Interviewing the Interviewer: What Honeybee Reviews Has To Say About SLC’s Music Scene

For Jake Clements, better known as Honeybee Reviews, talking about music has never been limited to reviews. Through artist interviews, album discussions and his monthly Album Club at Salt Lake Art Museum (SLAM), he’s turned a social media page into a gathering place for Salt Lake City’s music community.

SLUG: To kick things off, let’s look back at the beginning. What were your earliest roots in the Salt Lake City music scene, and what initially inspired you to start Honeybee Reviews?

Clements: I remember going to shows at Kilby Court and other local venues when I was really young. My friends and I were really into the new electric sound at the time, so we’d go to shows whenever bands came through Salt Lake. That was probably my earliest route into the music scene here in Salt Lake City.

But I wanted to start my page because I just love talking music. I’m sure my friends were sick and tired of me always wanting to talk about music with them, so I started my page and put it out into the universe instead.

SLUG: Music criticism and review spaces can often feel exclusive or intimidating, but Honeybee Reviews feels very communal. What made you want to leverage social media specifically to build a platform with a dedicated SLC focus?

Clements: I just love living in Salt Lake City. I know some people think it’s kind of a hot take, but I genuinely think Salt Lake is one of the best places to live. It’s so beautiful here. Everybody is so outdoorsy, everybody is so nice and they’ve got a a good music scene here, especially for indie rock and indie folk.

One thing I know is part of music criticism is that not everything you listen to you’re going to enjoy. But on my page, if there’s something I don’t enjoy, I just try and stay away from it. When I started the page, I just wanted to talk about the music that interests me. I wasn’t really interested in becoming a critic. I think maybe that’s why it feels a little more communal than other pages out there. I just try to keep it positive as much as I can be.

SLUG: The Honeybee Reviews Album Club has become a fantastic staple for local music lovers. How did the opportunity to partner up with SLAM come about to host this monthly gathering?

Clements: Sam Hart, the museum’s [marketing] director, had followed my page for a while because he’s a music lover too. He sent me a DM one day and was like, “Hey, I have this idea and this space where you could come and host an album club together.”

So I went and checked it out, and it’s the most beautiful space ever. That’s kind of how it started. We got together and spearheaded this thing and have been trying to get the word out ever since. It’s been a really good space. It’s just a bunch of music lovers coming together, and I’ve made a bunch of friends through it.

SLUG: Hosting an in-person, monthly discussion club brings a completely different energy than interacting with followers online. What have been some of the most surprising or rewarding insights you’ve gained from sitting down face to face with the SLC community to discuss music?

Clements: With a screen, my opinion doesn’t change very much. If I have someone commenting or sending me a DM, it can sometimes change a little bit, but sometimes it’s just something you’ve got to discuss face to face.

I remember for one of our new album rotations, we discussed the Wuthering Heights soundtrack that Charli XCX put out. A bunch of people came out that were really steeped in the lore of the literature and the movie, and I wasn’t familiar with either, so it helped me understand the concept of the album and the soundtrack a bit more.

I just love hearing other people’s points of view. They’re able to share what they know and what they feel. It’s great for me to learn from.

SLUG: For someone in Salt Lake City who loves music but might be hesitant to share their opinions or attend a club meeting, what message or piece of advice do you have for them?

Clements: Know that you’re not alone. Believe it or not, the majority of the members at the album club show up by themselves.

The truth is that you don’t have to be really deep into the discussion if you don’t want to. You can just come and listen, and if you have a few points to share, that’s great. No one is forcing you to be profound or always share things.

We try to make it as easy as possible. If you want to come by yourself, make some new friends or have a creative outlet to share about music, we want it to feel welcoming, so don’t stress about it. My hope is that it is a very safe space to share and discuss opinions if people want to. If they just want to hang out, they can do that too. It’s a place for everybody who loves music to gather.

What makes Honeybee Reviews stand out isn’t just its coverage of music, but the community surrounding it. Throughout our conversation, Clements returned to the same idea: Music is best when it’s shared with other people. Whether online or at Album Club, he’s created a space where people can discover artists, exchange ideas and make new connections. In a city he clearly loves, that sense of community has become the heart of Honeybee Reviews.

Follow @reviewshoneybee on TikTok and Instagram, where you can use the link in the bios to RSVP and attend Album Club!

Read about more music interviews from SLUG:
Localized: Die Shiny
Localized: Leetham

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