Host Abe Kanan was joined recently by singer Marc LaBelle, and guitarist John Notto of Dirty Honey for a special Audacy Check In following the release of their brand new 2025 live album, 'Mayhem & Revelry.'
Category
🎵
MusicTranscript
00:00It's cool that you're releasing stuff like this it there was always a video that went with the album
00:05When I when I was younger, that's what I've been saying
00:08And and I think this was our version of it, you know
00:12like one of my favorite live records when I was a kid was
00:16Song remains the same Led Zeppelin and then and and how the West was one and both of those have a company
00:23You know concert film
00:26Dirty
00:27Dirty, honey, it's a new double album. I'm very excited about it
00:30Mayhem and revelry live and I got John here from dirty, honey, John
00:35This is so awesome a double vinyl coming out and I think dirty, honey
00:40You guys would you consider yourselves alive? I mean you guys should be seen live right? You're a live band. I feel that way
00:46yes, absolutely and
00:49That was a one of the driving factors
00:52To doing a live record which some people might say is early in our career, but
00:59That factor being how many fans and
01:03you know critics and just
01:05people in the press and just people around
01:08Who after they saw us live would say?
01:11You know, I love the record, but you guys are better live
01:13There's like a second gear or third gear like another another animal and I think
01:18After enough times of that being said and you know
01:22In conjunction with us realizing we wanted to bring more of our own sound
01:27Gear live. We just we should make sure we can get gear that we can record and
01:33You know, that's kind of there's the techie side but yeah, one of the main driving factors was realizing like
01:39This we should have something out there that points to why people were actually talking about us, you know
01:44Yeah, and it's funny how you said that because you guys have been together for like eight years
01:49But when you talk to old rocker dudes are like, yeah, I like some of the new music like dirty, honey
01:54It's like well, they're not that new but people still consider you a new rock band
01:57Yeah, I mean, especially in the genre of rock. I think it's just the company. Yeah, you know, yeah
02:03That's that's I think it's entirely a function of that, you know
02:07especially when you consider
02:09The genres we the the decades we set sound like we pull from you know
02:15Pretty far along ago and along with the the live album
02:19You guys are also putting out a four-part docu-series with part ones on YouTube now
02:23So it's just gonna all be on YouTube, right? Yes, and that was that was part of the reason for the length of it as well
02:29I think we're just keeping in mind that
02:33It's better to
02:35You know drip feed some short short form content, but not necessarily tick-tock short, you know that
02:43That we can you know
02:45Kind of regulate the engagement and keep people going and have something look forward to
02:50Yeah, it's kind of like when they drop a whole for me at least when you drop a whole series on Netflix
02:54It's like you watch it in one day and then you have nothing to look forward to so I like how you're dropping them one
03:00At a time it creates excitement. Yes. Yeah, absolutely
03:03Like I just watched the first episode of White Lotus last night and now I'm like, ah
03:08Cuz they're doing you know one of the time I yeah, I can't wait. It's like old school, you know
03:12It's like yeah, wait for the next episode. I didn't binge watch for last night, you know
03:19Yeah, like when Game of Thrones like I was big into Game of Thrones until that last episode which kind of ruined everything for me
03:24But like yeah
03:26I
03:28Mean the sad that the season was cool until that last few episodes were like the Khaleesi. Sorry about the spoiler alerts
03:33If you haven't seen a Game of Thrones, but the Khaleesi turns out I mean, it's crazy. Yeah. Yeah
03:40But yeah, it's it's so much better doing it that way
03:43Do you remember like I remember back in the day when all these bands would put out videos?
03:48Like there would be like I remember scouring
03:51I'm from Chicago and I remember scouring every Tower Records
03:55Every record shop trying to get like the Danzig three video or something. It's like Wow, everything is so it's
04:02There's something about it. It's just like it's cool that you're releasing stuff like this
04:06It there was always a video that went with the album when I when I was younger
04:11That's what I've been saying. And and I think this was our version of it, you know
04:16like one of my favorite live records when I was a kid was
04:20Song remains the same Led Zeppelin and then and and how the West was one and both of those have accompanying
04:27You know concert film
04:29we felt like
04:31we felt like
04:32We've we've already offered fans a bunch of concert. You know either
04:40Or
04:42something with I
04:44Think was beeps last year
04:46for our LA show where Chris Robinson sat in
04:50We've kind of done that plus YouTube, I mean you just type our name in and just all these things from fans
04:56not that that's quality, but
05:00You know, it just felt like well, why don't we do something different and so
05:04You know, we hired a one of Mark's longtime friends who was actually very professional like, you know
05:11videographer and editor
05:13And he did our he directed our coming home video
05:19and
05:21When I was working on the shoot with him, I just thought his attention to like what is artistically interesting
05:28Kind of grabbed me and so when Mark was like, why don't we have him just come out film us?
