“Fire Starter” is the newest single from one of my favorite bands, Honeysuckle, who is the only band that I’ve seen that have brought me to tears. The trio, consisting of Holly McGarry, Chris “Gooch” Bloniarz, and Benjamin Burns are a rare talent. One that deserves any and all recognition they receive, including winning Best Folk Artist of the Year at the Boston Music Awards in 2018 and being featured on NPR in 2016.
“Fire Starter” begins the way many Honeysuckle songs begin, a soft guitar and a beautiful melody. Their lyrics are powerful and poetic. “I’ve been singing for my supper for so goddamn long / It’s been ten years now sang my songs for kings and clowns and I’m going home again.”
In classic Honeysuckle style, you hear the same strong sense of songwriting sensibilities, masterful instrumental arrangements, and vocal performances that leave you breathless. You can hear influences like Gillian Welch and Punch Brothers in everything Honeysuckle creates.
Each song the band releases is exactly what you’d expect from Honeysuckle, but every release is new and exciting in it’s own way, building on everything they’ve done previously. What Honeysuckle have done is hard to achieve, a contemporary folk trio that sounds like no other folk band out there.
In Holly’s words:
“Fire Starter” is about how we define ourselves. Are our personalities and actions dictated by the people and environment that created us? How much are we in control of who we are, what we do and how we experience the world?
This song was started almost 3 years ago when I thought I might leave Boston to go back to my hometown, which I feel in large part has shaped the person I am. I only got as far as the first verse until last year. I think until then I didn’t truly have the perspective to finish it.
What brought all the songs on the new album together was that they were all about people or events that set things in motion in our lives. “Fire Starter” is also the title of the album.
Holly McGarry
Spring Tour Dates
5/10 Soul Cafe Series Portsmouth, NH
5/11 King Of Clubs Syracuse, NY
5/12 Sportsmens Tavern Buffalo, NY
5/14 Club Cafe Pittsburgh, PA
5/15 BOP STOP at The Music Settlement Cleveland, OH
5/16 Beat Kitchen Chicago, IL
5/17 Door County Brewing Co. Taproom & Music Hall Bailey’s Harbor, WI
5/18 Mid West Music Fest (MWMF) La Crosse, WI
5/19 Private event
5/21 The Ark – Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI
5/22 Ignition Music Goshen, IN
5/23 MOTR Cincinnati, OH
5/24 Muddy Creek Cafe & Music Hall Bethania Winston-Salem, NC
5/25 Papa Joe’s Banjo-B-Que Music Festival Augusta, GA
5/26 The Basement Nashville Nashville, TN
5/28 Barley’s Knoxville Knoxville, TN
5/30 The Purple Fiddle Thomas, WV
5/31 Philadelphia Folksong Society Philadelphia, PA
6/1 Jalopy Theatre and School of Music Brooklyn, NY (Tickets on sale soon)
6/2 Darryl’s House Pawling, NY (Free brunch show and HOLLY’S BIRTHDAY)
Tickets available at http://www.honeysuckleband.com/homepage
Follow them on their website, facebook, youtube, twitter, instagram. @honeysuckleband.
Read about more of the songs I love on the homepage.