Riding a wave of beachy tunes and enthusiasm is Easy Honey, a surf-rock band based in Charleston, S.C. and formed on a mountaintop in Sewanee, Tenn. Founded by friends Webster Austin and Darby McGlone, Easy Honey captures the sounds of 90s alt-rock and East Coast surf-rock.
The band’s members consist of frontmen Austin and Darby McGlone collaborating on vocals and guitar, Charlie Holt taking on vocals and drums and Webster Austin on bass guitar.
From late-night jam sessions in college basements, their music was borne from their natural surroundings and, as Holt said, “chasing what feels good.”
Easy Honey’s music is inspired by a multitude of artists from a wide range of genres, from classic rock’s The Beach Boys to indie-alternative Flipturn.
“There’s some (elements) of singer-songwriter, like folk roots,” Austin said. “I think at the heart of it all, that is our base layer.”
This show was the second performance during the band’s fifth and longest tour,
which will bring the band as far West as Denver, Colo. The tour began in Birmingham on Sept. 22, immediately following their summer “Surf Tour,” and it will conclude in Atlanta on Nov. 11.
“We’ve been on tour for six weeks right now. It’s crazy. When you go out on the road, time is so slow,” Austin said.
Easy Honey is no stranger to performing at Proud Larry’s, but this was their first time headlining at the venue. At 9 p.m. the place was packed with eager fans waiting to hear their newest release live.
“Proud Larry’s is a really cool venue in the heart of Oxford, which is an awesome town,” Holt said.
The show opened with Thistle Ridge Band and closed with Üni, bands that were both formed in Oxford.
“I just come here for the vibes,” audience member Hardy Green said. “It’s very tight-knit. I can get up close to the band or I can just walk upstairs and get food.”
Ole Miss student Henry Moss shared that he came to support his friends in Thistle Ridge Band.
“I haven’t heard of Easy Honey, but I listened to them on the car ride over and they were really good,” Moss said.
With their lively performance and catchy lyrics, Easy Honey’s show had the audience at Proud Larry’s singing and dancing along.
“It’s great to look back and say you’ve inspired so many great people,” McGlone said. “I think that is such a great goal. It makes it so worth it.”
