Now the first thing you may wonder when you look at the above picture is:
Wait a minute, is that Vinnie Chase / Adrian Grenier in a band?
Did I just miss Adrian Grenier in Sydney?
The answer to both is, indeed, yes. With Adrian playing both guitar and drums (usually the latter) in The Honey Brothers (as well as occasional vocals), this past week Adrian has been touring the East Coast of Australia in fairly hush-hush fashion. And wouldn’t you know it! He’s a damn good drummer! But enough about Adrian, now that we’ve answered your pertinent questions let’s move on to the rest of the band.
Playing a packed-out Supper Club at Taylor Square, their second gig in Sydney that week, the Honey Brothers launched onto the stage to an adoring crowd packed with over-dressed females. Indeed they were there to catch a glimpse of, and perhaps impress, the man of the hour. But this didn’t stop them enjoying the music, with the Honey Brothers playing an impressive mix of mainstream pop(esque) songs that could easily be enjoyed by anyone, and some quirky tunes that Adrian himself described as having an “Island” feel. But what is most important about all this, is that they have a blast playing the music and really want the crowd to enjoy hearing it as well.
It wasn’t hard, however, to enjoy their show, as when one wasn’t “oogling” Mr. Chase, you notice that these guys, including himself, are actually really talented, and when you hear a song like “O Dear” you know they’ve got the potential of hitting the big time. But I don’t think they want that – they enjoy the quirky stuff just too much. And the enjoyment on stage is infectious for the crowd!
But where they have the balance perfect is that it’s not SO quirky that the average “top 40” person couldn’t dance and enjoy it in the live setting. In that way it’s almost like a watered down version of “Islands”. In any case, they certainly know how to make good music and put on a fun show.
I went to this gig not sure what to expect, but I left a true fan of the band.
That’s not to say I’m going to rush out and buy an album – from what I’ve heard on their Myspace I don’t think the recordings do them justice in terms of what I experienced last night – but the next time they’re in town, I’ll definitely be first in line for a ticket.
And now that you know that Adrian Grenier’s in a band, you probably will too.
Review by Larry Heath
P.S. “Vinnie Chase” is Adrian Grenier’s character in “Entourage”
