Making Music: Honeyhead

Two years ago, Logan Roth ’15 struck out on finding “something to do” during the summer.

“So, being the sort of antsy dude that I am, I filled my time by working on a series of hip-hop beats,” Roth said.

Roth then sentthese beatsover to Max Crawford ’15, whom he knew was a writer.

“From there, he wrote some verses, and I called a bunch of great musician friends of mine together to play the beats with real instruments. Thus the band was born after our first jam,” Roth added.

This was the origin of Gorilla Gorilla, a student band founded in 2012. The band included students from the classes of 2016, 2015 and 2014, all united in the pursuit of quirky, groovy and occasionally improvised music. Following the graduation of guitarist Molly Bolten ’14, the band has undergone a transformation and changed its name from Gorilla Gorilla to Honeyhead. Featuring Roth, Arjun Dube ’15, Max Crawford ’15 and Conor McGrory ’16, Honeyhead is more rock focused than the hip-hop leaning Gorilla Gorilla.

“We’ve come a long way since we started, and I’m really proud of that and excited for where we’ll go after this,” said Roth.

Honeyheadhas performed at various venues and events in Princeton thisfall includinga show atColonial Clubwith fellow Princeton duo BROWNI. Honeyhead has also graced the stage at Terrace, a hotspot for both established and up and coming musical talent.

“Terrace is easily the best venue. The sound is good and the crowd always gets down with us.” Crawford said. “Ultimately, the crowd is what makes a good show, and Terrace brings the heat.”

Crawford recalled a particularly memorable show atTerracethat lived up to the rowdy rock and roll standard.

“I was dancing with an audience member during a song section in which I wasn’t singing, and we were getting a bit dirty,” Crawford said. “She pulled off my shirt and started to take off my pants. It was wild, but I had to stop her. Ultimately, the show is about the music and notspectacle, so if I was naked and performing it wouldn’t have been as effective — though it would have been very fun.”

Honeyhead’screative process involves quite a bit offun butalso serious commitment to the craft. All of the band members contribute tosongwriting.

“We all write our songs,” Roth “They usually start as a groove on one instrument, and then we craft it into a whole structure and build parts off of that.”

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Honeyheadtypically practices twice a week for two hours, but rehearsals run longer if they have the time and it is going well. Extra rehearsals are added the week before a gig. The group includes time for random jams to keep practices spontaneous, and particularly good jams are often developed into songs. Crawford noted that there is also plenty of joking and tomfoolery throughout rehearsals, which is an attitude and approach the band brings to both practice and performance.

“We always try to have fun with our music,” Dube said. “It gets tough rehearsing in the weeks leading up to performances, but we always make sure to keep up the good vibes. If we’re having fun, the audience probably is too.”