HONNE WELLS gave a performance with the stature of a veteran at Bar 169 in the Lower East Side.
As Honne Wells sat down on a low stool, he slowly took off his shoe, placing his foot through a small tambourine. The mic stand was set low. Standing at six foot two inches in a grey suit and wide tie, he slowly began to stomp his foot, placing his hands behind his back. He bent over at a forty-degree angle to sing into the mic. His voice is low at the extreme, guttural and startling. The sound resonated, the air thickened with anticipation, and the time period altered to the early beginnings of Blues.
Mr. Wells sat down with his guitar tuned to an irregular E. His glass slide tools are laid out in a row. Each is used and carefully chosen to vary the intonation of the rugged sliding bass notes. His fingerpicking moved the higher strings to a constant flutter. Five songs in, he added whistling to his repertoire. Ending the set with a great cover of Good Night Irene by Lead Better. Standing again, he sang and paused carefully between verses, leaving his audience speechless.
Honne Wells blends earnest songwriting and conceptual affect with stunning music. Although he is a young man, his level of performance acumen is that of a veteran.
Self-released What the Lead Said
2005 Honnephone
Self-released Mother Pie
2006 Honnephone
"The sound you hear are the harmonics of sorrow, people have called it folk, blues, gospel; but all it is to me is war." Honne Wells Photo credit: Joshua Eric Schwartz
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