05:32I thought he would have a good eye for when things are interesting, you know
05:37That that would be something that would be a nugget that you can really show
05:41The audience from behind the curtain that they otherwise wouldn't get
05:45Is there gonna be a part in one of these upcoming episodes where you guys are naked by a
05:50Waterfall like in the song remains the same where everyone was naked and they were prancing around the water
05:57You know, it's funny I
06:00Don't know if it's gonna make it but there's for sure footage out there
06:09Yeah, he was fearless with the camera and like we were talking and then I had to take a shower and he just like
06:14stormed in but
06:17It wasn't x-rated or anything it was it was he didn't get full frontal, but I remember he just came in and he was
06:24Mark, I'm reminiscing about when
06:27Mark came in with and just started filming me in the shower to finish what we were talking about. I
06:34Was saying I don't know if it's making the film, but I remember I at first I was caught off guard and I was like
06:40well screw it just roll with it, you know and
06:44Yeah, it's pretty funny, but I'm not editing it. So we'll see. We'll see who's that
06:49It ends up in there. That's awesome. What's up, Mark? Mark just joining the conversation
06:54And are you good man? Thanks for coming on. Um, so we're talking about the the double album. We're talking about the videos
07:02John just brought the Black Crows and you know
07:05You guys pretty much loved all the bands that I also loved guns and roses the Black Crows and stuff
07:10How cool is it when you guys were able to open for guns and roses when you're able to play with Chris Robinson
07:16I mean it has to be a dream come true for you guys
07:19Yeah for all of us, especially I think
07:23You know not you certainly hope for those things when you start out
07:28Doing this for a living but you know, you never really know if any of those dreams are gonna come true but
07:35Yeah guns and roses in the Black Crows those are two of my favorite bands all time so
07:40um
07:42Yes, it's like you said, it's a dream come true and then to have Chris Robinson come and play with us to to meet
07:48You know slash and axle and all those things and have them say nice things about what you're doing
07:53like that is like above and beyond obviously, so
07:58Yeah, those are we have a great
08:02Story about not Oh missing meeting slash after one of our first shows because he was
08:09Partaking in all the things that the road have to offer else and
08:13slash selling merch
08:18Flash is very gracious in
08:20Complimenting us backstage and stuff and took a couple minutes with us
08:24Which was super nice and we we jumped in our van and we're like slashes that XYZ. Holy shit
08:29No, so what the fuck I gotta go back. Yeah, I was so bummed
08:34but I was I have to admit I
08:37Someone had spilled a lot of drinks down my throat and
08:43You know
08:45Knowing that slash is you know, very sober and and I'm kind of glad that that's not how I really got to get a few minutes
08:52with him
08:55Pretty sideways I
08:57Remember, I don't know how many years ago this was but Justin did an interview mark and he mentioned in the interview
09:04That you were like partying in Axl's bus for like two hours drinking champagne and tequila
09:10Could you tell Axl Rose to me is one of the only people left that has the the mystique, right?
