Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael McLaughlin
Hi Michael, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started playing the saxophone when I was 9, and was hooked on music ever since. I never had any sort of mentor or family member who was into music to guide me until college, so it really serves as a testament to how much I love it. I got involved with Music Production in the 8th grade, just making beats for fun, and started to pick up Jazz the same year. My best friend at the time, John Murray, was big into jazz, so he really inspired me to learn more about it and take the next step. I auditioned and got in to SCPA, or the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts. Here, I really began to take myself seriously as a musician. I figured that if I was going to be going to an arts school, I had to fully commit to my art, so I did. I practiced day and night on the saxophone, and was still really into music production and hip hop.
From here, I started to experiment with bringing Jazz elements into my production, and was really inspired by people like Robert Glasper, Kendrick Lamar, Erykah Badu, and Terrace Martin to name a few. My production eventually led me to pick up a few other instruments on the side, like guitar, bass, and keys just to incorporate into my production. I ended up producing for a few notable artists, such as Ahmad Anonimis and Quelle Chris, which really gave me the confidence in knowing that I had an ear for this sort of thing.
After High School, I transferred to Grossmont College, which is where I met the rest of my band, Honeytones. Grossmont College really grew me as a musician, and showed me what it takes to be a true professional in this field. Professors like Melonie Grinnell, and Derek Cannon are true masters of what they do, and are eager to share their knowledge when it comes to music, and I am forever grateful to them for that. I met Eva, our lead singer, actually playing the saxophone as well in Jazz Ensemble and then was blown away completely when I heard her sing. We ended up having a music theory class together which really brought us closer.
We started to Jam together and record snippets after class, which in my opinion, is really the first we heard of “Honeytones.” Students started to ask to be in the recordings, and for a while. all we did was those practice room jam sessions. Around the same time, my good friend Austin Galbreath and I started Jazz Club at Grossmont College, which is how I ended up meeting the rest of the members. I remember being blown away by the raw talent of our other members, and seeing how much potential and chemistry we all had in our playing. There really is something special about all of our members. Our trombone player, J Lagunas, is a killin’ trombone player aside from being a literal world champion Tuba player. Our keyboard player, Addison Salbato, plays in a way that makes it look like anyone can do what he’s doing. Our bass player, Reese Willis, is always holding it down for the rest of the band, and Silas Sick (drums) is almost annoyingly good at counting. It really has been a privilege to work with people this talented who double as great friends outside of music.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The hardest part for all of our members has been balancing being a gigging musician while also being a full time student. The reality is that running a band is a job in itself, and finding the time to work on Honeytones while having a Theory composition due the next morning has not been easy task. It’s hard to get started, so the hardest part has just been getting the ball rolling for us.
Aside from this, it’s been pretty much smooth sailing. We have great chemistry as a band, and have reached the point to where we can communicate our ideas seamlessly. We all get along very well, and all have the same goal in mind for the band. I’m excited to see where we will go.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Honeytones is a Jazz band, but with a much more modern approach to our sound. We play everything from swing, to early 2000s RnB, so we can cover a lot of genres with our sound. All of our members are trained as Jazz musicians, and we definitely love to keep the improvisational factor within our music. I find that a lot of Jazz musicians don’t enjoy playing modern music, because they find it too simple or boring to play. Instead, we make the music our own, and add a jazz element into the style.
How do you define success?
Success for us, as students looking to build a career in music, means getting one step closer towards achieving that goal. While we are all trained and work as professional musicians, at the end of the day we are still a group of college students who started a band. Personally, I am very ambitious, and see no end to the potential of this group. I think we compete with pretty much anyone when it comes to making music that sounds good.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.honeytones.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/honeytonesband/
Image Credits
Bao Ho
