Suzanne Santo Interview

There is no end in sight to this COVID “new normal” bullshit that is wrecking the entertainment industry, with the music business arguably taking the brunt of it. Who knows when touring will resume and how it will work. It certainly won’t be packed music halls, shoulder-to-shoulder arena seating, 13,000 strong on the lawn at Blossom behind a packed pavilion; it just ain’t happening, folks.

Santo’s thoughts?

“I don’t think when things get back to normal that things will look like they used to. Too many jobs are lost and too many venues are closing and that rips my heart out,” she said. “The first thing I want to do is definitely tour my own music. I have a lot of momentum going with it and care about it deeply and I want to see it through as best I can. Then again, I don’t know what touring is going to look like. If anything, I’d like to not tour like I used to; pounding the pavement in a van, night after night.  I just want to be more strategic with that stuff and I think that because we probably are going to lose a lot of venues and a lot of cities are going to be in rebuilding stages, I don’t see touring like I used to.“

Yes, these times suck. They suck for musicians, they suck for promoters, they suck for independent venues; they suck for fans. But, Santo points out that things will get better and that some have survived a helluva lot worse!

“It’s bad…but my grandfather fought in World War II and he got shot down and fell from the sky in a parachute. He was a prisoner of war for two years,” she said. “Many, many, many other people have been through some really bad shit before. If we can get through things like world wars, then we can get through this.”

Suzanne has much more going on then recording a new album! She mentions three other major things in the works.

1. Honeyhoney Patreon!

“One of them is the Honeyhoney podcast on Patreon. That actually takes up a lot of time, which is great, because it really keeps me on my toes,” she says. “We do so much music every two weeks, so learning those covers and reconfiguring old Honeyhoney songs, it’s been a lot of work, so I really appreciate that.”

Join this interviewer and subscribe to Honeyhoney’s Patreon! Podcasts and new/reworked tunes (You won’t regret it!)

2) Santo will be on Jam in the Van!

“They have a live audience, but, they’ve been approved to have a social distanced crowd of 20 people, so I’m so excited to have 20. I’d be excited to have 10,” she exclaimed. “It’s at the end of October {October 30}. I get to play in front of a real-life crowd.“

3) A more cryptic project….details to follow?

“I also shot a short film last week that’s a teaser for a TV show that I’m trying to sell and that’s going really well,” she teased. “It’s been in the works for five years. It revives some of my acting from back in the day as well as music. I’m just going for it!”

With lots of irons in the fire, Santo is soldiering on and making the best of shitty times. In fact, she says she has experienced a boatload of personal growth:

“If this is helpful for anyone this is resonating with, this time has given me time alone. It’s given me a time to really feel myself in a lot of ways. I’m single and I know that I’m not alone in that. Or, you’re attached and you’re having issues with your person, I have grown exponentially and I’ve gotten to a point where I am truly happy in my aloneness. Not loneliness; aloneness. I really embrace my dear friends and myself,” Santo reflects. “This cultivating a really healthy routine and taking really good care of myself; I don’t know if I would have had the opportunity had I been going all the tours that I had planned this year. It’s really easy to set things aside when you’re busy, or when you have a family, or a busy job, or in my case, on the road. I really had to take a good, hard look at myself and really do some work. I’m really grateful for it. I’ve never felt this much peace in my life. All things considered, with all the chaos and everything around, if anybody is looking for that, it’s absolutely possible.”