Rather than release an album, Sudbury rock group The Honour is adding a visual element to the six songs they have recorded in recent months by filming music videos for them.
In this day and age, people aren’t as likely to seek out audio files, drummer Robert Harris said, adding that a visual component adds a little something extra to grab people’s attention.
Their first video, for the song Ex-Calibre, was posted using footage from public domain horror movies from decades past, with song lyrics splashed over the footage.
Their first music video with original footage, for the song Monster, will be released on YouTube at 6 p.m. on June 6.
6-6-6, as rock band Iron Maiden note, is The Number of the Beast, and is a fitting homage for the subject matter.
With guitarist Michael Aldred bringing his filmmaking skills to the table, the four-piece band, which also includes bass player Jody Holinshead and guitarist/singer Jamie Rowlings, filmed the video in various locations throughout Greater Sudbury.
“We wanted to do something horror-themed ... and decided to go with a 1920s-style silent horror,” Aldred said, adding the video was filmed in a 4:3 aspect ratio, stylized with a grainy look and filmed throughout the region.
Some notable scenes included deaths in city parks, including a murder by tree ornament in Fielding Park.
“Everything about it is embracing what Sudbury has for a backdrop,” Aldred said.
The low-budget affair’s biggest expense was ketchup, which they used to film an “Evil Dead moment” of gore.
The group of four first came together as a musical group several years ago as the band Of Tall Tales, which released an album music fans can stream online at Spotify.com.
Of Tall Tales performed for a while, and even landed a gig at the Rock n’ Roar festival in Spanish in 2014, which was headlined by such performers as Randy Bachman and classic rock band Honeymoon Suite.
The foursome disbanded when Aldred moved away for work.
He has since come back to town, prompting the band to begin dabbling with new music again during the pandemic.
“The band was never the same without Mike,” Rowlings said.
“It’s really easy to come back when everyone in the band is a good hang,” Aldred said. “It’s four friends who like to make music, and we’re good at it so we take advantage of our talents.”
Of Tall Tales was a heavier group, while The Honour “has more of a grunge, post-hardcore kind of feel without as much screaming,” Rowlings said, with other band members suggesting other inspirations from other streams of rock music, such as punk and ’90s-style alternative rock.
“We’re just doing whatever we like,” Rowlings said. “If we like it we’ll continue with it, but it’ll still have a ‘The Honour’ stamp on it.”
With Harris a sound engineer, the four have taken a do-it-yourself approach to their multimedia music, with everything written together, rehearsed and filmed in Greater Sudbury.
In addition to a stream of music videos the band plans on releasing beginning with their July 6 video for Monster, The Honour also hope to perform live at some point, though they’ve yet to schedule a gig.
For The Honour’s YouTube page, click here. For their Spotify page, click here.
The following is a trailer for the band’s video for the song Monster:
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