09:16No one sees Axl Rose on social media. You never see him out doing it. He does almost no interviews
09:21What please describe to everyone what it was like being on Axl's bus for multiple hours and and tell me everything that happened because I'm
09:28So fascinated by that
09:30It was just cool, man. It was after show
09:33We had been playing some shows with them. I think last summer the server for I can't think it was last summer
09:40here in the States and
09:42We were doing a lot of these like fly dates where we would fly in to New Orleans and then go play shown Biloxi
09:48But then we had a 6 a.m. Flight out of New Orleans the next morning
09:52so we weren't like staying for the show as a lot of times and
09:55We would say for like the first 10 songs maybe and then you gotta make a 90-minute drive back to wherever you're flying out of
10:01so
10:02they were playing San Diego and
10:05We were just home and I was like, you know that I think I want to go down and just enjoy the entire show for once
10:12So I did it's like, you know an hour and 40 minute drive and this is when John John was pounding drinks somewhere else
10:19He didn't get involved. Oh, we were John was home somewhere
10:22I think everybody was a little bit road worn at the time, but I just you know
10:26It's it was like a Saturday night. I can go see Guns N' Roses for free
10:30Like why not, you know, so I went and and Axl had been sick, you know, like maybe the
10:3610 days prior and it wasn't feeling great and he came out and first note in San Diego. He was like on it like
10:42Fucking I was like, holy. This is awesome. You know, he he admittedly would tell you that was you know
10:49He was back to what a hundred percent would be, you know
10:53and feeling much better, so
10:55Um
10:56Yeah wound up, you know backstage and hanging with him and on the bus and he was in an awesome mood
11:03he just had a great show and
11:05we just chopped it up for a long time and heard some great stories obviously and we he was very
11:13interested in my my pictures and close run-ins with
11:17bears in Wyoming and
11:20He loves that shit. So
11:22Yeah
11:23Yeah, we had a good time and a lot of drinks and that went late into the night for sure
11:28Isn't it a miracle that you John and Mark that you guys found each other?
11:32Like how do you how did how do you guys meet and just to like-minded guys?
11:36that
11:37respect the history of rock and just want to do what I consider like like Guns N' Roses and Black Crowes is my kind of
11:43Rock-and-roller right and that's I feel like you guys are a new version of that, right?
11:47So, how did you guys find each other and it's really a miracle that you're able to find each other
11:52I mean if you
11:54If you think about how we met also, it's it's it seemed more chance because I met a guy who played in his cover band
12:04Years ago
12:06Who I didn't know at all and he just saw me sitting at an R&B gym
12:10So here we are like the three white guys at this R&B gym
12:14I don't know. I don't know him and we're sitting in with like the heaviest of cats who you know
12:20Are all like gospel black musicians who tour with like the biggest pop artists in the world
12:25this is the type of stuff that happens in LA right and
12:28we're just you know, it's just like fit in if you can kind of thing just any jam a tune and wing it and I
12:34did that and then
12:36this kid who played with him was like
12:39He just introduced himself to me and then nothing really happened
12:42And then I don't know how much time passed quite a while months and he called me one day
12:46I was like I play in this rock unit
12:48You know, we just do covers that I feel like you would fit in well and
12:54He sent forth a an EP with like Mark's songs that he probably wrote in junior high or like
13:01you know high school and
13:05It was really good. Like he was really good. Like the singing was really good
13:10I was like, I don't know anyone young who sings rock like that at all
13:14You know, I mean you meet some guys who are already 50 and like they they've done it and they're good but
13:21so yeah, and then we just from there, you know, it was kind of kismet right and right away and I
13:29had learned a bunch of songs that off that EP that I liked and
13:34sat in with them and
13:36You know, that was just some time of us tinkering the lineup until we came to the original dirty, honey
13:42You know
13:44Which took longer than we wanted but we got there, you know
13:48But it is random. I always say it's random cuz Mark's Mark's look more of a true rocker, you know
13:53And so Mark would have never been at that R&B jam
13:59Was that the one in Inglewood? No, I know that one too. It was it was that it was the one up
14:04If you know what is it? It was the one up at the Cafe Cordial the Shasters joke
14:10Yeah, yeah
14:11And I mean, it was not a cool hang really it was just you know
14:16In the sense, it was crazy musicians there who were like crazy good
14:20But you know, it's like an Italian restaurant and they'd force you to buy two drinks and there'd be these people literally eating dinner
14:28Yeah, trying to it trying to enjoy what basically sounded like smooth jazz
14:32but but
14:34You know what I mean?
