Dirty Honey
Dirty Honey is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 2017. It consists of singer Marc LaBelle, guitarist John Notto, bassist Justin Smolian, and drummer Corey Coverstone. Their self-titled extended play was self-released in March 2019. The single "When I'm Gone" topped the "Billboard" Mainstream Rock Songs chart, making them the first unsigned band to ever do so. Dirty Honey is an iHeartRadio On The Verge Artist. History. After moving to Los Angeles in an attempt to duplicate the success of Guns N' Roses, guitarist John Notto met vocalist Marc LaBelle while he  was playing various gigs with his then group, Ground Zero, which Notto became a part of. In it, they played a mix of covers, as well as original songs written by LaBelle. They decided to independently form their own band when Notto recruited bassist Justin Smolian after the bass player for Ground Zero had left. When the trio had trouble finding a drummer, Smolian brought in Corey Coverstone, who enthusiastically asked to join. After Coverstone joined, the group decided to officially go by the name "Dirty Honey" (which, up until then, was called The Shags). The group became official in  2017 after they performed their second show on the sidewalk of Sunset Boulevard in front of about 100 people. LaBelle came up with the name Dirty Honey after hearing Robert Plant mention his band The Honeydrippers in a Howard Stern interview and thought it sounded like a "dirty" rock and roll name. After hearing their song "When I'm Gone", the band's longtime friend Mark DiDia, a music industry veteran from Columbia Records, became their manager and quickly got them gigs, opening for Slash in 2018 and 2019 (with various shows featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators). The song  was also #1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart making them the first unsigned band in history to achieve that feat The band traveled to Australia to record their self-titled extended play with producer Nick DiDia. It was self-released on March 22, 2019. Eight hours later, the members were contacted by friends and family telling them their music was being played on the radio. Dirty Honey toured in 2019 with Goodbye June as the opening act for Red Sun Rising on their Peel Tour. On May 7, the band opened for The Who at the Van  Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan as part of their Moving On! Tour. Dirty Honey opened for Skillet and Alter Bridge on their Victorious Sky Tour from September 22 to October 25. They also supported Guns N' Roses on their Not in This Lifetime Tour on November 1 and 2 in Las Vegas. The band was nominated for "Best New Rock/Alternative Artist" for the 2020 iHeartRadio Music Awards. Originally having planned to once again travel to Australia to record their self-titled debut album in March 2020, flight restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to relocate to  Henson Studios in Hollywood, California, with producer Nick DiDia virtually supervising them, along with the complete scrapping of the music video for the track "Heartbreaker" from their previous EP. The album was released April 23, 2021. It was elected by "Loudwire" as the 30th best rock/metal album of 2021. In 2021, Dirty Honey toured in support of their debut album on the California Dreamin' tour with opening act Joyous Wolf, as well as opening for The Black Crowes on their Shake Your Money Maker tour. On January 1, 2022, they released a cover of the Prince song "Let's  Go Crazy", which they performed for the 2022 NHL Winter Classic. Dirty Honey co-headlined the Young Guns Tour with Mammoth WVH in 2022. They are set to embark on their first European tour in summer 2022, which includes shows opening for Guns N' Roses, Kiss, and Rival Sons.