Stereo Embers The Podcast 0185: Suzanne Santo (honeyhoney)

“Knocking Down Walls, Tearing Up Floors” In baseball terms, Suzanne Santo can pitch, play shortstop, bat cleanup, handle the outfield and play any base you want. Oh, and she can also manage the team. When you talk about Suzanne Santo you’re talking about someone who can do a lot of things. She got going on the violin in 2nd grade and it didn’t take long for the Ohio-born prodigy to come into her own as a musician. A high school scholarship followed for the young violinist and before she was 20 Santo had become pretty adept on both banjo and guitar as well. She fronted the L.A.-based band honeyhoney with Ben Jaffe who you might remember from his appearance on our podcast—and that band put out three perfect albums. A stirring confluence of indie rock, riveting roots music and West coast soul, honeyhoney toured with Sheryl Crow and Jake Bugg, logged millions of Spotify streams and found themselves hailed by everyone rom Rolling Stone to NPR. Santo’s debut solo album Ruby Red was a stunning platter of poetic folk and gutsy blues, showcasing the singer/songwriter’s arresting lyrical acumen. Bringing to mind the stark immediacy of Patty Greffin and the literate wordplay of everyone from Kurt Cobain to Liz Phair, Ruby Red was as nervy as it was vulnerable Her new work is as searing as it is rousing. Her voice has never sound better and 2021 looks to be a banner year for the musician. In this candid conversation, Santo talks to Alex about how she’s staying both sane and creative during the pandemic, why she feels great about being single and why she decided to knock down a wall in her house.