With the start of the summer, days last longer and people feel like spending more time outside, taking advantage of the warm weather.
This provides an opportunity to attend festivals and concerts organized outside. The musical scene in Auburn flourishes with fraternity events and festivals around town.
Among these musicians is The Band Honey, who is trying to grow their audience through performing at shows. They have been playing shows around Auburn for two years now, and their name is becoming more popular among students.
Four members form this alternative rock band. They have the classic combination of a lead guitarist, a lead singer, a bass guitarist and a drummer.
The band has simple roots: the members met either through high school or by attending the same events. Each of them shared similar interests, and their friendship blossomed into a band.
It may sound easy, but playing and working as a team can be difficult. Over time, the band formed a stronger connection and refined their skills.
“We just kind of practiced more, I think we sort of enjoyed playing together, so that kind of drove it for a while, and then through getting more shows and all this stuff, kind of just became more of a job than just a fun afternoon thing," said Curry Jones, lead guitarist and a junior in building science.
As the group gained recognition as a legitimate music band, they began receiving more performance opportunities across various venues. Fraternities usually hire bands to play at parties before game days and for other events.
The Band Honey poses together for a photo.
“We started off for a long time in the background. I mean, you got to kind of eat your pride a little bit and just accept that you have a show. Then as we kept going, it became, like, people started to like our music a lot more. We started writing original stuff, and people started digging it," said Wilson Gore, lead singer and side guitar.
While Auburn has some opportunities for alternative music to shine, there are more bands in the area than there are shows offered, which can make booking difficult.
Apart from fraternities, the band has been playing at every show they can, getting gigs in Opelika, Tuscaloosa and other cities nearby.
“It’s just kind of trying to get out a little bit more into the public scene and kind of show off what Auburn has going on, because it's not just us,” said Liam Spokes, drummer and junior in economics.
Last Halloween, the band opened a show for a more well-known band in the area, The Stews, and they got to perform for a wider audience. Since then, The Band Honey has been playing at more and more shows where different genres are showcased.
Playing for different crowds allows them to connect with more people, which is their main goal.
“I've always loved the way music brings people together. That was always why I liked music. I want to do music because of the way it's, like, a universal language. That is what people say,” said Jack Andrews, bass guitarist and junior in industrial engineering.
The band has two singles officially released on Spotify, and they are currently working on new projects. They hinted at next July for an album release.
“I think our differences in music taste, I think it pushes us to a good place, but it's hard to sometimes agree on something that we want to do. I think we've all have gotten past the stages of just, like, beginning to learn your instrument. So, I think it makes all of us want something to be great, and it's hard for it to instantly be great,” Jones said.
For the band, writing new songs is a complex process. Being a perfectionist can sometimes be an obstacle.
“A lot of the times, it's hard to sit in there and be like 'This is my first idea,' and 'This is where I think it should go,' and kind of locking yourself in instead of, kind of, letting the song take you where it's going to go, even if that's not a finished product that you like. Because I think, for me, there's definitely pressure of, like, I want the songs that I write to be good, and I want the songs that I write to come out on an album or a single or whatever,” Spokes said.
Tackling student life, jobs and being a musician can be challenging, but the band agrees that their shared passion makes it all worth it.
The band's future goals include reaching an even greater audience and continuing to play together after they graduate, if the circumstances keep being this good to them.
“To continue to put the work in — that's the goal,” Spokes said.
The Band Honey is committed to filling a gap in the current music scene. They will keep working together to be able to share their music with others, and the most important thing, to have fun as friends.
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