Published on September 29th, 2019 | by Darren Paltrowitz
0Dirty Honey’s John Notto & Justin Smolian On Hockey & More At Louisville’s “Louder Than Love”
Earlier this month, white-hot rock band Dirty Honey proved hat you don’t need a record deal to fly to #1 on the Rock Radio Charts. In less than six months, the group is 2019’s only new, independent artist to climb the charts all the way to the top spot with its debut single. That single, “When I’m Gone,” has racked up five-million streams (and counting) for Dirty Honey’s self-titled EP.
The band — comprised of vocalist Marc Labelle, guitarist John Notto, bassist Justin Smolian and drummer Corey Coverstone/ drums — has also been going full throttle on the road in 2019. Beyond playing major music festivals like Welcome To Rockville, Heavy MTL, Rocklahoma, Sonic Temple and Louder Than Life, Dirty Honey has opened for the likes of The Who, Slash, and Guns N’ Roses. Currently the group is traveling cross-country with Alter Bridge and Skillet. After playing with GNR in Las Vegas in November, Dirty Honey will embark on its first headlining U.S. tour.
I had the pleasure of interviewing guitarist John Notto and bassist Justin Smolian on-site at the aforementioned Louder Than Life festival in wonderful Louisville, Kentucky. Recorded on September 28, 2019, topics of discussion included being an unsigned band with a #1 radio single, Aerosmith, A&R legend Tom Zutaut, hockey, and long-term career goals; apologies for the background noise as that was Mike Muir and Suicidal Tendencies doing their thing on a well-amplified stage.
More on Dirty Honey can be found online at www.dirtyhoney.com.