honey V's
honey V's - Sticky Sweet Duo
honey V's Official Site: http://honeyvs.com
"Geunine & Priceless" Indie Music Digest on "In the Garden & Dancing" CD
Full of emotion and unique storylines, honey V’s latest release separates them from the pack. Whether it’s their comical lyrics, stripped down acoustic tracks or vocal harmonies, the duo manages to keep the listener’s attention...their passion is evident throughout In the Garden & Dancing. Annie Reuter, Reviewyou.com
The honey V’s truly have a way of warming your heart. Their enchanting stage presence, smile- inducing lyrics, and soul-soothing vocal harmonies make for an incredibly memorable performance. Ryan Mulligan, MullyRadio.com
Charting at the top of the comedy category on Ourstage.com for a whole month, the honey V’s song “Big Ample” from their debut album, In the Garden & Dancing, epitomizes the eclectically upbeat and passionately unique approach to songwriting that the honey V’s duo, Vicky Reardon & Lili McGovern, embody.
The pair cite their muses, Calliope and Athena, as inspiration. Calliope aka “Beautiful-Voiced” is the Goddess of Eloquence and Epic Poetry who bestows her gifts to kings and princes. Calliope introduced herself to McGovern through an auditory “vision”; She became the title of McGovern’s debut album, “a bare calliope”, released in 2003. The relationship has blossomed beautifully with McGovern’s newest batch of songs including the title track, which along with the album, is dedicated to the late Dave Carter whom McGovern met at the Alaska Midnight Sun Songwriting Camp in the summer of 2002. Two shamanic journeys and a tarot card reading later, McGovern wanted to hire Dave to produce her next album when he died suddenly of a heart attack one month later while jogging in MA. McGovern vowed to keep his songs alive, fulfilling that promise with the hymn-like, seraphic cover, of “Any Way I Do” on this album.
Athena, Reardon’s muse, is the Goddess of Heroic Endeavor and the Goddess of Wisdom and she is featured on the album’s second track as a powerfully moving testament to the Greek goddess, “I am not weak, I’m Athena! Mt. Olympus is where I belong.” Reardon comments, “ I love writing powerful songs with a rock and country influence.” “Vicky attended West Point and served in the US Army—she is definitely a warrior goddess,” McGovern gushes, “Together, we complement each other perfectly; she instantly knows when a melody needs work and I can gently prod her into revealing more of what she truly wants to express. We also share the common goal of getting our music placed in movies & TV and adopted by a well-known recording artist like Faith Hill or The Dixie Chicks. We live to write songs and we work hard at it; We’d like to manifest a tangible reward for our efforts.”
Two of the three co-written songs, “Vegetarian” & “Big Ample” and one of McGovern’s songs, “Valentine” fall into the aforementioned comedy category, McGovern elaborates, “Vicky & I met while performing with the Derry Aires (Tin Pan Alley & a capella) in Alaska. Comedic songs were the basis of our repertoire but as a writer it’s one of the toughest genres to tackle. I tend towards being happy, but not always funny. Vicky, on the other hand, never fails to make me laugh. Since we both write solo, as well, we began to focus on the funny together and channel that humor into our own music.”
Where does the band name honey V’s originate? McGovern reveals, “Our shared passion (songwriting) is sticky & sweet, like honey, as, we hope, are our songs; This passion has endured & grown, along with our friendship. The “V” stands for “Valentine”, as well as, being the ancient symbol for “woman” and that’s also the title of our theme song on the album. We’re all about passion & love expressed vibrantly and vivaciously by two voluptuous, voracious, visionary women who just want to have a little fun!
Three of the songs were recorded & produced by the honey V’s in McGovern’s newly-formed home studio, Eagle Peak Studios. McGovern reports, “Vicky & I could hardly wait to take over the controls in the studio; We did jump in with both feet and our clothes on, so things got a little messy. The recording process is never perfect and it only captures a moment ...there’s no better way to learn than by actually doing it. We did have sense enough to bring in a fresh set of ears and expertise for the mixing process with Greg Otterholt of Hook & Pan Productions who did a fantastic clean-up job. Paul Turpin at Bayside Recording took care of the mastering. It was a challenge trying to match up our 3 songs with those produced & recorded at the Ripping Glass Studios in Portland by Dean Mueller, bass player for the Insomniacs, and the one by Milo Matthews, of Love, Life, Music. There’s no competition with $1500+ mics and state-of-the-art equipment but we are still savoring the glow of being able to say we did those 3 songs all by ourselves.”
The album title was inspired by a quote that Dave Carter inscribed to McGovern on one of his Drum, Hat, Buddha touring posters: “Lili, In the garden & dancing always, my sister, Dave.” McGovern avows, “I regard Dave Carter as a Living Buddha who showed infinite compassion and respect for every person he met. His music transformed me as an artist and I will continue to keep his songs alive. Vicky, ever gracious, agreed to dedicate an album to him. We chose “Any Way I Do” to cover because it never fails to reveal the sacred truth always present and it serves as a reminder that no matter what we do, we do with deep appreciation for the beauty of our lives and the magic of music. We hope you enjoy our heartfelt offering.”
