Honey Miller

Honey Miller drew big
crowds. They’re cool cats
with an amazing sound that
leaves you wanting more. - Brevard Live magazine

Honey Miller
Stuck Outside
S.L.O.T.H. Productions; 2010

There’s a reason you hear so much local talk about Honey Miller.

Comprised of some talented musicians from various, now defunct projects, the Cocoa Beach-based quartet bring with them a solid reputation and the tunes to back it up. Describing their sound as “sideways surf” and the result of “the city and the country meeting the beach,” principal songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, and co-founder “Anywave” Dave Miller seems to have hit the nail on the head. As vague as that description sounds, it’s a spot-on categorization of some original songs couched in waterbound imagery and played with a level of sophistication heard rarely in the local music scene.

Dispensing with the loose blues heard from earlier offshoot bands, Honey Miller anchor their sound to a layer of crisply clear atmospherics provided by Laurent Magniez’s sighing electric guitar lines. Thanks to this undercurrent, their debut live release, Stuck Outside, breathes with quiet life, and favorites like “Two Steps” and “Permanent Wave” are lent a dose of patient confidence that was lacking in earlier versions. The effect is pleasantly soothing — almost mesmerizing — but it’s more likely to draw them attention than see them fade into the background.

On the strength of these songs, Honey Miller (which also features percussionist Jazzy and stand-up bassist Aren) have been enlisted to contribute to the soundtracks of some locally-produced films. They’ve also garnered the band bookings by many local bars and restaurants, places that prefer their music to be simultaneously engaging and unobtrusive.

Other bands might balk at this seeming incongruity, but as seasoned professional musicians, the members of Honey Miller understand its efficacy. We have always maintained a humble yet steadfast approach to the local music scene,” says Miller, “so we’re blessed that so many listeners within the surf community are embracing our sound. - T. Bennison The Beachside Resident