New music: Johnnie Johnson, Cheap Trick, Florence + The Machine, The Flashcubes

In this column I feature a review of a full-length album featuring Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Johnnie Johnson as well as advance singles from Cheap Trick, Florence + the Machine and The Flashcubes.

Artist: Johnnie Johnson

Title: I'm Just Johnnie (Missouri Morning Records)

You might like if you enjoy: Chuck Berry, Bruce Hornsby, Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Rivers
Tell me more: More than two decades after his death at the age of 80, legendary rock 'n' roll pianist Johnnie Johnson's final collection of new recordings will be released by Missouri Morning Records on Aug. 29. The terrific Gene Ackmann-produced collection kicks off with the uptempo blues blaster "I'm Just Johnnie," featuring Johnson on lead vocals and piano. The inspired collection continues with a slew of great tracks including the Chicago-blues flavored "I Get Weary" (featuring St. Louis singer Charles Glenn), a buoyant "Every Day I Have the Blues" with Johnson sharing both lead vocals and masterful piano playing duties with Bruce Hornsby, and a lively take on "Let The Good Times Roll" featuring vocalist Kenny Rice and slide guitar virtuoso Bonnie Raitt. Late disc standouts include the blues-meet-jazz nugget "Three Handed Woman," the nuanced instrumental "Blues In G," and aptly-pegged "Johnnie Johnson Blues." The two-disc set includes a second disc of interviews with Johnson and Radio Hall of Fame and SiriusXM DJ Pat St. John discussing Johnson's career in one of the last interviews he gave before his passing on April 13, 2005. Johnson's signature piano playing is heard on a parade of Chuck Berry's beloved originals including "Maybellene," "Roll Over Beethoven," "Nadine," "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man," "Carol" and Too Much Monkey Business." Berry and Johnson played and toured together on and off, from 1952 until 1973. Information: johnniejohnson.net.

Advance Singles

Artist: Cheap Trick

Single title: "Twelve Gates" from the forthcoming album All Washed Up (BMG)

You might like if you enjoy: Cheap Trick, The Smithereens, The Beatles
Tell me more: Cheap Trick's shimmering new single "Twelve Gates" is the first music off the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band's forthcoming 21st studio album All Washed Up (arriving via BMG on Friday, Nov. 14). The song is a sumptuous listen, with singer Robin Zander's signature tenor vocals draped in a Beatlesque soundscape sure to please fans of the band. The 11-track All Washed Up will be available digitally as well as on standard black vinyl and audio CD. A limited-edition exclusive "Orange Marble" LP variant of the album, limited to 1,000 units, will be available to pre-order via the band's new D2C store. Information: cheaptrick.com.

Artist: Florence + the Machine

Single Title: "Everybody Scream" is the title track off Everybody Scream (Republic Records)

You might like if you enjoy: Florence + the Machine, Lady Gaga, Danny Elfman
Tell me more: "Everybody Scream" is the title track from the sixth album from Florence + the Machine. The album is set for release on Oct. 31. The dramatic single, as well as an accompanying video directed by Autumn de Wilde are available now. Florence Welch wrote and produced the album over the past two years with a close-knit circle of collaborators. Listen to the single via the following link: https://florence.lnk.to/everybodyscream-song. For more information or to pre-order Everybody Scream, visit florenceandthemachine.net.

Artist: The Flashcubes

Single Title: "If These Hands" (Big Stir Records)

You might like if you enjoy: Badfinger, Raspberries
Tell me more: Syracuse, New York-based power pop legends are set to issue the infectious new single "If These Hands," a track set for release on Aug. 29 as part of the highly-anticipated Make Something Happen! A Tribute to the Flashcubes. "If These Hands" and several other Flashcubes recordings will appear alongside 21 covers of their classics by other artists on the set coming courtesy of Big Stir Records. Information: BigStirRecords.com.

