After many weeks of late night bartering which included exchanges of rare 78's, cardboard boxes, and exorbitant amounts of carrot soup, my orange tinged fingers were able to sit down with" Honey Bunny", the elusive creative genius behind the best pop-up barn dances and noise hop basement parties in the north.
"Honey bunny" is a manic multi-instrumentalist, playing with bands that emerge for one night only and disband instantly. HB often leaves immediately after shows, preferring a night of burrowing to social contact.
In a rare act of social gesturing, or simply because my carrot soup had ginger in it, Honey Bunny agreed to an interview. This is it.
Jill Wagg: Honey, thanks for sitting with me. Yes go ahead, you can nibble on my laptop. Anyways, lets just get this out of the way. Your hair. Speak to that.
Honey Bunny: I knew that was coming (chuckle). Well most people like to think I was influenced by Mike Score and A Flock of Seagulls. But I wasn't even born then. I just had a crazy night one time, in Vanderhoof I think. Ya, Vanderhoof, after a insane math-rock set. I just wanted to burrow. I burrowed so hard I clawed my way into a family of marmots. Those kids know how to party. They had never seen blonde fur before and were stoked. We drank willow root sap and chewed dandelion all night. There was some wrestling. One guy ended up with a pretty hilarious beet juice tattoo of his wife on his hind quarters . When I left the party and finally surfaced around dawn in Burns Lake, my hair just kind of stayed up. It stuck. Nothing else to it.
JW: Well it looks great. Tell us about your influences, you are known for your appreciation and talent for a variety of genres.
HB: I grew up listening to classic rock. You know my mom was really into Jefferson Airplane. I'll never forget that bass. White Rabbit was my mom's anthem growing up, you know when rabbits were finally surfacing in the music scene. Whenever I went to bed, all I could hear was Grace Slick's voice. I thought, hey, that'd be cool to do one day.
Then I got into some indie stuff in my early 20's. I went to the Academy of Rodent and Critter Arts down south. It introduced me to so many new people and music. I was a huge fan of Neutral Milk Hotel, what Jeff Magnum was doing at the time was unlike anything I heard. Then I met a really great friend of mine, Flop. Flop loved hip hop. We hopped all night to Dead Prez, a new dance was even created that night on campus called herpppin. It was kind of weird.
My mind was blown when I heard "White Rabbit" mixed into these beats. Living Legends, Rabbit Hole. Changed my life to hear such an influential song so fresh.I thought, if these guys can mix genres, I can too. So I bought an electric guitar. I learned how to play "Snake" by Frightened Rabbit, some indie folk about lost love or a really great pet, I still don't know. Anyways, after learning that song I never looked back. Then I started playing root rock and it just came together.
JW: Wow what a story.
HB: Ya.
JW: Ok well I don't want to keep you much longer. Who are you diggin right now?
HB: Probably the coolest most unique sound I've heard in a while is Old Time Honey, from Montreal. Jugs and crackely sounding things, waltzy folk and a hint of gospel. Strong vocals. A guy named Speedy. I've always had good times with guys named Speedy. They'll be at some pub or something, Nancy O's . I would go but I got a good burrow route picked out.
JW: Awesome. Well thanks so much Honey Bunny.
HB: Party On.
That was an interview with underground bunny rocker Honey Bunny. To see Honey's favourite new band, Old Time Honey, catch them on July 27th from 8-11 at Nancy O's in Prince George.
