Honeycrack
Encyclopedia
Honeycrack were a short-lived British
rock
band
, formed and fronted by former Wildhearts
members Willie Dowling and Chris "CJ" Jagdhar
.
Having originally come to notice with the band Tattooed Love Boys, CJ
had subsequently been a founder member of The Wildhearts
(playing second guitar and singing harmony vocals). Multi-instrumentalist
Willie Dowling had previously been part of The Grip, and later joined The Wildhearts as keyboard player for tours and studio sessions (contributing to their debut album Earth Vs. The Wildhearts). Although asked to stay on as a permanent member, Dowling chose instead to leave the band and pursue his own projects. In summer 1994, during the recording of the second Wildhearts album, CJ
was sacked from the band following clashes with Wildhearts frontman Ginger. He subsequently teamed up with Dowling for a new band which became Honeycrack.
With Dowling opting to front the band on lead vocals and guitar (and CJ playing a similar role to the one he'd performed with the Wildhearts), the Honeycrack lineup was completed by the addition of third guitarist Mark McCrae (previously with hotly-tipped London rock band Rub Ultra), session drummer Hugo Degenhardt
and bass player Pete Clarke. All members sang, providing a dense harmony vocal sound to complement the band's driving rock songs (predominantly written by Dowling and following the same pattern of rough-edged pop sensibility as those of The Wildhearts).
On the strength of their demo and the existing reputation of the members, Honeycrack signed to the Epic Records
label
and released their sole album
, Prozaic, in 1996 (the artwork of which depicted one band member's naked parent). The album contained the singles
"Go Away", "Sitting at Home", and "King of Misery". Both "Sitting at Home" (when re-issued) and "King of Misery", entered the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart
. The album enjoyed similar success in the UK Albums Chart
.
After a hiatus, Honeycrack parted company with Epic, releasing the single "Anyway" on EG records. This track would later be re-recorded by Dowling and became the theme tune
for the Channel 4
show Armstrong and Miller.
Although public response to the band had been fairly good, and although material was demoed for a second album (later to be known as PS The Unreleased Demos), Honeycrack split up in the late 1990s.
Willie Dowling went on to form the SugarPlumFairies (whose debut album Fruit Karma contained re-worked and re-recorded versions of songs planned for the second Honeycrack album) and the pop-rock group Jackdaw4 as well as writing songs for TV shows. C.J. formed the pop
-punk
outfit The Jellys
(with ex-Wolfsbane
bass player Jeff Hately and ex-Wildhearts drummer Stidi) and would re-join the Wildhearts in 2001. Mark McCrae, Pete Clarke and Hugo Degenhardt formed an even more short-lived band called The Bugs. Degenhardt would eventually join The Bootleg Beatles
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, formed and fronted by former Wildhearts
The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as The Beatles and 1980s-era Metallica...
members Willie Dowling and Chris "CJ" Jagdhar
CJ (musician)
CJ is a British singer/songwriter of Guyanese and Seychellois descent. He is best known as the guitarist in U.K punk/ rock band The Wildhearts....
.
Having originally come to notice with the band Tattooed Love Boys, CJ
CJ (musician)
CJ is a British singer/songwriter of Guyanese and Seychellois descent. He is best known as the guitarist in U.K punk/ rock band The Wildhearts....
had subsequently been a founder member of The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as The Beatles and 1980s-era Metallica...
(playing second guitar and singing harmony vocals). Multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
Willie Dowling had previously been part of The Grip, and later joined The Wildhearts as keyboard player for tours and studio sessions (contributing to their debut album Earth Vs. The Wildhearts). Although asked to stay on as a permanent member, Dowling chose instead to leave the band and pursue his own projects. In summer 1994, during the recording of the second Wildhearts album, CJ
CJ (musician)
CJ is a British singer/songwriter of Guyanese and Seychellois descent. He is best known as the guitarist in U.K punk/ rock band The Wildhearts....
was sacked from the band following clashes with Wildhearts frontman Ginger. He subsequently teamed up with Dowling for a new band which became Honeycrack.