Robert Kinsler

JD Souther Announces 'You’re Only Lonely' Reissue on LP and Expanded CD/Digital out July 26 via Omnivore Recordings

Wonderful to hear that JD Souther's masterwork "You're Only Lonely" will be reissued via vinyl and expanded audio CD this summer...Robert Kinsler

JD Souther Announces You’re Only Lonely

Reissue on LP and Expanded CD/Digital out July 26

via Omnivore Recordings

 

 Features guest appearances from members of the Eagles, Jackson Browne, David Sanborn, John Sebastian, Phil Everly, Tom Scott, and more

June 17, 2024: Today, Songwriters Hall Of Fame inductee JD Souther announced a reissue of his classic third album, You’re Only Lonely, out July 26 through Omnivore Recordings. 

 

The 9-track LP returns for the first time in 35 years, and the CD and Digital add two previously unissued bonus tracks from the album’s sessions. New liner notes from Joe Marchese (The Second Disc) feature an interview with JD outlining the recording of the album, the all-star players, and why it is an important record to him and the fans who have supported it for all these years.

 

“We always said our motto was ‘we’re building to last.’ We really spent a lot of time on the songs. The other motto was, ‘no filler.’ You don’t make a single and then put a bunch of filler on an album. You make an album and hope you have a single.” You’re Only Lonely epitomizes that ethos. It’s built to last.

 

By 1979, JD Souther had quickly established himself as the consummate singer/songwriter and performer - penning hits for the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt and James Taylor, while delivering two now-essential releases for David Geffen’s Asylum Records. (Both John David Souther and Black Rose have been expanded and reissued by Omnivore Recordings.) He assembled an A-list band (Waddy Wachtel on guitar, Don Grolnick on piano, Kenny Edwards on bass, and Rick Marotta on drums, with Danny “Kootch” Kortchmar also contributing on guitar, David Sanborn on alto saxophone, and Dan Dugmore on guitar and steel) for his debut on Columbia Records.

 

You’re Only Lonely appeared at the end of that year and the title track stormed up the charts. “You’re Only Lonely” spent 5 weeks at #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts and was a #7 Pop hit. The album itself was a critical success, hitting #41 on the LP charts. Billboard praised the LP as a “predominantly mellow, atmospheric collection of tunes . . . Souther’s guitar playing takes a backseat to his writing, with many of the tunes here among his best.” (From the new liner notes) “It was quite a good Christmas,” JD laughs. “’You’re Only Lonely’ and ‘Heartache Tonight’ (co-written by JD, Glenn Frey, Don Felder, and Bob Seger) were both in the top ten the same week. It was pretty amazing.”

 

You’re Only Lonely contains JD’s versions of tracks previously recorded by Linda Ronstadt (“White Rhythm And Blues” from Living In The USA), Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (“The Moon Turned Blue” from Dream) and Nicolette Larson (“The Last In Love” from her debut Nicolette), plus “Trouble In Paradise” (the title track of the second Souther-Hillman-Furay Band album).

 

Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/rngGt4ELd6A

 

Pre-order: https://omnivorerecordings.com/shop/youre-only-lonely/

 

You’re Only Lonely tracklist:

1. You’re Only Lonely

2. If You Don’t Want My Love

3. The Last In Love

4. White Rhythm And Blues

5. Til The Bars Burn Down

6. The Moon Just Turned Blue

7. Songs Of Love

8. Fifteen Bucks

9. Trouble In Paradise

10. Ever Faithful Woman [Bonus Track]

11. Bad News Travels Fast (Alternate Take) [Bonus Track] 

John Lee Hooker’s best-selling comeback album 'The Healer' set for reissue Oct. 28

Great to see a bona fide classic from John Lee Hooker set for reissue on both vinyl and audio CD next month...Robert Kinsler

JOHN LEE HOOKER’S BEST-SELLING COMEBACK ALBUM THE HEALER

SET FOR REISSUE ON 180-GRAM VINYL AND CD

OCTOBER 28^th

 

Out of print for more than a decade, the acclaimed 1989 album features guest appearances by Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana, George Thorogood, and many others

 

Includes the GRAMMY®-winning hit “I’m in the Mood”

Los Angeles, CA (September 7, 2022)—Craft Recordings is pleased to reissue John Lee Hooker’s widely acclaimed album, The Healer, on vinyl and CD, after more than a decade of being out of print. The 1989 LP earned the then 73-year-old blues icon his first GRAMMY® Award (for the song “I’m in the Mood” with Bonnie Raitt) and features contributions from a star-studded collection of guest artists, which in addition to Raitt, includes Carlos Santana, George Thorogood, Los Lobos, Canned Heat, Charlie Musselwhite, and Robert Cray. Set for release on October 28 and available for pre-order beginning today, The Healer was pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Records Pressing (QRP), with lacquers cut by the award-winning engineer Bernie Grundman. 

