Crowd Control Q&A | Honey Folk

1. What was your first impression of Dallas when you moved here, and how did you get your start in the Dallas music scene?
Rags: Lots of concrete. It was really overwhelming. Everything was so big. I started playing at Dan Benjamin’s open mic at The Crown and Harp on Greenville Ave. Dan booked me some shows with him around the city. After that, I met Andy Miller and he introduced me to other musicians and booked me everywhere he could.

Regina: I loved the fact that there was so much live music going on. I felt like Dallas had these unique pockets of areas that were all so different. I loved it. I think I’m still getting my start… but Andy Miller also was the first person to get me on stage singing something other than classical music and he introduced me to most of the musicians that I know in the city, including Rags.

2. What led to the two of you playing music together?
Dating! We were super shy about singing to each other at first. We eventually got more comfortable and now we do it all the time.

3. What was the first artist you remember listening to that really got you excited about playing music?
Rags: Mick Jagger. I really like the way he loses it and gets lost in it. It causes everyone else to get lost in it too. I think the Rolling Stones concert is the only one that I’ve ever cried at. I’m not sure why… I think I just wasn’t ready for them to play Moonlight Mile.

Regina: Believe it or not, I think I’d have to say Billy Joel. I had one cassette to listen to with my headphones when I was little and his greatest hits. It made me want to learn how to play piano. I remember learning one of his songs. It felt so good to be able to play along with him.

4. Folk music tends to be heavily steeped in storytelling; does narrative play a large role in the music that you write?
Rags: I don’t know if it’s so much narrative - I think that rather I tell you a story, I’ll talk about a story. Or, instead of telling you what happened, I talk to you about what happened… if that makes sense. When I think of narrative I think of Red Headed Stranger or something. I feel like in the songs that I’ve made up, I’m telling you how it is rather than how it was. I don’t think that’s narrative... right?

Regina: I think that I do tend to write in a bit more of a narrative way when I’m trying to give a feeling rather than a thought. I don’t want to just come out and say it. That’s how you keep it from looking like a diary. I want people to be able to read it and feel something that’s their own. That’s the beauty of storytelling.

5. What are some of the advantages/disadvantages from playing in a duo as opposed to a full band?
Well, for advantages: scheduling is easy! It takes far less coordinating to play as a duo- especially since we live together. We both know all of each other’s songs… that’s another plus. We can have a level of connection that is a little more spread out in a band. We just have to look at each other and we remember words, feel the song together, make each other smile, and calm the nerves. Disadvantages: Just keeping up with real life and music at the same time is kind of tough. We get tired, we get worn out, we get cranky… it’s definitely made us very close. We’re best friends, boyfriends/girlfriends, bandmates, and roommates! We make it work but it takes work, too.

6. Often is the case with duos that they share a similar taste in music, which artists do y'all most agree and disagree on?
We most agree on John Prine and Paul Simon. I don’t know if we disagree on artists… but I (Rags) grew up on country, metal, and classic rock while she grew up with a different mix of folk, classical music, and her mom’s oldies. Geographically, our music worlds are pretty different being from a small town in East Texas and Orange County, California.

29 June | 2018