With lyrics by vocalist Marc LaBelle, Dirty Honey’s new song, “Won’t Take Me Alive”, draws a non-negotiable line in the sand of integrity and self-determination on one side, and potentially dire consequences on the other. Lyrically, inspiration was taken from the bravery and defiance found today in the people of Ukraine, as well as from a conversation LaBelle had with a fellow traveler he met while visiting the Berlin Wall. The gentleman had grown up in Cold War Germany, so he resonated with those forced to live under autocratic rule. Musically, the song is a literal, take-no-prisoners-balls-out-rocker. The music video for “Won’t Take Me Alive,” released today, follows suit.
Written and directed by George Gallardo Kattah,* the video centers on Ava, a private school student who is told by Helga, the school’s principal, that she has to conform to the rules, wear the school uniform, no tongue piercing, no listening to rock music. But Ava is defiant; she won’t submit, and instead, she continues to break down the walls of conformity that are important to establishing who she is and will be for the rest of her life. She finds solace in her attic bedroom, where she can listen to and play the music that releases her frustrations. She keeps track on a chalkboard of every day that she’s in school, another day in prison. And she is desperately looking for an exit, any exit, which she finds as the story unfolds. This is “Won’t Take Me Alive.”
“This song made me feel like a teenager, and we had lots of fun channeling our frustrations from back in the day by doing this video,” said Gallardo. “Bringing Ava and Helga to life was quite a process and a highlight of this year so far.”
* George Gallardo Kattah is a writer, director and cinematographer driven by story, culture and being true to his feelings. His career started with documentary photography while he went to art school in Bogotá, Colombia. After developing his first two feature documentaries, he migrated to Los Angeles, California. He has directed multiple music videos for labels such as Sony, Arista, Concord and Anti-Epitaph, always bringing his documentary sensibility to the equation. His films have been selected at Biarritz, Bordeaux, Buenos Aires, and Cartagena, winning awards and honorable mentions from the jurors, and he is currently nominated for Video of the Year in the inaugural Rolling Stone En Español Awards. His truest intentions of building bridges throughout North, Central and South America has materialized in founding Continente Pictures.
Dirty Honey’s 2023 North American “Can’t Find The Brakes” headline tour launches on October 18, and the band’s upcoming album, Can’t Find The Brakes, is set for a November 3 release.
Tracklisting:
"Don't Put Out The Fire"
"Won't Take Me Alive"
"Dirty Mind"
"Roam"
"Get A Little High"
"Coming Home (Ballad Of The Shire)"
"Can't Find The Brakes"
"Satisfied"
"Ride On"
"You Make It All Right"
"Rebel Son"
Tour dates:
October
18 - The Regency Ballroom - San Francisco, CA
19 - Ace Of Spades - Sacramento, CA
21 - The Observatory North Park - San Diego, CA
22 - The Nile Theater - Mesa, AZ
24 - The Studio at The Factory - Dallas, TX
25 - Rise Rooftop - Houston, TX
27 - The Beacham - Orlando, FL
28 - Ponte Vedra Concert Hall - Ponte Vedra, FL (Jacksonville)
29 - The Ritz Ybor - Tampa, FL
31 - Buckhead Theatre - Atlanta, GA
November
1 - The Underground - Charlotte, NC
3 - Rams Head Live! - Baltimore, MD
4 - HMAC - Harrisburg, PA
5 - Asbury Lanes - Asbury Park, NJ
7 - Théâtre Beanfield - Montreal, QC
8 - Danforth Music Hall - Toronto, ON
10 - The Vogue - Indianapolis, IN
12 - Bogart’s - Cincinnati, OH
13 - Concord Music Hall - Chicago, IL
15 - Liberty Hall - Lawrence, KS
16 - Summit - Denver, CO
17 - The Depot - Salt Lake City, UT
19 - The Sand Dollar Downtown - Las Vegas, NV
20 - The Belasco - Los Angeles, CA
24 - Knitting Factory - Spokane, WA
25 - Roseland Theater - Portland, OR
26 - The Showbox - Seattle, WA
28 - Knitting Factory - Boise, ID
December
1 - Bourbon Theatre - Lincoln, NE
2 - Uptown Theater - Minneapolis, MN
4 - The Rave II - Milwaukee, WI
5 - The Castle Theatre - Bloomington, IL
7 - Saint Andrew’s Hall - Detroit, MI
8 - Elevation - Grand Rapids, MI
9 - House Of Blues - Cleveland, OH
11 - The Bluestone - Columbus, OH
13 - Brooklyn Bowl - Nashville, TN
14 - Mercury Ballroom - Louisville, KY
15 - The Hawthorn - St. Louis, MO
(Photo – Katarina Benzova)