 

Few artists have made such an explosive comeback as Hooker did when he released The Healer in 1989. The prolific singer-songwriter—also known as the “King of the Boogie”—rose to fame in 1948 with the chart-topping R&B hit, “Boogie Chillen’.” Over the next four decades, he worked tirelessly—recording dozens of albums, touring the world, and reinventing modern music along the way. As one of history’s greatest bluesmen, Hooker’s influence spread far and wide, inspiring a generation of musicians across multiple genres, including folk, rock, and blues. A handful of these artists are represented as guests on The Healer.

 

Recorded at San Francisco’s Russian Hill Recording Studios, the album was produced by guitarist Roy Rogers, who served as a member of Hooker’s Coast to Coast Band and would go on to helm three more records by the artist, including the GRAMMY®-nominated Mr. Lucky (1991) and the bestselling Chill Out (1995). Together, they invited some of the industry’s greatest talents to perform a selection of new and classic material in both stripped-down and full-band settings.

 

Among the high-profile guests was Bonnie Raitt—a blues star in her own right—who joined her musical hero for the languid “I’m in the Mood.” The single, which Hooker first made a hit in 1951, was reimagined as a sultry and sassy duet. The duo’s interplay was so effective, in fact, that it won them a GRAMMY® for Best Traditional Blues Performance at the following year’s award ceremony. Another disciple of Hooker’s, Carlos Santana, appeared on the airy opening title track. “The Healer,” which became a global hit, paired Santana’s electrifying guitar licks and Latin rhythms with Hooker’s deep, emotive vocals. This creative partnership would continue throughout the ’90s, with Santana appearing on—and producing—several of the elder musician’s biggest albums. 

 

Robert Cray, who represented a new generation of blues stars, would soon become a regular collaborator as well, following his appearance on the funky “Baby Lee.” Cray, who was a decade into his career at the time—having already played alongside the likes of Chuck Berry, Tina Turner, and Eric Clapton—joined Hooker on several subsequent albums, including Boom Boom (1992) and Mr. Lucky. The high-energy “Cuttin’ Out,” meanwhile, reunited Hooker with blues-rockers Canned Heat, with whom he recorded the acclaimed 1971 album, Hooker ’N Heat. 

 

Chart-busting artist George Thorogood, who rose to prominence in the late ’70s blues-rock scene, guested on “Sally Mae” (originally released in 1948 as the B-side to “Boogie Chillen’”), where he delivered an impassioned performance on the guitar. Also stopping by the studio was legendary harmonica player, Charlie Musselwhite, who accompanied his longtime friend on the track, “That’s Alright.” Rounding out the guest list were East Los Angeles rockers Los Lobos, who had recently scored a No.1 hit with “La Bamba” (a cover of the Richie Valens song, recorded for the blockbuster biopic of the same name). The versatile group backed Hooker on the zydeco-flavored “Think Twice Before You Go.”

 

Hooker also recorded three solo tracks for The Healer, including the stripped-down “Rockin’ Chair,” the wistful ballad, “My Dream,” and the album closer, “No Substitute.” For the latter track, the bluesman delivered startlingly intimate vocals, paired with a lush acoustic guitar and his signature foot tapping, as he declared, “there ain’t no substitute for love.”