14:35And then then there's all these bum musicians like lined up by the bar sipping the cheapest beer possible
14:41Stay and then like when it when the jam opens up, you know
14:45We all want to sit in and you know flex our chops kind of thing because and that was just baby days of LA
14:51That took a really long time to say that but it it really was chance in that sense, you know
14:56but there must be something about me that's obvious rocker because
15:01Even for that kid to have called me out of the blue and be like I think you're good for this
15:04I don't I don't know how you would have known that really, you know, we didn't play rock together. So
15:11Yeah, it's very very chance. But you know
15:15And it's taking us a lot of work to get the right people involved, too
15:20But we have no no, I just remember we were playing a shit I mean
15:24this shitty little die far and
15:27Santa Monica when when John walked in and
15:30Immediately, I was like Scott looks cool. You know, he's gonna play his Les Paul. That's cool
15:35All right, cool
15:36My other guy at the time was playing a strat and and I always
15:40Actually always kind of like the blend of maybe like a telly with a Les Paul or you know straddle as Paul's cool
15:45I guess but it's good. Hey, like he started started playing
15:51Start playing the Les Paul and I
15:54Was like this is this awesome. This guy's awesome. I just
15:59You were like didn't you send me a Facebook?
16:01Yeah, which is hilarious, right?
16:06But all swears and the explanation was like, oh cool it went well, I don't really know necessarily, you know
16:12He had a I just came down and played a few tunes and hung out and and left, you know
16:18They were doing like that. They were doing the hustle, you know for 45 minutes sets, you know cover band status, which we ended up
16:26Doing many many of those. That's where how we got good. That was the mentality early on too is like hey, let me let me
16:34Somebody once told me like it's actually my best my best friend from growing up wound up at
16:40USC to study jazz
16:41He's a saxophonist and he was really in with the music community and and for some reason a lot of the cats that went to
16:49USC
16:51were much more
16:52They're playing was a lot more
16:54Identifiable than the Berklee cats that were coming out to LA a lot of the Berklee cats
16:58I was like this you guys all sound the same to me like I'm not into this
17:02but the USC guys were for whatever reason more unique somehow and and
17:08just appealed to my taste a little more and so
17:12He was the one that told me like hey if you just book some gigs that pay
17:15There's really good people that'll come out for a hundred bucks and and play with you and learn
17:2030
17:21Classic rock song. Yeah, you know
17:23And play for four hours and have a free meal and some drinks and have a good time and that
17:29Started moving into me and not on doing it and then me not on Justin doing it then me not on and in Jaden
17:36Was there actually before Corey?
17:39who's the drummer now Jaden and
17:42But Corey obviously took that leap with us as well
17:46And yeah, we did that forever, but it was always a blast and then at some point it just got to be like
17:53We got it. We got to move on from this somehow, you know, how do we get out?
17:57Thursday Saturday night four hours of playing music, you know, 30 minutes of which might be your own
18:06But yeah, I mean it was fucking crazy John would be making out with chicks like
18:13Jobs out here with chicks. He's getting drunk like you're just
18:17Warming up their voice. Do you guys ever look out in the crowd and you see a kid there?
18:21Like I'll never 1994 my first concert ever was Aerosmith
18:25I was 13 years old and it was yours too
18:28and so it was right after the get a grip album they had a they had a great set something called big ones and
18:34That was my first concert ever and I will never forget that first concert
18:37You guys ever look out in the crowd and this is this kids
18:40Like you have a duty to that kid
18:42To like give him a memory or her a memory that they're gonna talk about that like no matter what?
18:48When they say what was your first concert they're gonna say dirty, honey
18:50Do you feel that pressure ever when you see kids you're like man?
