Sweet, sweet Swing

Queen Bee and the Honeylovers are rooted in the jazz and blues of the 1930's and 40's. Their original compositions nod to these classic styles with lyrical content that explores modern themes that feel both timeless and immediate. Their debut album, 'Asheville', celebrated their hometown's history and won them #41 on WNCW's listener-voted poll of Best Albums of 2019 as well as features on The State of Things with Frank Stasio and PBS Woodsongs. Their video for "Beacham's Curve" won Best Soundtrack at the 2019 Music Video Asheville Awards. The Honeylovers approach early jazz not as a static genre but as a living language. Their work reflects an ongoing dialogue between past and present, using the forms of early American music to explore contemporary questions of place, identity, and cultural memory. The result is a sound that is both historically informed and distinctly of the moment, delivering equal parts vintage swing, original storytelling, and high-energy connection with the audience.

A collaboration with Secret Agent 23 Skidoo

F5A4ED8F-5CAF-4E0A-841C-54123BB00687 2.JPG

News

New album: Live at Isis now available on bandcamp!

We recorded 2 shows at the Isis Theater in the fall of 2022. Isis was one of our all-time favorite venues to play, and held special meaning for me as it was my grandparents’ favorite date spot. In fact, they went on their very first date there in 1947. The Woody family renovated the old Isis theater and created a fabulous listening room whose sound we wanted to capture before it closed at the end of 2022. Joining us on this album is Mark Well on piano, Matt Fattal on trumpet, Keenan McKenzie on saxaphone, Adam Rose on guitar, Mattick Frick on guitar, and Trevor Stoia on bass. We picked our favorite gems out of the evenings - a mixture of original and cover tunes. One of them, “Carolina Moon”, is the first release of an original tune Michael Gamble wrote for us. We hope you’ll enjoy!

Sunday, June 5 3-5

Come on out to Salvage Station on Sunday, June 5th, and join the Center for Honeybee Research (CHBR) and Shanti Elixirs in celebrating all things bees, pollinators, and honey with music, food, drink, and more! Doors open at 12PM, Chikomo Marimba plays at 1PM, Honeylovers from 3-5. Tickets are now on sale ($12 General Admission)! Children under 12 are admitted for free; tickets otherwise required.

Best in Jazz

Happy to have tied for first place with our good friends, Firecracker Jazz Band in this year’s Mountain Xpress Best of WNC poll!

Our first show!!!

We’ll be playing the Meadow at Highland Brewing on Saturday, June 26th from 6:00-8:00. Free show!

Saturday, Jan 23rd

Catch a broadcast of our Echo Session on UNC-TV’s North Carolina Channel at 7:30, and on national PBS at 1:00am.

#1 in Jazz!

So excited to have been voted best Jazz band in WNC in the Mountain Xpress “Best of 2020”. High honors indeed! And looks like we’ll be gracing the cover of this year’s Pocket Guide as well.

New Single!

This song was inspired by the concept of "el duende". In Spain, Flamenco musicians say "el duende ha llegado" when the groove really locks in and the players can feel a deeper, otherworldly connection. It roughly translates as the "spirit" or "muse" has arrived. Jazz musicians describe that feeling, too- and they call it the swing.

Song by Whitney More and Michael Gamble. Mixing/Mastering: Matt Williams at the Eagle Room. Video editing: Jim Knuth. Madame Yelizaveta: Elizabeth Pascoe Ghost Dancers: Allen Roda + Fisher Roda. Dancers: Elizabeth Pascoe + Anthony Pascoe, Dora Jean Gaston + Stephen Duane, Melissa Burdeos + Franklin Smith, Lily Shaw + ?. Musicians: Michael Gamble: bass and clarinet, James Posedel: piano, Annie Erbsen: guitar, Paul Rogers: trumpet, Eric Heveron-Smith: trombone, Whitney Moore: vocals + snare drum

MVA 2020 — Virtual MVA Awards
Oct 21

Tune in October 21st to https://iamavl.com/ for the virtual Music Video Asheville awards! You can stream and judge videos from lots of awesome Asheville area musicians!

We finally jumped on the distance recording train. Check out our rendition of a favorite old standard, Until the Real Thing Comes Along. Special appearances by Annie Erbsen on guitar, Michael Gamble on bass and clarinet, and Paul Rogers on trumpet.

Brand new baby Bee

You might have noticed our radio silence these last few months. Of course all of our gigs were cancelled due to quarantine, so there’s been nothing to promote. But also, Queenie has been on maternity leave! Meet baby Oliver, now 2 months old. As Mama is able to get a bit more work done, we’ll be unveiling some distance recordings and other exciting news. We miss you!

Screen Shot 2020-08-28 at 4.04.26 PM.png — Posey Royale Album release

Our piano player James Posedel has just released his first album with his group Posey Royale- and it features all the same fabulous players that perform with the Honeylovers. Check it out here!

Shanti Jun Flavor

Just before quarantine, we wrote and recorded a jingle for Shanti Jun - and in exchange they named a flavor after us. A fantastic trade in our opinion! It’s finally out for purchase - look for it at the grocery store, around town, and online!

All 2020 shows cancelled

Like many musicians, our schedule has been cleared due to the coronavirus outbreak. As of now we have no public performances on the books. Hoping the world gets back to normal so we can get back on stage in 2021!

Echo Session with iamavl

Click here for the full live set in the gorgeous Echo Mountain Recording Studios in Asheville!

Live on “The State of Things” NPR

We got to meet Frank Stasio! Click here for the archive of the show

Best Soundtrack!

We were honored to receive the award for Best Soundtrack at this year’s Music Video Asheville Awards for our video for Beacham’s Curve.

2 sold out album debut celebrations at isis

Our album release on April 27th SOLD OUT, so we had an encore on May 3rd- and it SOLD OUT too! If you weren't able to get tickets, check out our "upcoming shows" tab to catch another local show- we've got lots on the books!

In early October we started recording our first album with Grammy winner Matt Williams at the Eagle Room. Every song is set at a different location in Asheville during the 1920’s-40’s. As a 4th generation Asheville native, I had a great time incorporating local legends and stories from my grandparents into song. Five of the tunes were co-written with some of Asheville’s most prolific jazz stars: Michael Gamble, James Posedel, and Steve Karla. Players on the album are Russ Wilson on drums, Trevor Stoia on bass, James Posedel keys, Mattick Frick guitar, Steve Karla guitar, Henry Westmorland trumpet, Eric Heveron-Smith trombone, and Matt Williams on violin.

Songs of Asheville

Thanks to The828 for the write up!

Learn more

BPR — Interview with Matt Peiken

Big thanks to Matt Peiken for previewing our new ablum!

Listen

Asheville Arts Council Regional Project Grant

I was thrilled to get the news this week that my application for the Arts Council grant was accepted! So grateful for their belief in this project, and so excited for the financial help to complete it!

Site of Asheville’s most famous speakeasy

We’re gonna be on TV!

Our album isn’t even complete, and it’s already going to be on TV! The amazing Guillermo Silberstein made this awesome remix of Hayes and Hopson to be played on “Southern Charms, New Orleans: Season 2” on Bravo. Drop us a line if you hear it, will ya?

https://soundcloud.com/user-870229584/mmt-what-jazz-gsgm

Learn more