 

While Hooker released several albums in the ’80s, The Healer marked a turning point in his career, marrying the classic style of his heyday with a strikingly modern sound. Critics paid attention as well, showering the artist and his guests with praise. Rolling Stonecalled the record “Brilliant, 100-proof blues,” adding “the spirit that animates this album is the ageless voice of John Lee Hooker and his boogie-man blues. He has conjured up a renewed world blues with the canniness of the hoodoo healers and root doctors who first gave birth to the Delta blues.” In addition to earning Hooker his first GRAMMY® win, the album was also a commercial triumph, peaking at No.62 on the Billboard 200 and selling more than a million copies worldwide.

 

The success of The Healer opened up a breadth of new opportunities for John Lee Hooker, including a host of eager collaborators and a string of popular releases. The busy bluesman was also able to bask in his status as a living icon. Just two years after the release of The Healer, Hooker was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, while in 1997, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was celebrated with a GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000. The Blues Hall of Famer was also a recipient of the highly prestigious National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts—the highest honor that can be bestowed upon those in the folk and traditional arts by the U.S. government. Today, 21 years after his passing, Hooker’s legacy continues to live on through his extensive catalog of recordings, as well as through the many artists whose music he inspired. His work can be heard frequently in films and TV shows, while many of his songs have found a second life through sampling by hip-hop and electronic music’s biggest acts.

 

Click here to pre-order The Healer and visit JohnLeeHooker.com for exclusive merchandise and more. 

 

 

Tracklist (vinyl):

 

Side A

1.   The Healer (with Carlos Santana & The Santana Band)

2.   I’m In The Mood (with Bonnie Raitt)

3.   Baby Lee (with Robert Cray)

4.   Cuttin’ Out (with Canned Heat)

5.   Think Twice Before You Go (with Los Lobos)

 

Side B

1.   Sally Mae (with George Thorogood)

2.   That’s Alright (with Charlie Musselwhite)

3.   Rockin’ Chair

4.   My Dream

5.   No Substitute

 

Tracklist (CD):

 

1.   The Healer (with Carlos Santana & The Santana Band)

2.   I’m In The Mood (with Bonnie Raitt)

3.   Baby Lee (with Robert Cray)

4.   Cuttin’ Out (with Canned Heat)

5.   Think Twice Before You Go (with Los Lobos)

6.   Sally Mae (with George Thorogood)

7.   That’s Alright (with Charlie Musselwhite)

8.   Rockin’ Chair

9.   My Dream

10. No Substitute

 

 

About Craft Recordings 

Craft Recordings is home to one of the largest and most essential collections of master recordings and compositions in the world. Its storied repertoire includes landmark releases from icons such as Joan Baez, John Coltrane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Celia Cruz, Miles Davis, Isaac Hayes, John Lee Hooker, Little Richard, R.E.M., Joan Sebastian, and Traveling Wilburys. Plus, the catalog recordings of celebrated contemporary acts including A Day to Remember, Evanescence, Alison Krauss, Nine Inch Nails, Taking Back Sunday and Violent Femmes, to name just a few. Renowned imprints with catalogs issued under the Craft banner include Fania, Fantasy, Fearless, Musart, Nitro, Panart, Prestige, Riverside, Rounder, Specialty, Stax, Vanguard, Varèse Sarabande, Vee-Jay and Victory, among many others. Craft creates thoughtfully curated packages, with a meticulous devotion to quality and a commitment to preservation—ensuring that these recordings endure for new generations to discover. Craft is also home to the Billie Holiday and Tammy Wynette estates which preserve and protect their respective names, likeness and music through day-to-day legacy management of these cultural trailblazers. Craft Recordings is the catalog label team for Concord Recorded Music. For more info, visit CraftRecordings.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Apple Music, and Spotify. 

RIP John Prine - the music world mourns the legend

Bonnie Raitt, left, with John Prine at the 2020 Grammys' Lifetime
Achievement Awards on January 26, 2020.
Photo courtesy of the Recording Academy.

Post by Robert Kinsler

A week after the world lost Adam Schlesinger, now comes the terrible news that COVID-19 has also taken John Prine. The two-time Grammy winner was 73. He died earlier today (April 7, 2020) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Earlier this year the legendary artist was recognized with one of the Grammys' Lifetime Achievement awards. He was paid tribute by the great Bonnie Raitt, who performed an acoustic version of Prine's classic "Angel From Montgomery" in homage.

