Few bands embody the grit and swagger of real rock ’n’ roll quite like Dirty Honey. With riffs that echo Aerosmith and the live energy that recalls Guns N’ Roses in their prime, the Los Angeles quartet have built a reputation as one of the fiercest acts keeping classic rock alive. They’ve been tearing through tour after tour, landed a song in the blockbuster Minecraft movie, dropped a live album — and still can’t seem to find the brakes. After lighting up the stage at Rock for People Festival, guitarist John Notto and frontman Marc LaBelle opened up about meeting their idols, the pressure of carrying the torch for this genre, and what’s next in their unstoppable rise.
— text: Daniella Kiss — images: band archives
Your song, When I’m Gone, is featured in the new Minecraft movie. How did that come about, and what was your first reaction when you found out?
Marc: „It actually happened completely by accident. The film’s editor was a fan of ours and pitched the idea. Originally, they had Billy Idol lined up for the scene, but the director came in wanting a more contemporary take on classic rock. That’s when the editor suggested us—he knew exactly what the director was looking for and thought we’d be a perfect fit. Since we had recorded our albums in Australia and the movie was being made in New Zealand, and the editor happened to be Australian, he already knew about us. He put the track into the scene, and the director loved it. There was no formal pitching from our side—we had no idea it was even being considered. They also got the recording stems from us, and we ended up doing some extra recording for the movie. We were totally open and easy to work with on whatever they needed.”
John: „It really worked out because the editor was in the right position to push for it. We were totally surprised—in the best way. I got especially excited once I saw the final edit. Being in a movie is always cool, but this felt different. The way the song was cut to match the character, seeing Jason Momoa in the scene, and knowing it would play during the credits made me realize just how special it was. Sometimes lower-budget films just throw your song in, which is still cool, but this one definitely felt like a step up.”
You also performed When I’m Gone on Jimmy Kimmel Live! recently, which is a major milestone. What was that experience like for you, performing on national television?
John: „It was awesome. Even though it was technically prerecorded, we still performed live, and we were psyched either way.”
Marc: „The actual experience was a bit like shooting a music video. There was no audience, so the energy was different, but there were crew members, management, and a few fans—maybe 30 people total—so we were still performing for someone. Once the cameras were on, we were fully in it. It wasn’t until after it aired that the weight of it hit me. I got more text messages about that than anything else we’ve done. Everyone I’ve ever met seemed to reach out.”
John: „Yeah, it was a big one for us. I actually felt nervous beforehand, but as soon as I heard my amp and we started playing, I thought, this is gonna be big. We’d been passed over for a lot of those “cool kid” late night spots—maybe not outright denied, but it hadn’t happened yet, even though our publicist has been pitching places like SNL for years. So I definitely had a moment of self-doubt, wondering if we even belonged in that space, but once we kicked in, I knew we were going to kill it and I felt totally at home.”
.
Since our last interview, you finally dropped a live album—something fans have wanted for a long time. What made this the right time to capture your stage sound on record?
Marc: „We recorded around 65 shows over time, so we had a massive archive to choose from.”
John: „It was kind of a two-in-one move—we needed new gear, and Marc picked a board that could also record, so we figured, why not just record every show? At one point, we didn’t have a new studio album ready, but we had all this live material, and honestly, the live show has always been a big part of our reputation. Going through all those recordings was probably the least fun I’ve ever had making a record (laughs)—just endless listening to 65 shows. On the flip side, though, we now have something out there that gives people a taste of what Dirty Honey sounds like live, and hopefully it gets more people to our shows.”
Live albums don’t always hit the same way as a real show. What did you focus on to make sure this one felt like a real Dirty Honey concert?
Marc: „For us, it was all about attitude. We weren’t focused on perfection—we wanted the swagger and energy of each track to come through. One of the joys of playing live is that you can tweak things and improve little parts you might do differently if you were recording again, so the live record became a way to showcase those subtle upgrades. There’s a version of Won’t Take Me Alive on there that, when I heard it back, I thought, “This is f**ing awesome.”
John: „Yeah, the way I play that song live now, I honestly wish I’d played it that way in the studio—it’s so much more rock n’ roll. The studio version’s good, but back then it was still new to us. Same thing with California Dreamin’—there’s a lick I play now that isn’t on the original, but I love it. Performing your own songs for years lets you naturally evolve the arrangements, and that evolution really comes through on the live record.”
