The Honey Brothers

Andrew here.  I don’t know where to start except to state the obvious rhetorical question: HOW FREAKING AMAZING IS THIS? We took a long walk from the hotel to the Washington Mall, each block more and more people, until every street was jammed. Yet amazingly enough, we ALL made it in timely fashion to stand near the Washington Monument about 100 yards from a “jumbotron” TV. I don’t think we’ll ever be surrounded by such a mass of humanity ever again. Especially such a beautifully cool mass of humanity, all watching TV together. It was like a Super Bowl party, without the lime-flavored nachos and the salty halftime show. As the dignitaries began to approach the crowed cheered each one. It got comical when Joe Biden came on… more »

First off, I need to sign my own mailing list so I know where I’m going next.   It’s been a bit of a mysterly lately.   Especially confusing since the past three places we’ve traveled to have had beaches and palm trees and perfect weather.  And quite frankly i’m sick of it.   I miss trying to shovel my car after it’s been plowed in a Brooklyn street with ice so hard it breaks the shovel.   I miss stepping into a quicksand-like puddle of slush on the corner and watching as the edge of my shoe disappears under the brown ice-sludge.   All this sunshine is making me soft and if i don’t get to NYC soon i’m afraid i will turn into a soft, spineless puddle myself.   Somebody, help me.   If i… more »

Landing in LA to more palm trees and good mexican food.  Australia - which was not unlike california, but with more kangaroos, koalas, health insurance, vegemite, and skin damage; and less mexican food, guns, and plastic surgery.   Australia is probably what would happen to California if you lopped it off and let it drift across the Pacific Ocean for 100 years.   Very happy to be hosted by Clark from The Good Listeners.  One of our favorite bands.   He took me to his new favorite old Mexican restaurant.  Let’s see, how many times can I mention Mexican food?   After which I sat by the pool under a lemon tree and watched hummingbirds buzz around as I re-strung my banjo.    I tell ya, one thing Australia and California have on NYC is… more »

Ordinarily we like to have more truffle oil on our procutto before the lobster is served.  But trying times call for desperate measures, and somehow we all made do.   Somehow the band was blessed with a harbour tour of Sydney on a yacht complete with lovely people and good food.   It wasn’t so indie-rock…  more 1970s Van Halen… but i was impressed with how adaptable everyone was in the band to this new environment.     We had a couple of days to kill, and we got some good help.   Our show at The Supper Club was so much fun.  A cool neighborhood.  A ton of great people came out.

I’ve had the great opportunity to play gigs BOTH with The Honey Brothers, AND solo “Andrew Vladeck” shows on the… more »

Everything happens in slow motion for the Koala.  I got to see one up close outside of Sydney… too close.  Somehow, it all happened so fast.  It thought my ear was a eucalyptus leaf and took a nibble.  Now here I am I’m moving as slow as a koala.   It’s all i can do to eat, play, and go back to sleep.    The antidote is to kiss a dolphin… lucky for me since on our tour up the Gold Coast we stopped by Sea World and oddly we each got to do just that (to the same dolphin, poor girl).   You’d think the humane society of Australia should be notified.  All in a days work, I suppose.

But seriously, time passesss sllooooowly when you are on the road.   I… more »

That was the concert-ending phrase at the end of an Oasis concert recently, as overheard by DuContra.   The Honey Brothers had adapted it in our own way to apply to everything, starting with the flight (“It was unbearable, we were unbearable”).   Our moment with the most rock potential came with the Oddesey Festival on The Gold Coast of Australia.   It sure is something to play to a big, beautiful green field.  It’s another thing to play to a field with people on it.  But we played first, and it was a gorgeous night, though troublingly large bats flew overhead, we couldn’t complain.  We had our band Meteorologist Liz and her friends the Dozzi Sisters in the audience.  The sound was great (thanks again, Steve Winders).  And then we had to… more »