SOUL HONEY RECORDS
Collaborative compositions that transcend genre.
With an emphasis on collaboration, Soul Honey Records is a project beyond definition. Welcoming a rotation of talented multi-instrumentalists, Andrew Christopoulos leads this forward-thinking group with a down to earth approach to songwriting and recording.
Soul Honey’s newest single release “Don’t Blink” features the talent of many Chicago musicians, including Colin Croom of Twin Peaks, Sean Burke from Friday Pilots Club, Tommy Veronessi of TOMMASO, Allie Robson on vocals, as well as a string section made up of Molly Rife, Emily Nash, & Bruno Silva on cello, violin, and viola.
All photos by Nick Langlois
Basement: What influences your sound?
Andrew: I suppose the songs themselves have the biggest influence on our sound. Because of our rotating lineup, we have no ambition to adhere to a singular sound and our aim is to allow each of our tunes to be interpreted in a way that does justice to that individual piece. Beyond that I think the space that we’re recording in will always influence our sound as well as the instruments and gear that you have at our disposal at any given session.
The other main thing that influences our sound is the diversity of musicians that work on these records, but particularly my collaborative relationship with Sean Burke. He has one of the most brilliant musical minds I’ve met and he plays a myriad of instruments on nearly every SHR song (not to mention the many songs we’ve written and produced together). We played in Bullfights on Acid together, lived together for years and have spent countless hours writing songs, experimenting with gear and recording which has allowed us to develop a great chemistry and we have a lot of fun bouncing ideas off of each other while using the studio as a catalyst for letting our imaginations run wild.
Basement: Soul Honey Records seems like a very open and collaborative project- how did it all start?
Andrew: After my last band, Bullfights on Acid, broke up, I built a small home studio in the Chinatown loft I was living in with some friends and started recording old songs of mine (these demos would end up becoming our debut EP, ‘The Soul Honey Family Barbeque’). As different folks would come by to hang, they’d often pop in and record parts on one of the many instruments laying around. It amazed me how much the songs would change and how they could take on a new life when players added their unique voice to the music. I also used this project to connect with a lot of musicians I had met during college but had never had an intimate experience with, many of whom I’m still close friends with to this day. I found a real sense of freedom through this process which I hadn’t felt when playing with a traditional five-piece band.
Basement: What does your songwriting process look like?
Andrew: When writing alone I often write very linearly, meaning I write the music, lyrics and melody at the same time and develop the song from beginning to end. A lot of times the lyrics influence where the music heads next. I also use characters in quite a few of my songs because I find it can be easier to exaggerate and dramatize a story (particularly a dark one) when you have a character as your scapegoat. I also write a lot of songs with other songwriters and those sessions are typically very spontaneous and often begin with us recording a beat or groove of some sort and then developing the song from there.
Art by JJ McLuckie
“I think everyone who hears these songs will relate to them in different ways so I’m really not concerned about what specific narratives people take with them as long as the music makes them feel or think or even just daydream and escape for a little while.”
Basement: What narratives do you hope come across in your music?
Andrew: I think each song has its own narrative and some tend to be far more concrete than others. I like to use a lot of picture words in my songs in the hopes that when people are listening to my lyrics a scene might develop in their mind’s eye… I also often develop a deeper personal connection with my songs as time goes on and might not even understand what they’re truly about until long after they've been written.
Basement: Why is Chicago a special place to be a musician?
Andrew: I was raised about 30 minutes outside of Chicago and most of my friends and family still live in or around the city so I certainly cherish the proximity to my loved ones and the fact that a handful of my collaborators and I have been friends for over a decade. Beyond that I just feel lucky to call such a world-class city home. There’s something magical about the way this city comes to life after the long winter and seems to percolate with energy all summer long. I’m anxiously awaiting the other side of this pandemic (whenever that may be) and for us all to be able to celebrate and embrace and perform again.
Basement: What’s next for you and Soul Honey Records?
Andrew: 'Don't Blink' is the final track in our first batch of singles (‘Soul Honey Singles Vol.1’) and we've been recording some new songs in my home studio which we hope to release sometime in Spring 2021. This winter we’ll also begin tracking the songs that will become ‘Soul Honey Singles Vol. 2’.
I’ve also recently teamed up with my friend Tory Lopez, Soul Honey Records collaborator and owner of T-Dog Sauce, to create a delicious and very spicy Chicago-Style mustard called Soul Honey Mustard. We quickly sold out of our first two batches and will be cooking a third soon!