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JPR Live Session: HONEYHONEY

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III, the third full-length effort from the L.A.-based duo, is an album born from fascination with the sweet and the sleazy, light and dark, danger and magic.Working with Dave Cobb (the producer behind Jason Isbell’sSoutheastern and Sturgill Simpson’s Metamodern Sounds in Country Music), lead singer/banjo player/violinist Suzanne Santo and vocalist/guitarist Ben Jaffe twist their gritty, harmony-driven brand of Southern-flavored rock & roll through tales of lost souls, broken boys, girls with gold in their spit. Equal parts inward-looking and endlessly curious, the two songwriters also take a mirror to their own experience in lust and heartache and never shy away from revealing the messy truth. And whether they rattle or soothe or joyfully inspire, HONEYHONEY instill each song with a straight-from-the-gut honesty and elegance of storytelling that make III both cathartic and electrifying.

The follow-up to 2011’s Billy Jack (named one of the top albums of the year by American Songwriter and hailed for finding "the common pop thread between alt. country, spaghetti western soundtracks and swampy blues” by Paste), III was recorded in HONEYHONEY’s one-time home of Nashville. For HONEYHONEY, the balance of sophistication and heart that the duo strikes on III has much to do with their closeness as songwriting collaborators. "Writing is about trust—trust in yourself and trust in your partner—and with us there’s a level of trust that you can only get from knowing someone for years and years.” says Jaffe. Forming the band in 2006, Santo and Jaffe felt an instant creative connection, and soon started making music together. Although Jaffe learned to play violin and drums as a little kid in western Massachusetts and joined a local jazz band in high school, the Ohio-bred Santo initially pursued work in acting and didn’t think of music as a possible path until early adulthood.

As FM Network Program Director and Music Director, Eric oversees many aspects of JPR's broadcast day. He still hosts the occasional Open Air or classical music shift, and is the driving force behind JPR Live Sessions - our popular series of live in-studio music performances and conversations.