To say Greg Amici has a knack for writing about relationships is an understatement. The singer/songwriter for the New York City-based Big Honey has a knack for writing songs that vacillate between ecstatic love songs and not-quite raging break-up anthems. Whether watching him live or listening to Big Honey’s self-titled CD, Greg Amici takes you on a revealing trip through the jungle of love-hate relationships that affect all of our lives.

“A lot of people will tell you that they like the whole grass roots music scene,” says Amici. “As a songwriter, I don’t like it much at all. Promoting, booking, and selling CDs takes me away from what I love - writing and performing music. I guess it’s just a trade-off you have to deal with.” Amici and his bandmates - guitarists Joe Gentile and Don Spangler -- are doing more than just “dealing” with the situation. Their energetic live show is highlighted by Amici’s songwriting, Gentile’s harmonies, and Spangler’s sturdy classic rock-ish lead guitar.

Amici took the stage at Brownie’s wearing a black cowboy hat and a black leather trench coat. The band opened with “The Gardener” and as the set continued, you could hear how the band has matured since recording their four song CD on an eight track in Spangler’s bedroom. Solid songwriting and able musicianship is complemented by a raw energy which adds an aggressive dimension to the music on the CD.

Although Big Honey’s live show is excellent, their CD is necessary to fully grasp the scope of Amici’s songwriting abilities. Saying that Amici simply writes about relationships isn’t an accurate statement. After all, that would merely put him in the same league as the Backstreet Boys. Amici’s songs offer an insight into how love can bring us to the heights of ecstasy and the brink of self-destruction. Speaking on his style of writing, Amici says, “When I write a song, I always have an initial concept - whether it’s political, personal, or something else - but it often ends up being a song about relationships. The song ‘Big Honey’ was initially about one specific relationship, but I filled in the details with things that had happened in earlier relationships. So the song ended up being totally untrue, yet not far from the truth at all.”

In “Remedy,” Amici sings of a trivial love affair that turns into a tangled web of emotions. “Well we logged in some time as we locked up our thighs/Then we looked in the mirrors that passed for our eyes/It was air for the drowning not love on the rise.” In contrast, the meandering early morning shuffle and ultra-poppy lyrics of “You Made the Headlines” (“You made the headlines in my dreams/I am the newsboy who will scream/You made the headlines!”) are the perfect counter to Amici’s cynicism.

Amici hooked up with Gentile in 1994 at a songwriting workshop in New York City. The two have played together ever since, originally under Amici’s name and later on as “Hour Town.” The band later changed its name to Big Honey at the suggestion of one of its fans.

Big Honey is currently writing and performing in preparation for recording their next CD. “We’ve played a bunch of great clubs already including Brownie’s, Arlene Grocery, and CBGB, but now we’re playing a lot less so we have more time to write and rehearse. At this point, all of our Manhattan gigs are for showcasing ourselves in the hope of getting a record deal. If that deal doesn’t come by the time we’re ready to record, we’ll just do it on our own and maybe set up a tour so we can expose other areas of the country to our music.”

Stay tuned. You don’t want to miss these guys.