LOS ANGELES, CA- In the “about” section of their Facebook page, Honeycraft describes herself as a “Dream Disco Pioneer”. The description couldn’t be more appropriate.
Honeycraft is the brainchild of Catherine Rose Smith, and over the past year, they’ve been recording and releasing a handful of singles, evolving and exploring new sounds to capture the “dream disco” vibe. On November 17th, 2018, she and her band came to Madame Siam to celebrate the one year anniversary of the musical project and we were able to spend a few minute with Cat to talk a bit about her background and also what we can expect in the new year.
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I understand that you studied music in undergrad.
Yes, I did. I studied popular music at USC. My bass and guitar player were also in that program.
Since you went to school for music, can I assume that you grew up with it as well?
Yeah, I did musical theater when I was younger, because it was the best place for me to sing on stage. I knew that I loved to sing. So I started singing there and then kept up with it, took a lot of lessons, and when it came time to it, time to go to school, USC had just started this program and it seemed like the perfect fit.
How did that program differ from the other majors that were available in the music department?
It was interesting because it was geared both towards proficiency as a musician, and also towards business acumen. We had classes in various music applications like Logic, so we could produce our own music, as well as music industry classes in addition to all the standard music theory and ear training that a classical music student might take.
Did you self-produce the music that you’ve release thus far?
No. Those ones I have collaborators on. My production skills right now are to the point where I can create a demo, and then people will help me flesh that demo out more … but I’m working a lot and hoping that soon it will be something.
When did you graduate from USC?
2014.
And you’ve only really been recording as Honeycraft for the past year, right?
Yes!
How did Honeycraft come about?
When I was at school, I had a band that I was working on music, but it wasn’t at the point that I felt comfortable releasing it yet. It was a little more folky, acoustic. I had a good time doing that. And then after I graduated, I ended up working with a producer, Jack Kennedy, and we worked a lot on A&R and sort of developing the vibe and writing a lot. I took some of the songs that we wrote and ended up recording and those were on the debut EP, Crystal Ball, for Honeycraft. Jack Kennedy worked on a a couple BORNS songs.
How’d you get introduced to Jack Kennedy?
Back when I was making YouTube cover videos and I made a YouTube cover of “10,000 Emerald Pools”. He had worked on that song, and he ended up finding that cover, and then emailed me. He helped me with writing a couple of tracks, and sort of the A&Red and shaped the sound.
Does the music you have planned in the future follow the same kind of vibe?
The stuff that I’m releasing next is more lo-fi and indie, so we kind of wanted to keep the integrity of that sound. I would say a little more of the bedroom pop vibe, combined with R&B. It will be similar to the first EP in the sense that it will be very sparkly and a little psychedelic. I think that’s always my signature, whatever genre I’m working in, I like it to be dreamy and floaty and ethereal.
Kind of like a Lana Del Rey vibe?
I don’t listen to her music that much so I can’t say, but I’ve gotten that comparison a couple times.
Will you be rolling out the new EP single by single like you’ve done in the past?
I’m still debating about that. In the new year, I’m probably going to end up doing just a single release vibe that is kind of the standard now. Just keep releasing singles and keep a steady content and not so combined. I do like working with a theme, it helps me to write if I feel like, not like a concept album exactly, but some sort of overarching theme that can tie the concept together — so I guess that kind of is a concept album.
Was there a concept for your first EP?
The first EP was kind of centered around the mystical. Kind of the bridge between the physical and the metaphysical. There were a couple references to communication between planes sort of. “Crystal Ball” was inspired by… if you go on Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, there’s a particular lady who’s hovering in her crystal ball.
Laughter
So that was kind of the inspiration for that EP.
So what’s the inspiration for this new one?
It’s still a secret.
A secret?
Yeah, it will also be a little metaphysical. don’t mind me.
Laughter
What’s been on your iPod these days? What are you digging?
What’s so funny is I actually realized I use YouTube more as a streaming service than Spotify, because what I listen to the most, is actually the lo-fi 24/7 streams that they have on YouTube. It’s called ChilledCows. It’s a very popular station. Lo-fi hip-hop is the genre. The reason I like it so much is because I work so much doing vocals and doing sessions, that I’m kind of like listening to music and thinking about music intensely all day, so these tracks are kind of nice ‘cause they’re kind of mellow, they’re kind of repetitive. Yeah they’re a little more disengaging, like a palette cleanser for my ears.
How much of that informs your actual songwriting?
I think it does more than I would think, because it is instrumental.
Your vibe is very mellow and moody and sultry in a way.
Oh yeah I’ve always liked relaxing music.
So, if anything, we can probably just expect, not a theme itself, but we can probably expect a more chill vibe from you for your next EP?
Yeah, always chill. Sometimes dances, but always soothing.
Any thing else you’d want a newbie to know about you?
On the side, I’m also training to be a Super Smash Brothers World Champion.
Laughter
So are you a gamer?
Yeah, not a good one but I try.
What character do you play?
Kirby, who apparently isn’t the best character, but it’s just … we have a soul connection so I can’t abandon that.
Connection?
It’s actually because I kept falling off the stages so I was like, I have to find the floatiest character possible ‘cause I would keep dying ‘cause I fell off, so I chose Kirby ‘cause he could fly the most, and then, a connection was born.
Atmospheric and light.
Yes. Everything floaty.
Just like your music.
Laughter
Follow Honeycraft on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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