Honey Be Nice plays The Mothlight, Nov. 29

Press release from event organizers:

Honey, be nice. Honey be nice! Honey be nice? There are so many ways to interpret the name of one of the newest contributing bands to Asheville’s buzzing music scene. What it comes down to for the band though is that they simply enjoy being nice to each other, collaborating, singing, and laughing. They won’t argue that a peanut butter sandwich is more delicious with a little local wildflower honey thrown into the mix, just as they believe music is sweeter when taking an audience on a lyrical journey inspired by the wildflowers, the trees, the mountains, the sun and a little “niceness.” It’s simple really, and they hope that at their upcoming show at Mothlight in West Asheville on November 29, they can spread nature’s other favorite sweetener, music, as we enter the holiday season.

“When we first got together to play some music, I don’t know that we knew how things would unfold. We just knew we were having fun–singing, trying out different ideas, collaborating and sharing songs, and laughing.” said Furgiuele, who brought Reid and Sheeran together for a first meeting and practice with the same nerves she said she would imagine feeling on a blind date. “I’ve collaborated with other musicians in the past, but I’ve never had such instant musical chemistry before. It felt like we were onto something from the first practice.”

With Billy Sheeran on keys and vocals, Nikki Reid on guitar, vocals and viola, and Hannah Furgiuele on guitar, violin and vocals the group has honed in on a writing style that integrates each of the members’ diverse musical backgrounds. The recent addition of C. Scott Shaw on the upright bass has added a new layer to their sound. Incorporating jazz, classical and rock piano elements, driving acoustic guitar and bass rhythms, and violin and viola sequences that draw inspiration from mountain fiddle tunes as well as contemporary symphonic arrangements, the band is poised to record its first full-length album this month in Atlanta, Georgia at Studio 234 with Furgiuele’s brother, Peter (of Atlanta based rock-n-roll band, Gringo Star). Along with sensory-driven lyrics, the product of this partnership is a body of work rich with imagery and feeling, stories and reflections shared by band members as they each carve out a place in the mountains of western North Carolina–musically and otherwise. Influenced by their experiences of place and their musical partnership, the band began performing in February of 2016.

While by many measures the band is new to the Asheville music scene, the list of venues where they have performed is impressive and diverse. With a surreal first show performing to 200 people at the Swannanoa Women’s Correctional Facility and full houses at a couple of Asheville’s top listening rooms (Altamont Theatre and Isis Music Hall), they are looking forward to their upcoming show at Mothlight–especially now that they’ve added Shaw to the mix. If you like what you hear on the 29th, pre-sales will be available for the forthcoming album through the band’s Indiegogo campaign which will be launched on Thanksgiving Day.

Furgiuele says, “Thanksgiving seems like an appropriate day to ask for support and be thankful that we have found this little time in life where we get to make music, share it with friends and family and hope that our music inspires our listeners just as we have been inspired by this beautiful part of the world that is oh, so sweet.”

For more information, see honeybenice.com.