Chatting with The Local Honeys
Hey The Local Honeys, how the heck are you?
Very fine, thank you.
Easy question first, where are you right now, and what are you up to today?
We’re in a hotel in Los Angeles killing time today before our red eye flight back home to Kentucky. We’ve been on the road for over a month so we’re excited to get home and be home for a bit.
Introduce yourself to our readers.
Linda Jean Stokley from Woodford Co, KY
Montana Hobbs from Lee Co, KY
In two sentences describe your new release, The Local Honeys.
The new album is an exploration into our own voice while paying homage to the traditions that came before us. We cut our teeth on traditional music and we believe it deserves the respect to continue the tradition.
How come you went self-titled?
It feels like a debut. It’s a songwriting album. All but one track is an original song. So this feels like we are re-entering the music world as ourselves.
It’s a bit too easy to pick the album opener to ask about so I’ll skip ‘The L&N Don’t Stop Here Anymore’ even though it’s a great version. But, I will ask about the story to ‘Last Mule In The Holler’ which is a cracking song with a great rhythm.
Montana: I used to show mules when I was younger. I grew up around them and every summer we would go to a handful of shows and show our asses. My Dad’s best friend, Paul Stamper, had an award winning mule named The Red Rooster and Paul would let me show him. Rooster was a runaway and had a cool story of how he came to be with Paul. Paul was very protective of him and wouldn’t let just anybody ride him. He was a special mule who lived to be nearly 40 years old.
I believe ‘The Ballad of Frank & Billy Buck’ is based on a true story, can you tell me what the song’s about and where did you hear the story?
Montana: Well I heard the story because I was surrounded by it. I grew up in Lee Co, KY which was a dry county, meaning no alcohol sales within the county lines. I know that’s a baffling concept for our UK fans. I grew up on the county line, so my Dad bought an old post office building and turned it into a beer store. We owned and operated that for a long time and we had a lot of loyal and very interesting patrons. Frank was one of them. Came in the store every day and was a friendly feller who we all genuinely cared about.
The State Police came by one day and asked my Aunt Sandy if she had seen him, which she hadn’t, and that was odd. As it turned out, Frank picked up three hitchhikers at the Beer Store who had been hanging around that day and they went down an old logging road instead of back out to the highway. We know this, because we had just installed a security camera on the parking lot and we had the last eyes on Frank & Billy Buck before their untimely deaths.
It’s a gruesome story, but all true. Those kids were convicted. My Aunt had to testify against them. And for the animal lovers out there, yes, they served extra time for what they did to ole Buck.
That is a great, if pretty sad, story. ‘Dumbass, Nebraska’ is an irresistible song title, and the song itself is great and has a few different musical elements. Do you bring those together in the studio or do you have an exact sound in your head when you’re writing the song?
Linda Jean: I typically have an exact sound in my head. I’ll toy with the melody and the words as I’m writing, but I usually work a concept up in that process. Then I’ll bring it to Montana and she can add her banjo part and harmony to it as she sees fit. It’s a nice way to feel like you’ve created something on your own but then someone gets to add their own voice to it as well.
Question for Linda Jean; what does Montana bring to the band?
Snacks.
Unsurprisingly, a question for Montana; what does Linda Jean bring to the band?
Skincare products.
You’re signed with LaHonda Records - who have a great stable by the way - what would you like to say about them?
LaHonda has been great and we’ve certainly enjoyed working with them. It’s a very tight knit family vibe all around. We’re all rooting for each other wholeheartedly and genuinely and it’s great to feel supported in that way by other artists and people in “the business.”
You’re heading out on tour soon - with William Elliot Whitmore no less, love his music - what’s your favourite thing about touring?
We feel very blessed to be able to travel via the vehicle of music. It’s easy to meet people when you are hauling around a banjo or a guitar. People want to be helpful, they are interesting and they want to help you succeed.
So…the social aspect of meeting amazing people while touring and getting to spend time with them in their corner of the world.
Also…food. We always have at least one splurge meal if we can swing it. It keeps the morale up.
And what’s the one thing you really could do without when you’re on tour?
Could really do without tiny, narrow staircases leading up to a stage or dressing room (looking at you, England). We’ve got a lot of stuff to haul around and it seems to get heavier everyday.
With the poor $ numbers from streaming, what’s the best way for people to support you and your music?
Come to a show. Buy a record or a shirt. Follow the socials, share the socials. All the in person stuff feels important to us. If we don’t see faces out there in the crowd, that wears on you after while and can make the whole thing seem futile and risks burnout. So…go to shows.
What else is coming up in 2022? If you’re not busy enough having an album out and touring!
Plenty of touring and hopefully some time to write and get better and learn more from our friends and elders. That’s something we cherish.
If you could recommend one artist to listen to this week, who would it be?
Tom T. Hall
What’s the question I should have asked you today but haven’t?
Can I ask you a few questions?
Finally, how do you take your coffee?
Lots of cream.
To find out more about The Local Honeys you can visit their website, or check out their Instagram and Facebook. The self titled album is out now and available to stream everywhere or buy from their website. Tidal embed below.
