Hole in the Wall: The Honey Tones

The rain quickly falls on them as they run up the Kerckhoff steps. They hurried across the wet concrete, making sure not to fall or drop any of their equipment. Some used their jackets to cover their amps, some took off their shirts. All of them were trying to avoid as much rain as possible. This is how The Honey Tones came to our office. Soaked, but with a sound so sweet, it went beyond their name.

With a dapper air surrounding them and a weird kind of grace, they struck off the set with their signature oldies infused with their unique indie sound. With Crystal Cerecedes as vocalist and guitarist, April Jimenez on keyboards, Omar Praslin on bass, and Jesse (Stewey) Mendez on drums, they dragged us into their melodic, charming sound, taking us somewhere carefree.

“I think every time we’re asked what our sound is…” April begins to explain.

“It’s lowrider music,” Crystal jokingly chimes in.

“We’re dream pop,” Omar exclaims.

Each member idled with various music groups; Crystal use to play in a funk group, April was in a surf rock band, while Stewey was part of the metal scene. Despite these vast differences and even though they don’t hang out as much, they cohesively work together.

“We all come from different musical backgrounds… We all meshed into one,” April says.

“As a band, we don’t hang out at all… But see, everybody has a job and a different life. It’s time to grow up. This is more like a hobby,” Stewey explains.

This mesh of a group began with Crystal Cerecedes’ desire to create an all girl band. When that didn’t become end game, they continued on with The Honey Tones, wanting to add something different to the booming backyard Los Angeles music scene.

“I guess basically its wanting to do our own thing. I’ve been in the shadows of other musicians… Most of them are dominant male bands… So, that’s kind of refreshing that Crystal wanted to start her own thing,” April says.

And though the intensity of life gets them down from accomplishing mainstream success, they manage to do what they must do to survive this kind of lifestyle.

“Cos we’re working class, we got to work our way to the top. And it’s hard cos you’re trying to make ends meets,” April says. “It’s just a balancing act to be honest. Because when we find time, the little spare, scraps of time we have, that’s when we meet up and try to make something. It’s difficult.”

“It takes a lot of drugs to keep up,” Omar says, laughing.

They continue to believe in the music they produce and greatly appreciate those that recognize their work.

“We want to make it but at the same time the biggest reward would be the music,” April says. “And I know it sounds really cheesy, but when a fan comes up to us, that makes it worth it.”

Catch them at local shows around Los Angeles and follow their Instagram (@thehoneytones) for updates.