Originating in New York City, the Honey Brothers operate as a five-piece indie rock ensemble whose sound merges the upbeat spirit of the jam-band circuit, the quirky wit associated with Camper Van Beethoven and Ween, and a hybrid setup that places drums and electric guitars alongside banjos and ukuleles. The group came together in late 2001 when Dory Honey, whose real name is Andrew Vladeck, took up banjo, Carl Honey, also known as D.S. Posner, handled guitar, and Hoyt Honey, otherwise called Ari Gold, played ukulele. In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, many city residents sought relief from the tragedy, prompting the self-styled Honey Brothers to craft their brand of humorous folk music as a kind of sonic solace. Their first public performance in early 2002 left such a strong impression on two close friends that both requested to join, bringing bassist Kid Honey—Ethan Gold, Ari’s twin brother—into the fold along with Honey DuContra, the stage name of Adrian Grenier. DuContra maintained a modest home studio in Brooklyn where the band cut its debut EP, the self-released Honey 4 U that appeared in 2003. A nine-track collection drawn from both studio and live sources surfaced in late 2005 to support touring, and the full-length Songs for Your Sister arrived the following spring. In 2009 the third EP, Demonstration, preceded a run of summer festival appearances. Outside the Honey Brothers, Andrew Vladeck maintains a solo career; Ari Gold works as a writer, filmmaker, and performer; and Adrian Grenier acts in the HBO series Entourage as well as the feature films The Devil Wears Prada and Anything Else.
