Ask the New Orleans-based band The Honorable South to describe themselves and they will likely say: “Americana songwriting, with raw rock anthem energy, 808s, guitar licks, and soulful roots commentary.” InvadeNola.com wrote about the group that they “embody everything about New Orleans that is dirty, addictive, seductive, and impossible to imitate.” One thing is for sure: they bet you haven’t heard anything like it.
Today, The Honorable South are excited to announce the release of their second LP,Faithful Brave & Honest (May 2) that will coincide with their first time performing at the New Orleans Jazz Festival at the Samsung Galaxy Stage the same day.
The band has come along way since 2008, when they started playing music together. If their 2009 EP, Dirty In the Light was a rock album, laden with electronic overtones, and their 2012 debut I Love My Tribe was a pure rock-rap effort, Faithful, Brave, & Honestlands right in between the two. Songs like “Love Me or Leave Me Alone” featuring the late Soulja Slim, demonstrate their soul, rap and rock tendencies. While, a song like ‘Overdue’ blends electronic rock over a hypnotic 808.
Since punk rock rap and synth were born in the same halls of the bronx, explains guitarist and executive producer Danny Kartel, who produced the 2004 no. 1 US Billboard hit “Slow Motion” with Juvenile and Soulja Slim, among numerous other Rap-A-Lot and No Limit releases, “We didn’t want to leave out 808 or rocking riffs/chords or expansive keys or dub bass or pounding drums.” But if nothing else, The Honorable South is experimental. On “Saint Charles Parish” they enlist Celtic punk rock group Pogues member Spider Stacy. The result is a melodic tribute to this Louisiana parish just outside of New Orleans.
Thematically, Faithful Brave & Honest tackles more universal themes than their previous work, but in a matter of fact manner. “Many of the songs were written by myself and Charles Lumar II (bassist),” explains Charm Taylor, the spellbinding rock-n-soul goddess and vocalist of the group. “Our writing partnership resulted in a more candid narrative that captured the experiences of women and men with love, new beginnings, pain, self-reflection, spirituality, greed, fear, and adversity.” Like the song “Lions for Higher” produced by Flight School Productions (with Mannie Fresh among others) is a call to arms, a battle hymn for the lost souls of the world, to live out their dreams and pursue a higher purpose.
The Honorable South started in 2008, after Charm met guitarist Matthew Rosenbeck at a spoken word poetry event. “We were bored out of our minds and decided making electronic rock n roll music would be a lot more interesting,” explains Charm, who adds that the two then met Jamal and Danny at their first gig and Charles shortly after their fist LP was released.
Over the past two years, the group have been in high demand at festivals such as theInternational Music Festival, Bayou Boogaloo Festival, and now Jazz Festival. More, they’ve supported acts like Girl in a Coma, Cody ChesnuTT, and Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes.
The Honorable South is: vocalist/songwriter Ms. Charm Taylor, guitarist/composer Matthew Rosenbeck, bassist/songwriter Charles Lumar II, drummer Jamal Batiste, and renowned guitarist/executive producer Danny Kartel.
