Rockin Lifestyle interview with actor and musician, Adrian Grenier. In addition to playing character Vinny Chase on HBO's Entourage, Adrian plays drums in the Brooklyn based band, The Honey Brothers. I recently had a chance to jam with Adrian at his crib in NYC. My man played bass, keyboard and guitar, while I played drums. At one point he leaned over and asked me, "What else do ya play?" to which I replied, "Ummmmmmm, sorry- just drums!" I think he wanted to get on the kit. Fucking show off! Seriously, the dude rocks- plus he can get mad chicks.
PK: How long have you been playing drums and music for and when did you join the Honey Brothers?
AG: I was adopted by the Honey Brothers family about 7 years ago. I started out as a fan and engineered some of the first recordings the band did. At the time they were a 3 piece acoustic trio, and I advised them to bring their sound into a more rock realm -- that's how I carved out my role, 'cause once they went rock, they needed rock elements like drums. But we all share very well (for siblings), so we all play other instruments in the band. I play guitar on several songs, and even break out the recorder for one number. We have fun with the music and embrace its limitless potential.
PK: Do you find it challenging to balance out a successful acting career and playing in a band? That must be tricky.
AG: I will always play music because it keeps me balanced. So to the contrary, it isn't difficult to balance acting and music -- without the music there would be no balance. But time is limited so I am often sad about not having enough time to play more and act more.
PK: You guys have been touring recently and just got back from Australia, a place I know well. How was that?
AG: I am proud to have been a driving force behind the Australia trip. It's often difficult to coordinate the band for a slice of pizza, let alone an international run of shows, but I had been to Australia the year before and knew that it would be great for the spiritual and primordial bonding of the band. We played four sold-out shows and had an absolute grand time, complete with dolphins and misbehaving. Beside, I never spent a new year upside down.
When we got back we launched a tour of the East Coast, which went really well. It was our first club tour in two years, and it was great to see the fans turn out. We're going to try to hit the West Coast soon.
PK: The Honey Brothers played the Inauguration. How exciting was that?
AG: We played two shows in DC during the inauguration, one at the 9:30 Club and a Rock The Vote afterparty at a little place called the Red & the Black, and needless to say the energy was striking. We got to be in the epicenter of a global shift in spirit while rocking! I swear our amps went to eleven without even touching the knobs.
PK: What are your plans for the future regarding the band? Goals? Anymore tour
dates, new album?
AG: Well, its off to Denmark for a gig tomorrow, but beyond that we will be recording and squeezing in shows when at all possible ... somewhere between the words "cut" and "action." But we hope to tour again in late summer, equipped with a new album. We're also going into the studio in February to record a new 4 song EP -- look for that on iTunes sometime in March. Our sound definitely is evolving, so we're excited to share it with our fans.
