For the better part of the past two decades, the California Honeydrops has been a band building an impenetrable reputation for concerts that double as soul-powered parties. It’s a tall order for an eight-piece ensemble- to generate that kind of energy every night—especially one that tours as much as this crew. Yet, here was the Oakland octet, on a mid-summer Wednesday at the old Massachusetts mill, emptying the powder keg for a sold-out house, cranking out two-and-a-half hours of festive and fantastic fun.
In a collective versed equally as well in seminal blues and classic R&B, the delights hinge on its frontman- singer/guitarist/trumpeter, Lech Wierzynski. With an encyclopedic musical versatility matched only by his radiant and infectious charisma, Wierzynski took immediate note of the seated crowd- standard custom at the Narrows. He confessed his appreciation for such, preferring a more subdued evening. Yet, he and his mates belied the tug of a breezy affair, and by show’s end, had the capacity crowd standing and dancing on every square-inch of hardwood.
Such is a Honeydrops gig, opening this bag with a chorus of slow and funky shoo-be-do-dah-days. Abruptly, the extended band pared down to a quartet, with Wierzynski offering a teasing monologue about Bonnie Raitt and the musical Oklahoma!- as an elongated intro to his tribute to Ray Charles, and Charles’ rendition of “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning”- all of this, just two songs into the set. The three-piece horns, led by the Honeydrops’ veteran saxman, Johnny Bones, then returned for “Last Night on the Back Porch,” first popularized over a century ago in 1924. Again, such is a Honeydrops gig.
There was a wonderful interpretation of the Johnny Paycheck-adopted “She’s All I Got.” And a mid-set shapeshift that featured both sousaphone and washboard solos; by hornman Miles Lyons, and band co-founder and percussionist, Ben Malament, respectively. Perhaps, only with this cohort, would washboard and sousaphone spotlights get rousing ovations.
The first hour closed out with an impassioned nod to Bobby Womack’s “Woman’s Gotta Have It,” while the second stanza launched with a countrified soul salute to Don Williams’ “Tulsa Time.” The eight then went back to New Orleans and second-line serenading, only to shift, once again, for an interlude of acoustic blues. Wierzynski introduced the band as he dusted off its original, “Only Home I’ve Ever Known,” leading to a barrage of boogie all the way to the finish from this ultra-talented gang of players.
It was during the two-song encore when Wierzynski indulged a shouted plea. After 150 minutes of joyous, thoughtful, colorfully vibrant music, the octet honored the final request, performing, fittingly, “Just One More.” One more dance. One more kiss. One more song before the next town, the next show, the next night of festive and fantastic fun with the California Honeydrops.
