Honeycut

Spearheaded by a melange of vintage keyboard grooves, fronted by a soulful crooner and layered with dynamic rhythms, Honeycut joins keyboardist/arranger RV Salters, singer Bart Davenport and drum programmer Tony Sevener. After meeting through mutual friends in the Bay Area in 2003, the three experimented with sounds in Salters' home studio, and soon began laying down tracks that would become their debut album The Day I Turned To Glass.

Paris-born RV Salters leads Honeycut's sonic direction. While living in France in the 90s the keyboard guru dabbled in different art-funk and indie-pop bands, and completed session work for the likes of Femi Kuti and DJ Mehdi. In 1999, Salters moved to Berkeley and connected with the Quannum crew, laying down keys for Blackalicious, Lifesavas and Maroons. His first solo project, General Elektriks (Cliquety Kliqk), was released internationally on Quannum Projects in 2005.

Bart Davenport provides a voice for Honeycut that recalls the emotion-ridden sound of Motown, and he charms on stage with a Jagger-esque presence. Born and bred in Berkeley, Davenport grew up with a deep love for the Blues and 60s R&B. He has been a beloved fixture in the Bay Area music scene, known for fronting The Loved Ones and The Kinetics during the 90s. He lent vocals to DJ Greyboy on Soul Mosaic (2004) and has recorded a string of solo singer/songwriter albums, the latest of which, Maroon Cocoon, came out in 2005.

Tony Sevener augments Honeycut's distinctly modern edge. Originally from Santa Barbara and a drummer by craft, Sevener joined alt-rock group Summercamp in the mid-90s. The band released its debut on Maverick in 1997, and by the turn of the century Sevener left the outfit to concentrate on his other passion, drum programming. He helped pioneer the use of the MPC as a fully live instrument when he joined Salters for the live incarnation of General Elektriks, and has been dubbed by audiences as the "human sequencer."

A three-piece band pioneering a unique form of modern soul, Honeycut bridges classic song craft with orchestral instrumentation and cutting-edge production. The Day I Turned To Glass augments live strings and horns upon a base of drums and keys, melded together with enchanting vocals. Dark and moody, with just the right touch of playfulness, Honeycut has created epic funk that you can dance to.

Blackalicious' Chief Xcel brought Honeycut to the Quannum fold after Salters dropped him a taste of the Honeycut sound in 2005.