Rock, Thrash, and Country: An Interview with Carol Pacey
I first heard of Carol Pacey and the Honey Shakers from Big Stir Singles: The Fourth Wave. "Crumb," their A-Side, is a great original, but their Violent Femme’s cover needs to be heard. I also know Dramarama’s "Anything Anything" well. I’d love to hear a woman sing it.
Ms. Pacey was kind enough to answer a few questions for me.
Andrea Weiss: How did the band form?
Carol Pacey: We found each other on the world wide web via Craigslist! I had been a solo artist for a time with a few rotating players, and then by chance I found Andy Borunda online in 2011. Since then we have had several drummers and bass players, but our current drummer, Benno DeLuca, has been with the band since 2012, and our newest member is our bass player, Will Gantry, who has been with us since 2018. And both we found online!
AW: What are your influences?
CP: My influences are singers with strong vocals like Aretha Franklin, Karen Carpenter, Celine Dion, Patsy Cline, Whitney Houston, and on and on with females. Males include Freddie Mercury, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, Josh Groban, and on and on too. Often strong vocals are strongly tied with great songs and then it is just win-win!
AW: I like the way the album starts out rocking and then mellows at the end. Is there a particular reason you chose to order the tracks that way?
CP: Thank you. I love to get the listener’s attention right away on our records with early rocking tunes so there is no confusion about what this band can do! This current album was our first with ballads, of sorts, and they flowed beautifully at the end of the album. On our records, I like to end with a song that is upbeat and "Somewhere Beautiful," while mellow, is upbeat in nature and won the ending spot.
AW: How did the Big Stir single come about?
CP: We met California band the Armoires, whose members Christina Bulbenko and Rex Broome own Big Stir Records, through International Pop Overthrow Music Festival several years ago. Then last year our band traveled to Burbank, CA to perform with the Armoires and while we were there, I asked Christina about releasing a single with their record company. She and Rex agreed, and it has been the best experience!
AW: The Violent Femmes cover is amazing, with great feminist and gun control messages. What was the process behind that?
CP: Thank you again! I love, love, love the Violent Femmes and one day at band practice we were trying out new cover songs, seeing which ones worked out best for everybody. "Add It Up" hit the mark! We started playing it at our live shows and fans loved it, so we had to put it on the album. When we added horns by our musical dynamo friend, Danny Torgersen, the song went off the charts in fun! This is our second album with a cover song, with Dramarama’s "Anything Anything (I’ll Give You)" on our second album, Eyes on the Prize.
AW: I like your message of love and peace on some of the songs. Do you have any advice for getting through hard times?
CP: Oh goodness, that’s a tough one as everybody’s struggles are different. I try to be positive, but some days it is just impossible. On those days, I let myself be however I am feeling without punishment. If I can’t move off the couch, I can’t move off the couch. If I want to cry, I cry. I know at some point sooner than later I will pick myself up and move forward again and this usually involves doing things for other people if I am sad and cleaning house or yardwork when I am mad. It’s amazing how much you can accomplish on ill feelings!
AW: I like your and Andy’s guitar playing. Is there ever a switch and you play electric and he plays acoustic?
CP: I am not worthy of playing an electric guitar; I need more skill! I will every now and then pick up Andy’s Les Paul to strum a chord then tease him that someday I’ll be better than him; he just smirks at me. We do play out as an acoustic duo and Andy is just as amazing on an acoustic guitar as he is on electric.
AW: Is there anyone you’d like to work with?
CP: There are quite a few musical acts that I would like our band to open for, particularly Frank Turner. He really inspired what I wanted to do but wasn’t quite there yet. Frank has toured through Arizona several times and almost every time I have asked to open…one of these days!
AW: Any advice for those just starting?
CP: Yes, just do it! Don’t get overwhelmed with what you don’t know, but rather focus on what you do know. Over time, with emphasis on time, you’ll figure it out!
Andrea Weiss
