Technology can be tricky; it brings about challenges not evident in the past. It might be marketing challenges, fake or spam accounts, or building an online presence – the list of potential tests is long.
Origin of Deadwood Honey Name
Adapting to new marketing strategies, the use of online accounts and presence, the COVID pandemic, these are just a few of the challenges the guys of Deadwood Honey have experienced as they have come out of hiatus to continue their passion: creating music.
The name Deadwood Honey came about as a joke between the bandmates around eight years ago, sometime in 2014. As Dylan Montanio, the lead guitarist and producer, described it, they were hanging out in the kitchen after drinks and enjoying some cornbread muffins with honey that Montanio made. In the moments following, some honey fell into Montanio’s acoustic guitar, and one of the guys made a comment that roughly can be recalled as: “Well, there’s not much in there now except dead wood and honey.” Hence, the name was born, replacing the name The Lovely Void.
Since then, however, the band dispersed around 2016, going their separate ways, except Dom Dinardo and Montanio, who kept in contact and continued creating music on and off over the years. In this time, the two expanded their musical tastes, and moved away from the rock/metal music on which the band had been founded, and migrated to styles that are closer to jazz, bluegrass, and the like, which Montanio described as a “natural transition.”
When they reunited in early 2021, they had a choice to make, continue going about their music the same way they had been or expanding their market. Naturally, they elected to expand their market, and with this came that new set of challenges.
Why 2021?
Why 2021 though? Well, Montanio explained that he and Dinardo had never fallen out of contact over the years, even after Dom moved across the country. At the beginning of the year, Montanio mentioned he had noticed Dom was starting to upload old videos, pictures, and soundtracks from the days of Deadwood Honey to his social media. So, the two started talking about creating music together.
While the band is not performing locally due to the pandemic and the distance between Montanio and Dinardo, with the help of modern technology the two has begun releasing new tracks on their social media accounts that they both feel proud of. That said, the customized music that has been mentioned is more of a new facet they have adopted to offer a niche that has not been all too popular.
Challenges Faced by Musicians in the Time of COVID
For example, at the beginning of our call, Montanio described the time they got locked out of their Instagram account (@deadwoodhoney) due to “unusual activity,” and he was jumping through hoops to gain access to the account again. Considering one member lives in Colorado, and the other lives in Massachusetts, it makes sense the Instagram security algorithm might see these two logins as unusual.
That is only one challenge they faced; another is that they have been broached by several fake or spam accounts trying to get them [the band] to send money due to a string of unfortunate events these accounts claimed to have experienced. Like, one Montanio explained, said they wanted a customized birthday song created for their child, but upon sending the check, they “accidentally” sent $3,000 instead of $300, and asked to have the difference of $2,700 back to them. Seems sketchy, right?
Learning to Play an Instrument
For anyone looking to learn an instrument, Montanio recommends: “Get some actual lessons. Go to a studio, like Grainer music (located in Colorado Springs), but, yeah, go and sit down and take some lessons from somebody. And then, while you are taking lessons, listen to a lot of music and try to learn everything you can, you know? Try and not pigeon-hole yourself to a genre, or anything like that, be a student of music. But I really think if you are serious about learning music, you gotta think that music has thousands of years of history and technique behind it, you should probably owe it the respect to go and learn from somebody who knows what they are doing.”
But, for anyone who is searching for their first instrument, then he recommends: “I feel like, if you are just looking to get into guitar, probably look at Ibanez or Yamaha, because any of their entry level to mid-range guitars are going to be much better in terms of the electronics on board, the setup, the playability, the reliability of it, rather than a lot of other entry level to mid-range guitars. Then, you know, if you go for their high-end stuff, that’s what the pros are using, or a lot of them are using. So, you are just never gonna go wrong with that, I think they are just a really solid company.”
New Approach to Share Their Music
The market for custom music may be a new development we experience in the coming years, as of right now it is not entirely well known, as there are a few bands or solo musicians across the globe, like Deadwood Honey, who are practicing this approach. Listen to a sample of their music on Facebook.
The rates for customized music may differ depending on the project, but this is something Montanio mentioned is quite doable. If this is of interest to anyone, he strongly urged these people to contact his band pages directly on Facebook or Instagram, which are both easy to remember as it is just Deadwood Honey.
Otherwise, there are a vast number of bands across the globe who could help expand your musical knowledge and bring you to an understanding you may not have had before. As Montanio mentioned, music is thousands of years old, and while it is important to adapt to modern times with how it is approached, respect must be paid to the roots. Which is where this band, and many others, have placed their understanding and continue to strive forward in offering a new sound the population has not quite heard, whether that is in a custom track, or something they have written as a standing track in an album.
