What is Honeyloaf anyway… “Some kind of Meatloaf tribute band”????
Well if that was your first thought when you heard the name Honeyloaf you weren’t the first, you couldn’t be more mistaken, but you’re not the first.
Honeyloaf started out as a duo created by husband and wife team Wendy and Jason Ziebart. After years (years…makes them sound old!) of wanting to get their musical skills out of the kitchen and onto the stage… a night of watching “Walk the Line” (the Johnny Cash story) sparked the idea that the world needed another Johnny and June and…Honeyloaf was born! They knew there was something good happening when they sang together and Wendy’s harmonies behind Jason’s vocals made the songs come to life. In the spring of 2008 they came up with the idea to step into the studio and record a six song EP with intentions to have a copy on the shelf to show their future grandkids one day, and by summer they got the ball rolling. After a few tracks were laid down it became apparent that there was some magic going on. Excited by the results at the studio Jason would rush home every night to pen song after song and before the project was complete the idea of sticking that CD up on a shelf just seemed wrong. Wynn Gogol of One Ton studios who recorded and produced the album offered to play stand up bass and Murray Creed an amazing local session drummer who played on the tracks also joined the duo on stage for their CD release and first live performance. Wynn threw out the idea that they needed a great lead guitar player to step in and round out the sound for that first show. Jason sent a note to an ex-neighbor James Love whose tone and playing style he had always admired, knowing he was too busy playing in a well respected local cover band to jump in the Honey. He wanted to know if James could recommend anyone for the spot with his fingers crossed in hopes James might be interested himself. James simply wrote back “Can I audition?”… Honeyloaf had their lead guitar player.
That first show in December 2008 debut the six songs off of the new album Honeyloaf “The HoneyTone EP” …a bunch of the new songs Jason had written during recording as well as few choice covers. The sold-out crowd was wowed that first night and the Duo team realized that the stage felt like home and the music felt even better. Honeyloaf was soon after planning the next gig but wanted a full- time drummer and bass player to round out the band first. Ryan Hill, an acquaintance of Jason’s, had expressed an interest to come out to help Wendy and Jason record their EP but the timing had never worked out. Back in the summer, Jason had stopped by a band rehearsal to check out Ryan’s abilities behind the kit and had noticed how well Ryan and his bass player/friend Dave Booth played off of each other. As rhythm sections go, it was apparent these two had played together for years as they were tight. Knowing it was a long shot, Jason had thoughts of how to lure those two and their talents away to join Honeyloaf. A phone call after the December show proved luck was on the duo’s side as Ryan and Dave’s current band had decided to take a break. Jason and Wendy now had a full band.
The chemistry in this new found mix couldn’t have been better. Rehearsals quickly turned into evenings with not only great music, but tons of laughter. Everyone in the band is at the same place in life and are parents of kids in the same age range. They understand that families come first. They all bring an amazing piece of themselves to make the sound of Honeyloaf come together and sound like no other. Throughout 2009, somewhere between rehearsals and live shows, Honeyloaf stopped being a husband and wife act/duo with a great backup band. It was now Honeyloaf… a fantastic five piece roots rock band from Victoria BC, Canada.
Along the way the “The Honeytone EP” also turned some heads, receiving great reviews and airplay on Americana and Roots stations around the world. It even captured the attention of one legendary songwriter and producer Jim Vallance whose credits include Bryan Adams, Aerosmith, Neil Diamond, Kiss, and Ozzy Osbourne just to name a few. Jason received a phone call from Jim after he was handed a copy of the EP from a mutual friend. Jim proceeded to tell Jason how impressed he was with his song writing, especially the heartfelt track “Say you’re sorry”. From someone who co-wrote almost all Jason’s favorite songs as a teen, this validation knocked Jason off his feet. Jim even took the time to write Honeyloaf a wonderful reference letter. Just a few words from Vallance were “It’s simultaneously “retro” and original”… “fun without being frivolous”… and “their songwriting inventive and unique.” He went on to call Honeyloaf “an exceptional Canadian band”.
So what is Honeyloaf?
Honeyloaf is Ryan Hill… a highly skilled hardwood floor installer, human bull horn, Toto lover and one absolutely amazing world music influenced drummer.
Honeyloaf is Dave Booth… a calm soul, music fan extraordinaire, a dedicated chocolatier, and a tight in the pocket funk and jazz inspired bass player.
Honeyloaf is James Love… a detail oriented career musician, Martha Stewart and Jeff Beck wannabe, stay at home dad, and the owner of the sickest, fattest, warmest tone a lead player in any roots rock band should ever be allowed to get away with.
Honeyloaf is Wendy Ziebart… a personal trainer, a hairstylist, a dedicated mother, a smoky voiced harmonizer and the sparkplug that sets the stage of every Honeyloaf show on fire.
Honeyloaf is Jason Ziebart… a salesman, square box artist, lifelong dreamer, Bubbles impersonator, and hooky songwriter that loves to sing.
Or more simply put… Honeyloaf is a roots rock band.