Rock ‘n’ roll is not dead. And that is evidenced by the way Dirty Honey has swept the scene by being the first ever unsigned band to hit #1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart with “When I’m Gone”. The Los Angeles delivered on the hype and the promise with their eponymous debut full-length, with bluesy, gritty, and…well dirty rock ‘n’ roll that draws influence from Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, and other ‘70s acts. It’s not a recreation of the past however; Dirty Honey bring their own flavor to the endearing genre of rock ‘n’ roll led by powerhouse vocalist Mar LaBelle and tasteful guitarist John Notto. Dirty Honey’s self-titled album drips to #4 on our list!

BraveWords spoke with LaBelle in a feature interview; an excerpt below:

BraveWords: Let’s talk about the first single from the album, “California Dreamin’”. Obviously, it shares its title with a song made famous in the ‘60s by The Mamas And The Papas, after which America and The Beach Boys both covered it. However, Dirty Honey’s “California Dreamin’” goes in a completely different direction, down a darker path. Marc, you had your own California dream when you moved from New York State to California in 2012 without a job lined up; you were basically homeless for nine months.

Marc: “Yeah, that’s the more typical story. I was working out at a gym, showering at the gym, and I remember bumping into a pastor of a church somewhere out here. He was a very friendly guy – I’m not overly religious or anything. We became friendly at the gym and he said, ‘I tell people all the time, if you want to come out here, just jump in your car and live out of your car until you get your feet on the ground. Shower at the gym, stay safe and do your thing.’ He didn’t know that’s exactly what I was doing at the time. It was a weird thing for this guy to be saying to me. But that’s the more common story out here. People are grinding; it’s not all glitz and glam. More people wind up not succeeding than those that do. It can turn into a very dark place very fast if you go down the wrong rabbit holes here.”

BraveWords: Musically, “Another Last Time” is The Rolling Stones meets The Black Crowes. Lyrically, the phrase, “Then she used me up like a motel room, drank it dry and checked out of there at noon,” sounds like something Steven Tyler from Aerosmith would write.

Marc: “I was particularly fond of that line when I wrote it, thank you. I’m glad you like it. That’s one of those songs where I had the title, and the scat melody that I just sang out one night for whatever reason, I don’t know why, it just came out. But when you have a title like that, the whole thing just sort of writes itself. That line in particular, I was struggling with the right words, and it sort of came together… just saying a bunch of bullshit honestly, into the microphone. I would imagine it’s a lot like writing comedy; you’ve got to get the pace and the cadence just right. Maybe sometimes a comedian will have a great idea – the idea is funny, but how you turn it into a joke is a lot tougher. Trimming the fat off the words and making it all make sense is the trick.”

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