You’ve been proudly independent since the beginning, even as things keep leveling up. Looking at where you are now, do you still feel this is the best path for Dirty Honey?
John: „I think Marc and I have slightly different takes on this. I’m kind of agnostic about it. What we’re doing is working, and I’m proud we’ve hacked it this far on our own. If a label were to come along, it would have to be a big-money deal, because they take a lot of control—that’s a huge risk.”
Marc: „It’d have to be a lot of money, because they also take all the money.”
John: „Exactly. When you sign a record deal, you’re basically giving up money from the album itself, and the trade-off is that hopefully you get big enough to make that money back by selling more seats at concerts. Since we don’t have a traditional record deal, we’re actually doing well on our own terms. If we keep building like this, one day a deal might come along that we can make more favorable for us. But if not, maybe we’ll be the ones who beat the system and make it to arena level without a label. We’d be very rich—just imagine owning 100% of your masters and selling out 20,000-seat venues every night. I think we’d probably get assassinated by someone from a record label.” (laughs)
You’re opening for Guns N’ Roses again today, after touring with them in the past. Do you have a fun or surprising story from that tour?
Marc: „Honestly, they’ve been nothing but cool to us. I even got to hang out with both Slash and Axl a bit in Italy last week, which was definitely a pinch-me moment—just being in Florence and hanging with them was awesome. I’m hoping they crush it tonight, and maybe we can all celebrate with some post-show tequila or whatever Axl’s drink of choice is.”
So, no wild stories you can share?
John: „Slash got sober, so he isn’t wild anymore. He reached a point where he basically admitted he’d already done it all and moved past the peak fun. That phase is over, and now he’s just a total workaholic. The guy never sits still—he’s always got like three projects going at once. Honestly, it’s pretty inspiring. I don’t think they’re that wild in general these days. I can’t really speak on Axl, though. I feel like he gets really wild when he’s on his own.” (laughs)
Marc: „I think you get to a point as a rockstar where the show becomes the most fun you can have. Other than, obviously… (winks). Once you’ve done everything a million times around the world, the one thing most people will never experience is what it feels like to play in front of 50,000 people—and once you realize that, that becomes the real high.”
You’ve been on tour non-stop lately—you still can’t find the brakes. How do you stay grounded while constantly being on the move? Any routines or habits that help keep you sane?
Marc: „We actually just had about six months off, which was a good reset—time to be home, enjoy California, focus on health and fitness, and get ready to be back in shape for the road. I think John was rather working on his partying endurance.” (laughs)
John: „Well, I started off with good intentions, but the break was so long that I ended up partying again.” (laughs)
Marc: „Our schedule is way less brutal now compared to our first European tour. Back then, it was like five shows in a row, then a 16-hour drive on your day off. Now it’s usually just three shows in a row max, which has made a big difference.”
John: „Sleep is the real key. That’s what grounds me. If I miss a full night’s sleep, I’m sick. So kids, make sure you sleep! If you go out with Axl Rose until 6 a.m., then sleep until 3 p.m.—just do it. (laughs) It’s better than nothing. Sleep is definitely the key for me to surviving on the road.”
There’s a lot of buzz about you guys bringing back real rock ‘n’ roll. Do you feel a certain pressure or pride in carrying that torch for this generation?
John: „Yeah, definitely. I like it and hate it at the same time. I love that we represent something to people, but I hate being boxed in. We try to push the boundaries just enough to keep it fresh without alienating the core of what we’ve created. We talk about this often: we do have a signature sound, but that can also become a cage if you’re not careful. The trick is to move the walls a little, not knock them down.”
What’s next for Dirty Honey after this tour? Can fans expect new music soon, or is the focus still on the road for now?
Marc: „A new studio album is definitely coming either by the end of this year or early next, so new music is on the way.”
To wrap up, if you could time-travel to any moment in rock history to witness it live, what would you pick?
John: „First thing that popped into my head was Monterey Pop Festival in ’67.”
Marc: „I think I’d go to Woodstock ’94 and see Aerosmith’s set—that’s just where my heart goes.”
John: „I should’ve said Woodstock too. If I could time-travel to an entire era, I’d pick the Nixon years—’69 to ’74. Not because I like Nixon, but those were the peak years for Zeppelin, Hendrix, Cream, Janis Joplin… rock n roll was in abundance. You could hit up Monterey Pop and Woodstock. The culture was just wild. That was the time to be there.”