With Dowling opting to front the band on lead vocals and guitar (and CJ playing a similar role to the one he'd performed with the Wildhearts), the Honeycrack lineup was completed by the addition of third guitarist Mark McCrae (previously with hotly-tipped London rock band Rub Ultra), session drummer Hugo Degenhardt
Hugo degenhardt
Hugo Degenhardt is a British drummer who has toured and recorded with a wide variety of artists that include Robbie Williams, Bryan Ferry, Steve Hackett, Todd Sharpville, Kylie Minogue, Rod Stewart, and Jack Bruce....
and bass player Pete Clarke. All members sang, providing a dense harmony vocal sound to complement the band's driving rock songs (predominantly written by Dowling and following the same pattern of rough-edged pop sensibility as those of The Wildhearts).
On the strength of their demo and the existing reputation of the members, Honeycrack signed to the Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
and released their sole album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Prozaic, in 1996 (the artwork of which depicted one band member's naked parent). The album contained the singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Go Away", "Sitting at Home", and "King of Misery". Both "Sitting at Home" (when re-issued) and "King of Misery", entered the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The album enjoyed similar success in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
.
After a hiatus, Honeycrack parted company with Epic, releasing the single "Anyway" on EG records. This track would later be re-recorded by Dowling and became the theme tune
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
for the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
show Armstrong and Miller.
Although public response to the band had been fairly good, and although material was demoed for a second album (later to be known as PS The Unreleased Demos), Honeycrack split up in the late 1990s.
Willie Dowling went on to form the SugarPlumFairies (whose debut album Fruit Karma contained re-worked and re-recorded versions of songs planned for the second Honeycrack album) and the pop-rock group Jackdaw4 as well as writing songs for TV shows. C.J. formed the pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
-punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
outfit The Jellys
The Jellys
The Jellys were a three piece English punk / pop band, featuring ex-members of The Wildhearts.-Biography:The Jellys were formed by C.J and featured ex-Wildhearts drummer Stidi and Jeff Hateley on bass guitar...
(with ex-Wolfsbane
Wolfsbane (band)
Wolfsbane are an English heavy metal band. Formed in 1984, the band remained active until lead singer Blaze Bayley went on to join Iron Maiden in 1994. After a couple of reunion shows in 2007 and 2009, Wolfsbane officially reunited in June 2010...
bass player Jeff Hately and ex-Wildhearts drummer Stidi) and would re-join the Wildhearts in 2001. Mark McCrae, Pete Clarke and Hugo Degenhardt formed an even more short-lived band called The Bugs. Degenhardt would eventually join The Bootleg Beatles
The Bootleg Beatles
The Bootleg Beatles are a Beatles tribute band. They have performed over 4,000 times since their establishment in March 1980.- History :The band's first performance was at a small student gathering in Tiverton, Devon, England. Following more low-profile gigs, the band performed a 60-date tour of...
.
Line-up
- Willie Dowling - Vocals / guitar
- CJCJ (musician)CJ is a British singer/songwriter of Guyanese and Seychellois descent. He is best known as the guitarist in U.K punk/ rock band The Wildhearts....
- Guitar / vocals - Mark McRae - Guitar / vocals
- Pete Clarke - Bass / vocals
- Hugo DegenhardtHugo degenhardtHugo Degenhardt is a British drummer who has toured and recorded with a wide variety of artists that include Robbie Williams, Bryan Ferry, Steve Hackett, Todd Sharpville, Kylie Minogue, Rod Stewart, and Jack Bruce....
- Drums / vocals
Singles
- "Sitting at Home" (Epic, 1995) - UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#42 - "Go Away" (Epic, 1996) - UK #41
- "King of Misery" (Epic, 1996) - UK #32
- "Sitting at Home" (re-issue) (Epic, 1996) - UK #32
- "Anyway" (EG, 1996) - UK #67