Niskayuna grad's band Dirty Honey scores No. 1 Billboard hit

PHOTOGRAPHER: courtesy dirty honey

Marc LaBelle sings during a Dirty Honey concert.

Los Angeles-based rock band Dirty Honey, fronted by Niskayuna High School graduate Marc LaBelle, now has the No. 1 song on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart with “When I’m Gone.”

According to a story on billboard.com, Dirty Honey becomes the first unsigned act at the time of its chart triumph to top the Mainstream Rock Songs list in the nearly four decades of the tally’s existence.

Recent Gazette story: Niskayuna’s Marc LaBelle leads rising rockers Dirty Honey, Aug. 22, 2019

“This is crazy: a brand new, unsigned band has its first single go to No. 1,” LaBelle told Billboard. “And, to top the chart with a true rock song is really cool. It’s also a testament to our team who has worked so hard to make this happen.

“At the end of the day, it’s a good win for rock ‘n’ roll.”

Dirty Honey, which is currently on tour opening for Skillet and Alter Bridge, has gotten 4.3 million audience impressions with “When I’m Gone,” according to Nielsen Music. The song debuted on the charts on May 18. Soon after, Red Light Management, which manages Dirty Honey, began an effort to push the song, according to Billboard.

Billboard.com: How Dirty Honey Became the First Unsigned Band to Top the Mainstream Rock Songs Chart, Oct. 2, 2019