New HONEYBUS: Band members for forthcoming live gigs 2009
Colin Hare: Vocals, acoustic/electric guitars, harmonica.
Duncan Maitland: Vocals electric guitars, piano, wurlitzer, mellotron,
John Wigg :Violin, mandolin, flute,vocals,blues harp
Tom Smith: Bass
Influences
Guardian 21/9/07
"The Quintessential English BAROQUE group were HONEYBUS, Their top 10 hit in 1968 "I Can't Let Maggie Go" ("she flies like a bird in the sky") hung in the early 70's ether when it accompanied a woman in a hot air balloon advertising Nimble Bread. They hailed from the badlands of Hackney Wick, a hotbed for bone-crushing plants and animal fat reclyclers, but not renowned for pop groups, especially ones of such a gentle disposition. "We all liked MOZART and all that" recall guitarist Colin Hare, who was actuallly born in Baroque friendly Bath. Singer Pete Dello "convinced us to use woodwinds and strings but we didn't need much persuading. It didn't bother us that nobody else seemed to be doing it because we wanted to do our own thing. We weren't easy to pigeonhole"......
In recent years Honeybus have outgrown the one hit wonder tag that plagued them for years and become one of the most treasured British bands of the late 60s. Sure, I Can t Let Maggie Go represents a high watermark of intelligent pop records reaching the top ten but there s so much else besides. The band cut three singles in 1967 and 68, written and fronted by Pete Dello who promptly quit after Maggie hit and embarked on a fascinating and complex solo career. Not to be outdone, the band re-grouped and cut three further singles and an album that almost never got released. The story goes that upon their split in early 1970, somebody at their label, Deram Records, heard the recordings and demanded that it be released. And hence it was, posthumously and to little fanfare in 1970. Blending the kind of pure, crystalline folk-tinged baroque pop that had characterised most of their singles with flashes of psychedelia, country and bubblegum, the twelve songs that make up Story are uniformly stunning creations, played with skill and confidence, arranged for strings and woodwind and blessed with a sympathetic, understated production.
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Hello Colin, thank you so much for the friendship, pleasure to have you as a friend, it has been a long time since I was sitting down with Ray Cane in Hackney writing and playing songs, the Honeybus rightly deserve thier place in pop music history, I am pleased to see you keep the band going, well done to you, if you ever come to Ireland please look me up, my best regards , "Holy Grail Records"
Hola Colin! We were rehearsing tonight for some acoustic thing we'll do later in the year and we took my acoustic guitar out of the gigbag for the first time in A LONG time, and there was Pete Dello's signature on it! Next time we meet, you gotta have it a go too! We'll be DELIGHTED to do DELIGHTED with you anytime anywhere anyhow!
Hey there Mr. Hare! Couldn't make it to the Felipop this time. We were touring Japan in 2005, and our next jap tour will take place from 28 nov until 6 dec, when are you going there? Would be AMAZING to hook up there and do "Delighted To See You" with you, even if it's at manic speed!
Hi there !!
We finally got signed to Triumphant/Trident Style Records from Japan and Universal Music Publishing Spain.
Its first self-produced album will be entitled "Tribute to perseverance" and will be released in Spring of 2008.
The album was recorded from September to October of 2007 at Buena Onda Studios and mixed by Drew Mazurek (Linkin Park, Him, Mindset, Dog Fashion Disco, Sinch),
The album is currently being mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side mastering studios (Fleetwood Mac, Mastodon, Misfits, Everytime I Die, Hole, Sepultura).
Stay on tune for incoming news and song updates!!
All the best from Eikostate
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