Ben Jaffe and Suzanne Santo churn out American alternative-folk music.
They do it under the name Honeyhoney.
Based in Los Angeles, Honeyhoney is ready to dish its eclectic mix of musical genres at a 7:30 p.m. Saturday show in Valparaiso’s Memorial Opera House.
“It’s kind of folk-rock music,” Jaffe said. “Lyrics are something that are important to us.”
Honeyhoney merges elements of folk, soul, country, pop and rock, according to promotional material from the Memorial Opera House.
Honeyhoney is scheduled to be accompanied by drummer Conor Meehan at the Saturday concert in the 19th-century venue.
Jaffe and Santo have seen many American stages during extensive 2015-16 touring.
“It’s a lot more bombastic than our records,” Jaffe, a singer-guitarist, said. “It’s much more stripped down. It’s a little grittier and louder.”
Honeyhoney’s official bio states that “3” — its 2015 album — springs from the allure of “the sweet and the sleazy, light and dark, danger and magic.” The disc has a no-frills, Southern-style rock ‘n’ roll sensibility.
Regarding musical influences, Jaffe cites an all-female group with cult status: the Be Good Tanyas. On the other end of the spectrum, the iconic shadow of Woody Guthrie looms large.
“He’s brilliant,” Jaffe said in a recent phone interview.
The young artist said he and Santo are likewise beholden to Tenacious D, which features actor Jack Black.
The ’90s alternative era also captured the couple’s attention because of the likes of Nirvana and Soundgarden. In a classic-rock vein, Santo said she admires Led Zeppelin.
“They have that sort of cohesive pulse between them as a band,” said Santo, lead singer of Honeyhoney.
Formed 10 years ago, Honeyhoney showcases Santo’s skills as a violinist and banjo player.
Santo and Jaffe are musicians with momentum and with substantial critical praise to crow about.
Their 2011 album, “Billy Jack,” was named one of the year’s top 50 albums by American Songwriter magazine.
Honeyhoney’s debut full-length album, “First Rodeo,” featured “Come On Home,” an original, collaborative composition from the pair.
“That was, like, the second song we ever wrote together,” Santo said. “It’s kind of, like, a rock-out song. That’s like our Zeppelin tribute.”
There have been other joint writing projects.
“We wrote a song together called ‘Yours to Bear,’ ” Santo said.
The tender, harmonic ballad with an Appalachian tinge appears on the “3” album.
Santo sports a Nashville-friendly voice, but she can cite a diverse background that extends beyond music.
“I worked as a catalog model for a few years,” she said. There also were television commercials, including Verizon Wireless spots.
Additionally, Santo got guest-spot work on television’s “Law & Order” and displayed her film-actress skills in 2004’s “Imaginary Heroes,” which starred Sigourney Weaver and Jeff Daniels.
Bob Kostanczuk is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
HONEYHONEY
Where: Memorial Opera House, 104 E. Indiana Ave., Valparaiso
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Tickets: $25; gold seats $35
Information: 219-548-9137, www.memorialoperahouse.com
