Written By: Miles Watts, Staff Writer
SWEET: A spotlight on the band, “Sweet Honey”, an up-and-coming new group that is laying down smooth grooves and melodies.
In the fall of 2022, two young adults started their first year of college at California Baptist University. The two ran into each other during classes and music sessions but wouldn’t get the chance to play or get to know each other until their sophomore year. After class jam sessions for CBU’s jazz ensemble put them in the same room, the two became fast friends and got the chance to start playing together. These interactions gave birth to the idea of forming a band. Eventually, the two, named Christian St. Marseille and Christian Austin, formed “Sweet Honey”
Since both were in CBU’s jazz ensemble their sophomore year, they were able to play with each other after school in jam sessions. With finals approaching, Christian A., on keyboard, needed to record a project for his music production class, and he called on Christian S. to play drums. They performed Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” and released it on streaming platforms as that was a requirement for the project. “After this, I didn’t think we’d make any more releases. But boy, was I wrong. With both of us having the same musical interests and vision, we decided to pursue this project further” comments St. Marseille when asked about the beginnings of the band. Deciding to pursue the project further, they sought out bassist Vicktor Pargas to complete a trio of keys, drums, and bass.
“Chill music with influences of jazz and R&B, with swinging grooves and more complex harmonies” is the sound that St. Marseille looks for when composing music. Very distinct and mellow, they tend to collaborate with other artists to bring different vibes to their music, providing another layer to their songs. The chill beats and atmosphere created make it easy music to listen to while exercising, doing homework, or simply relaxing. The styles of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Herbie Hancock, and Yussef Dayes have influenced their music to help create their unique sound.
The smooth-flowing rhythms even inspired the name of their band. When creating the “What’s Going On” cover, they were going back and forth on the name. “We kept going back to foods that were smooth, like butter, honey, and syrup,” explains Christian S. Some of the names they thought of were “Hot Honey”, “Cookbook Trio”, and “Dipped in Butter”, but they felt that “Sweet Honey” had a nice ring to it.
Now Christian S. and Christian A. are both juniors in college and are having a great time. St. Marseille is majoring in music education, and Austin is majoring in studio production. The former particularly enjoys his time at CBU as his father, Dan St. Marseille, works there and has grown a thriving jazz studies program. “None of this would have happened without [him] creating such a great program where we can collaborate and make great music together,” expresses Christian S. He had always wanted to start a band ever since he started learning music, but all the bands he had joined or created (besides his school middle/high school bands) never succeeded, as commitment and scheduling issues caused them to fail. However, he felt it was different when he and Christian A. started to work together. They clicked immediately and have fostered a deep friendship. Their visions and interests align as they value each other’s input on composing, mixing, and recording. “It’s a great environment we are in as a band, and we always have a lot of fun creating and recording these tracks for you guys,” comments St. Marseille. Their enjoyment when playing and composing is reflected through their polished products.
On Friday, November 15th, they released their first EP, titled “Keepin’ it Sweet,” featuring Dan St. Marseille on tenor saxophone and Kevin Richardson on both trumpet and flugelhorn. They also have released some singles with the artist RYCE. They plan to have shows early next year which you can see on their social media pages. They have pages on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook under their record label’s name “Honey Records.” Their music can be found on Spotify and Apple Music under their name, “Sweet Honey.” Go check out their music! They are worth a listen and follow.