanne: Yeah, when I was talking about challenges from Jude, he is very straight forward and can be very blunt at times. He tells you things you might not want to hear but I feel that it made everything better, not having stuff sugarcoated. It was great because working with people you will have to compromise a few times. It also applies to other areas of life too.
Ben: that’s one of the things I love about working at Ironworks, it’s not one of those “oh you do your thing, we’ll leave you alone.” There’s no hyper sensitivity because, “oh we don’t want to hurt their feelings because it’s that person’s thing.” We’re working towards the same goal. You know what I mean?
Matt: Yeah, I’ve heard of cases where artists were sent to record an album and then the labels then tell them they don’t like it and ask the artist to record another record…
Ben: Exactly, you know a lot of the bigger labels don’t have the focus because of so many artists or they do have the resources to do stuff like that but at Ironworks, we are on the ground together figuring stuff out as it goes along by dealing with small things as they come up.
Matt: Yeah, the feeling that a small company can give you but they have the partnerships to give you what a big label can give you…
Ben: Yes, the opportunity of both worlds.
Matt: Who comes up with the song ideas?
Suzanne: Well, a lot of the songs on the EP and the record Ben wrote by himself before we got together and some of them I wrote and others we worked on together. There’s no set process. It is always “hey, I came up with this, what do you think” and stuff like that.
Ben: Pretty much any way two people can write a song is how it works for us.
Suzanne: You know what’s really cool about it though, I’m not as experienced a writer as Ben Jaffe but I love the things I’ve learned from him and it makes me want to write more. There’s no pressure, I feel like it’s become fun and its cool. I thought about it the other day, I don’t think people always have that due to the pressure of having to this or that.
Matt: Like an organic process…
Suzanne: I think that also has something to do with the label we’re with. They aren’t not putting a ‘gun to your head’ and saying ‘you have to do this.’ Like Sara Barillies where they told her she needed a love song. So she wrote “Love Song.”
Ben: It just goes to show you that the pressure does sometimes work for artists.
Matt: What are your goals for your new album “First Rodeo?”
Ben: I would love to see this album put us in a place to give us an audience where we could continually be a band with. It takes a certain amount of people (fans) to support a career.
Suzanne: It’s great to piggy-back and be an opener for people but if you want longevity, it is great to have people who enjoy your music and want to hear more. We don’t have any specific goals for numbers or anything…I’m honestly content right now. It’s a bare minimum right now but it makes me pretty happy to have the slow growth.
Matt: Have you heard “Little Toy Gun” on the radio when driving around town or on a video network?
Suzanne: No, I haven’t.
Ben: I saw the video on TV once…
Suzanne: You did? When?
Ben: on “Fuse.”
Suzanne: Oh, right. Really? That’s awesome. I don’t have a TV and I haven’t seen it or heard it on the radio but my friends have and they text me and stuff.
Matt: Thanks for the great conversation, guys. Next time you're in my area I'll make it to a show.
Suzanne: Thanks. It was fun.
Ben: It was great. See you around.
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