18:53I want this kid never because I'm 43 now. I was 13 there
18:57I still talk about that show because it had such an impact on me
19:01Do you ever see those kids and you're like man, this is their first concert
19:04I don't know if it's their first concert or if they just have great parents that take him to really good shows
19:09I like tell the parents. I'm like, yeah, yes, that's some good parenting, but I know John and I
19:14Like I'm yeah, yes, it's the answer for sure. Like I'm really good. I think about grabbing a t-shirt from
19:21From our merch guy and like make sure kid gets one for free and you know, I'll literally take John's pics
19:27He probably doesn't like that, but I make sure
19:30No chance like
19:34The kid
19:41Yeah, John's like fuck those kids
19:43Yeah, that was the bad pic. You know what that one's not cool
19:48Yeah, we usually find out after we find out after like in the you know
19:53If we make it out to merch or something or don't send us the message that like hey
19:57That's my son's first concert ever
19:59I remember typically like seeing Aerosmith for the first time and I will never forget like we had really good seats
20:05that was the one thing my
20:06Family was really good about I mean, they're good at a lot of things but
20:10One thing that stood out is is they were really good about like if Aerosmith or AC DC or
20:16Tom Petty or somebody was coming to town like we were going and we were getting good seats
20:21and I I think I was second row for Aerosmith and I had gotten the
20:27Like the book the tour book photography book or something and I was holding up and it was a dorm with a big Aerosmith logo
20:33And I'll never forget I I was standing on the chair because I was little
20:37Watching the show and I put it up in the air right in front of Tom Hiddleston was looking at me
20:41He just gave me like
20:43All right. Yeah. Yeah, and I it's just something I'll never forget Tom Hiddleston gave me a like a thumbs up and a nod and
20:51I'd be also her memory
20:54thing about this is he also was
20:57The one from Aerosmith to tweet about our cover
21:02Yeah, I've left shot of less child, which is an awesome. It was the one
21:06I think he said pretty good or I don't know but it was he was very positive
21:12Did you guys see the Steven Tyler? Just I think he played the comedy store. He did like a
21:16Benefit show he sounds awesome again, and he was playing with Tom. Do you guys see this? I was there
21:21I told John to come with me, but he couldn't
21:24Wait, did you play there or you were just hanging out there?
21:26I went my so our manager manages the Black Crows and Chris Robinson sang with Steven and you know
21:32We're somewhat close with Chris now and and rich and you know, everybody in that camp think they're all awesome
21:40But so my manager kind of last minute was like, hey like, you know, Chris is gonna say with Steven
21:44You want to come check it out? And I was like fuck it. Of course I do. So yeah, I went on Steven sounded great
21:49Chris sounded great. I thought uh
21:52noodle bed and cord sounded great like
21:55Doing Joe Perry, you know kind of staying true to Joe Perry's solos, but yeah creating a little I was like damn like
22:02Skype is either a fan or like did some serious work learning the tune. So it was it was an awesome event
22:08So it's so weird when I see the Black Crows now because I'm a huge Black Crows fan
22:12Like like my favorite songs girl from a pawn shop on if you ever heard that song
22:15But like I used to see them and they might play one hit and they'd play all b-sides right and everyone was pissed now
22:21They play all hits. It's like you can't a band like the Black Crows
22:25It's impossible to make everyone happy because now you have assholes like me like I want to hear girl from a pawn shop
22:31But then, you know now Morris has that Grateful Dead sort of element
22:37Like that jam band sort of
22:42Throw the setlist away, you know, let's be obscure. He that's in him. I know you know
22:48Yeah, and he he's told us a million times. He's like, I don't give a fuck about like anything
22:54Like I'll take this quote-unquote Ferrari and I'll fucking crash it in the wall
22:58Yeah on the burning blaze because it's my fucking career to ruin I don't care
23:02But I think they're more like 50-50 now, you know, they played a lot of their new record last time I saw them
23:09You know still played some of the hits and I think that's a good
23:12Good. It was a good move for them to to to reunite and
23:17Kind of play the big-time stuff from the glory days, especially after
23:22Pleasing guys such as yourself for probably the past
23:25Yeah up until their breakup. They did like 10 years of like, all right
23:28We shouldn't do whatever we want and which means not the hits so it was it was a good play
23:34I think for them to you know, and and we were fortunate enough to end up opening on that return tour where they
23:41Celebrated what made them big and oh, you know
23:43There's there is always that thing where guys are gonna look at it as cheesy or just kind of gimmicky to do
23:49You know an album tour but when enough time passes I think it's always it's a nice move people
23:57You do want to go back at some point, you know
23:59Yeah, well when you got you guys feel it when you got when you guys play your hits