Lili McGovern
Lili McGovern - Singer/Songwriter
"McGovern clearly has an amazing vocal timber reminiscent of Nancy Wilson of Heart..." Cyrus Rhodes, Muses Muse
"...Lili McGovern showed off a stunning soprano with true pop stylings...." Anchorage Daily News
“I can’t say enough times how much I admire Lili’s work.” Award-winning poet, Patricia Monaghan
“She weaves an ancient, mysterious spell into every track, making some of them feel almost sacred. ” Indie-Music.com
Lili McGovern dreams not only in color but in sounds. "I experience movie-like dreams complete with soundtracks while I'm sleeping. I finally realized I could be doing something to hone that dream state into a more tangible form". With singing her first love and the composition already in place, Lili embraced songwriting. "Singing is as natural to me as breathing, but the songwriting was surprising. After the initial learning curve, songwriting becomes a way of perceiving reality--especially the mundane moments that take on new significance in light of songwriting. Every heartache, joy, and learning experience can be expressed and captured through the medium of a song and shared joyfully. That's what drives me, the magic of music, making connections with total strangers who relate to a shared, intimate moment. Boundaries have always been fuzzily drawn in my mind, only to fade and recede the instant a spark ignites and the fire of friendship is lit."
Her debut solo CD, a bare calliope showcases 13 original songs plus “The Mountain” by the late Dave Carter and boasts of legendary steel-guitarist Stu Schulman as arranger, producer, and engineer, as well as guest musicians, Shawn Zuke, Will Johnson, Sonny Derin, Kaz Johnson, Randy Stevens and Heather Adrian. Recorded at the Little Room Studios in Anchorage, Alaska, the recording was a year-long process: “Stu is a working musician besides being a top-rate producer and my first priority is as a mom, but we managed to consistently meet for a couple of hours, sometimes longer at least two to three days a week, taking time off for tours and vacations. I will always treasure the time spent with Stu in the studio; It’s the most fun I’ve ever had plus I got a private education in studio recording and I got to work with a musical genius who does things the old-fashioned way. We recorded to ADAT after he finished sequencing, doubling our parts for the stereo effect. The album sounds awesome through headphones! He always seems to know how to bring out the best in my music using whatever’s laying around from happy meal toys to dishtraps.”
In 1999, Lili joined the all-woman performance ensemble, “The Derry Aires” (celtic & tin-pan alley music), while continuing to perform as a solo act at various venues throughout Anchorage. “I love being immersed in that a capella sound, it’s a kick-in-the-pants. The Derry Aires’ repertoire is totally eclectic and pure schmaltz—it always widens my perspective as a songwriter and as a singer.” The Derry Aires released (May 2006) their 2nd CD entitled, "Built For Comfort" and had a successful tour in AK to promote it, playing at the Snow Goose Theatre, Resurrect Art Coffeehouse & Gallery and in Wasilla at Settler’s Bay Lodge.
In 1999, through her connection with Peggy Monaghan, her vocal coach, McGovern was given the opportunity to compose music to Patricia Monaghan’s (winner of the 2004 Pushcard Prize for Literature) award-winning book of poetry & songs entitiled "Seasons of the Witch." The revised 3rd edition features a double CD full of music by featured writers: Peggy Monaghan, James Robbins, Susan LaCroix, Sally Coombs, Kirsten Baird Gustafson, Claudia Blythe, Jennifer Summers (spoken word) and Lili McGovern. McGovern transformed six poems into songs. "Seasons of the Witch" book/double CD is now in its revised 3rd edition through Creatrix Books, LLC.2004.
In June of 2002, Lili attended her third Alaska Midnight Sun Songwriter's Camp, held annually in Palmer, Alaska. In four days, her life & songwriting was transformed through the workshops she attended hosted by the late Dave Carter. "Dave Carter was a phenomenal individual. I think of him as a 'living buddha'. He gave us tarot card readings and led us on shamanic journeys, as well as, sharing with us that most of his song material is culled from dreams, too. It affirmed for me that I was on the correct path with my music...I was devastated by his sudden death..” After traveling to the Falconridge Folk Festival in New York for a memorial, she produced and hosted a Dave Carter Memorial Tribute Concert in Anchorage so that others could celebrate his life and come to know his music. “I felt compelled to include a Dave Carter song on my CD and 'The Mountain' seemed the most appropriate. I entitled the CD after an aural vision—I heard the words ‘bare calliope’ so I did some research and discovered that Calliope is a muse, ‘the fair-voiced one’, as well as, the musical instrument that you hear in a Merry-go-round. How’s that for mystical? I also decided to include the visions from one of my shamanic journeys with Dave that I commissioned from an artist, Katzinn, I met in New York at the Falconridge Folk Festival for part of my CD graphics. She did an awesome job translating my visions into a tangible form. She also loved Dave Carter. He will always be a part of me and my music.”
In July of 2003, McGovern opened for Dar Williams on her “Beauty of the Rain” tour in Fairbanks and Anchorage. From a review of the Anchorage performance in The Anchorage Daily News, “...McGovern possesses a clear, lilting voice, best showcased on such originals as “In the Garden and Dancing” and “No Crumbs”. Unexpected tempos and chord changes along with her delicate guitar work kept it interesting...”
In March 2006, McGovern moved to Bellingham, WA where she continues to perform solo and with her new band, the honey V's. Their debut cd, "In the Garden & Dancing" hit the shelves Jan. 1, 2010 and was featured on Indie Music Digest as "Pick of the Week".
Lili continues to perform Dave Carter songs as she continues to promote her music. "From my Buddhist philosophy I already have a sense of living with no regrets. I'm determined to carry on the legacy of Dave Carter by writing songs that are simple yet profound and come from the very essence of life."