Oh Honey: Far More than ‘Okay’

Elizabith Costey ’16 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

Oh Honey: To those who’ve never heard of this raand before, don’t worry. You will soon. The band is a singer songwriter duo from New York. Although fairly new in the industry and only three EPs on the market, their popularity has soared from touring with bands like The Kin, American Authors, and the Mowgli’s and, of course, from their fast paced, cheerful beats. In March of 2014, their most popular song, “Be Okay” off their first EP, was featured in episode 13 in season 5 of the hit TV show Glee. Perfect for a summer day, a brisk run, or really just any down day, Oh Honey’s music is guaranteed to make anyone smile and move.

And that is exactly what their music did during their performance at the Brighton Music Hall. Oh Honey took the stage at the Brighton Music Hall for their Postcards Across America Tour and proceeded to give one hell of a performance.  After an energetic opener by the Braintree native Nick Santino and up-and-coming band from Cincinnati, Public, Oh Honey’s stars Mitchy Collins and Danielle Bouchard joined their backup band and opened the show with a crowd pleaser, “I Love You Will Still Sound the Same” from their first EP, Wish You Were Here. Already fairly energized from Nick Santino’s and Public’s lively performance, the medium sized crowd sang along, bouncing and bobbing to the happy beat.

After their first song, the singers thanked the growing crowd for their support and for singing along with them. Then without another pause they launched into their second song of the evening, “Get it Right” also off their first EP With Love. This was shortly followed by other favorites, such as “Take all the Time You Need,” “It Can’t Rain Forever,” and “Lonely Neighbor.” In between each song Collins and Bouchard took a minute to talk to their audience, catching their breath and making new friends. From singing “Happy Birthday” to a fan in the audience, to making jokes, to… wait… jumping off the stage, onto the floor with the crowd and singing 90’s music with the audience? Why not?

As the Oh Honey duo joins their audience on the floor, they explain how much it means to have such a lively and interactive crowd, many of whose members are returning Oh Honey concert goers. “Welcome to the Family,” Collins shouts before he and Bouchard proceeded to play “A Thousand Times” from their most recent EP. Despite the newness of the song, when invited to sing along and fill in the blanks, the audience sang every word in a surprisingly and refreshingly lovely and heartfelt chorus. There may have been a couple teary eyes in the audience; what else can you expect from such a sweet moment? After a bittersweet song like “A Thousand Times,” Oh Honey brought the energy and laughs back up by simply asking, “So, you guys like the 90’s?” To which, the crowd of mostly twenty to thirty-somethings laughed and cheered enthusiastically. After gaining the crowd’s approval, Collins explained the band’s love for the old shows Saved by the Bell, Full House, and his particular love for the classic Boy Meets World. After many laughs and cheers Oh, Honey launched into a slew of 90’s tunes from “Scrubs”, to “What Would You Do?”, and even “Ride With Me.” All the while, the two encouraged their audience to sing along, teasing, “I’m just say’n fellas, don’t be afraid to sing along,” to which there were many laughs from the ladies and a few awkward smirks from the silent gentlemen.

After retiring their 90’s music break, Oh Honey jumped back on stage for their last four songs, once more thanking the audience and their fantastic backup band. They danced their way through “Sugar, You,” “Don’t You Worry, Love,” and “Until You Let Me.” Oh Honey closed their show with a couple jokes, an ‘entirely intentional’ near death experience with a microphone stand, and their most popular song, “Be Okay”.

For their first official headline tour in Boston, Oh Honey was far more than ‘okay’. In fact, they were absolutely fantastic.