24:03There's there's always a difference in the crowd, right? I mean just it just happens. There's some people there that are just casual fans
24:09Yeah, absolutely. And and even if they're even if they're not I think the person even who thinks they don't like the hit
24:17In a room full of people really enjoying it they like it too. It's funny. We play the casino
24:23somewhere in America on this last whatever the last tour was and I
24:28specifically remember like ah fuck like I hate playing casino, it's like
24:33You know, they're usually sterile and just not that fun and everybody hates playing casino
24:38It's like don't give me you know the money until you get the check. Yeah, I think it's a check
24:44And the fake dinner to go with it
24:47Yeah, they always the staff is always cool. They always take care of you
24:50It's just something about like, you know
24:53Would you rather be at the Fillmore East or West whatever or a casino like there's something special about or you know
24:59like that's how it is, but um, I remember specifically walking out and I was like
25:03This is gonna be fucking brutal and then it was awesome
25:06And I remember I had one of my childhood friends was there and we played when I'm gone
25:11He was like you should fucking start with that man
25:13Cuz the fucking night changed when you guys played that song and I was yeah
25:18Interesting. That's interesting. So then we started toying with you know, starting with won't take me alive on a few shows and that
25:24changes the dynamic of everything and
25:28Yeah, it's it makes a difference I feel like you guys are a band though if people don't know the songs
25:33I think they still will enjoy them
25:35It's not like one of those things where you have to know all the songs like this is just a badass band
25:39Like rocking hard and it's just fun to watch even if you don't know the song
25:43I would think there's not yeah, Marjorie King
25:46You know the struts like we're probably all in that, you know
25:50There's a there's a little bit of a show element to all of it Marcus King is unbelievable musician
25:55So I think a lot of anything that he's gonna sing or play is gonna sound beautiful and you it's gonna be tough
26:00Not to enjoy it
26:03Yeah, you know Stapleton has plenty of songs that aren't hits but you can sing the hell out of anything
26:08It's gonna be
26:10So it's live ma'am and revelry to disc vinyl and then you have the videos on YouTube
26:17it's so awesome to check in with you guys and
26:20Buy the vinyl buy it like it's nice to hold something when I was a kid
26:25You would go to you know
26:27Tower Records and you would scroll through and you'd like man. Look at this cover art. It's fucking awesome, right?
26:32So just buy it by the by the vinyl like it's not
26:37Just digital is not the same. I mean, I loved I only listen I don't even listen to vinyl
26:41I'm just saying like it's just different to hold something and it's like you're going you're scrolling through you're reading the lyrics
26:48Like it's just it's just an experience. Yeah, I agree. Yeah, we were just talking about the physical mediums the other day and just
26:56That's it's actually coming back a little bit. Oh, it is it is back. We find that
27:03So
27:04Yeah, it's that's that's the best way for sure to support an independent band like ourselves
27:11along with like buying a t-shirt or whatever, but
27:15You know just enjoy it. However, you most enjoy things in my opinion and last thing. When's the next US tour?
27:21What's what's coming next? We got some big stuff happening
27:27In the next couple weeks here, we're gonna make an announcement
27:30I think probably within the next week or two about touring and then
27:35The next u.s. One. That's good question
27:37I don't think we have anything on the books yet and a new album like an actual new album not live like a of new
27:42Material any yeah later this year. I would I would think John. What do you think about that?
27:47I'm hoping I mean, that's what I've been saying. Everybody's like I'm hoping the end of the year, you know, I think it's Johnny
27:54John what's the best song that you guys have for the new album?
27:57That's kind of sorry on the unreleased songs and no one knows about what's the best song? Oh, that's easy
28:01Oh, I know which one it is for you
28:05You love that
28:06Which one is it?
28:08The one that we wrote for that thing
28:14The one that we wrote for the thing, you know
28:16That didn't make it didn't make it
28:19the more the shuffle or the
28:22Try to be cryptic right now, I know this is like this is like two parents trying to like spell things out so their kid doesn't know
28:27It's like Harley saying it, you know, w-e-e-a-r-e
28:31g-o-i-n-g-t-o-s-l-e-e-p-n-o-w
28:38Yeah, look there's some there's some really good some really good strong ideas mark, you don't
28:43You don't want to sing the chorus of that one, right?
28:47You know what I don't think I'm
28:50You know what I don't think I'm
28:52Lyrically gonna stick to what's on the demo
28:56So it might not even be worth it wouldn't it wouldn't hold up for you, unfortunately
29:01Well, you guys are awesome
29:02I love you guys live mayhem and revelry that you get the vinyl if not, you know, you listen on wherever you stream your music and
29:09Thank you guys so much. It was awesome checking in with you guys. Likewise. Thank you
29:13Rock and roll lives, baby. You're the man. You guys are awesome. Thank you