Mad Honey to bring sweet sounds to School Daze 2.0
Hailing from the Oklahoma City metro area, Mad Honey is a recently formed group of eclectic musicians brought together by a love of third-wave coffee and The All-American Rejects.
That's the short end of the story. In actuality, Mad Honey is just over a year old and has performed at the Norman Music Festival, opened a sold-out show for Smokey Motel and collaborated with some talented Okies such as Jo Babb, from The Annie Oakley and Spinster. A self-proclaimed dream-pop outfit, the group encompasses so much more than its genre moniker. What makes Mad Honey great isn't the fast comeup, but the variations in sonic structure and ability to capture a moment in time in its compelling songwriting.
Mad Honey will be among the indie rockers, both local and from out of the state, to play Summer Daze 2.0 on Aug. 30-31 at Norman's Opolis. Spinster, Lomelda, Sports, Swim Fan, Poolboy and others are in the lineup, too.
Opolis owner Andy Nunez said the venue is hosting the two-day event to welcome the new semester.
“We will have about 20 bands playing throughout the whole weekend, in and outdoors. It will be similar in fashion to Norman Music Festival, but without all of the other stages around,” Nunez said.
Mad Honey is composed of Tiffany Sutcliffe (singer/
guitarist), Keegan Ball (guitar), Branden Palesano (bass) and Austin Valdez (drums).
Together, they've been working on a project amidst rounds of spectacular live performances, but took time for this Q&A:
Q: What do you hear when you play back your music, and what do you want to hear from future
releases?
Sutcliffe: As far as lyrics and music together, I feel like it's sad pop but with a sense of hope for the future. The way I approach songs goes that way or tends to go that way.
Q: A lot of your influence comes from greats like The 1975 or One Direction. If you could form a super group, who would be in it?
Valdez: How famous are we talking? Of course, we would pick All-American Rejects! In all seriousness, probably The Japanese House. Also, Toby Keith.
Sutcliffe: I would say, Harry Styles or Don Henley.
Ball: Hayley Williams, or just Paramore in general.
Palesano: Probably Beach House, I would love to spend a day with Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally.
Q: Most of you are baristas. What is it about the Oklahoma coffee scene that can connect like-minded individuals like yourself?
Sutcliffe: It's one of the best ways to meet musicians because a lot of music people hang around coffee shops. All of our friendships in the music scene have been made just by hanging out at coffee shops.
Ball: I feel like I owe my whole social life to Classen Coffee Co. because I met all of the band through it.
Q: What was the idea for Mad Honey when you started and what is that idea now?
Sutcliffe: I think the band has just grown better over time. It's not different, but we've grown into what it really means for us. Before Keegan and Austin were there, it was just an idea to make music, but when the pieces started fitting together, and we became Mad Honey as you see it today, it's just heavier. There's something vital about it, and the band is our ride or die.
Q: You have three official singles, with your latest being “Blue and You,” which came out in February. When can we expect an album drop?
Palesano: It's coming this fall. It's called “Theories” and will have six new tracks (unless you've been to our shows) with no remasters, just all original songs.