"My friend John Prine, who is sitting right over there, wrote 'Angel From Montgomery' and so many other songs that changed my life," Raitt rhapsodized following the performance, while Prine was given a standing ovation in the audience. "I love you, John."

I loved Prine's set when I last caught him at the Stagecoach Festival in Indio, CA in spring 2014. 

Noted long-time Los Angeles Times music writer Robert Hilburn just tweeted out, speaking for many: "It's a heartbreaking night for all of us who've loved John Prine's music for all these years. RIP. He was 73. On the very top shelf of American songwriters."

The band Dawes also responded to his passing: "RIP John Prine. Thanks for being so much more than we could ever deserve." 

John Prine performing at the Stagecoach Festival.

Songstress Whitney Rose also reacted: "Thank you, John. You raised the bar in every way. Rest in power knowing that you changed the world for the better." 

Roger McGuinn wrote: "Peace John Prine. He was a major influence in my life and a fellow student at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. His storytelling ability was amazing!" 


Tweeted Peter Holsapple: "We have lost a giant. Rest In Peace." 

The official account for the Stagecoach Festival spoke for many this evening: "One of the best there ever was. Love you forever John." 

John Fogerty acknowledged the tremendous loss: "Rest In Peace, John Prine. You're in paradise now." 

Bruce Springsteen wrote: "Over here on E Street, we are crushed by the loss of John Prine. John and I were "New Dylans" together in the early 70s and he was never anything but the loveliest guy in the world. A true national treasure and a songwriter for the ages. We send our love and prayers to his family." 

Bonnie Raitt tweeted following the loss of her good friend: "Words can't even come close. I'm crushed by the loss of my dear friend, John. My heart and love go out to Fiona and all the family. For all of us whose hearts are breaking, we will keep singing his songs and holding him near." 

RECORDING ACADEMY® STATEMENT REGARDING JOHN PRINE TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2020

We join the world in mourning the passing of revered country and folk singer/songwriter John Prine. John earned 11 GRAMMY® nominations and received two GRAMMY Awards® for Best Contemporary Folk Album, one for The Missing Years at the 34th GRAMMYs® and another for Fair & Square at the 48th GRAMMYs. His self-titled debut album was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame® in 2015, and just recently he was announced as a 2020 Recording Academy® Lifetime Achievement Award recipient for his contributions to music during his nearly five-decade career. Widely lauded as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, John’s impact will continue to inspire musicians for years to come. We send our deepest condolences to his loved ones. Harvey Mason jr. Interim President/CEO Recording Academy “We were saddened to learn of John Prine’s passing, the loss of a true American treasure. He was admired both for his art and for his sheer humanity.  He had a nobility that radiated liked a million watt radio station just across the border. We last crossed paths at the Memphis Music Hall of Fame ceremony where he inducted Cowboy Jack Clement and we got to do the honors for Roy Orbison.  We greeted each other warmly and I vividly recall passing a most pleasant time with the genuine article.  Never to be forgotten.”  - Billy F Gibbons “In the summer of 1973, days after I’d seen my first rock concert (Grand Funk Railroad), Steve Leder, my friend and band mate, took me downstairs to his teen lair and played me John Prine’s “Dear Abby.” “Whaddya think,” he asked. ‘Country’ I thought. ‘I hate country.’ Steve picked up the needle and played the song again. And once more after that. I started to hear something in those lyrics; John Prine was speaking to me. He was wry, he made me smile, he was doing something different. It wasn’t Grand Funk. It wasn’t Alice Cooper or The Rolling Stones either. With just his acoustic guitar and a ragged voice it became clear that you didn’t need stacks of Marshall amps to blow people away. You needed only to mine the minutiae of living and take careful notes to make people feel the weight of their humanity.” - Peter Himmelman "My world, the world of songwriters and guitar pickers, is reeling from the death of John Prine yesterday. We labor at our craft in hopes we can attain some vague approximation of the easy genius of his songs. John Lennon said the artist’s role is as “a reflection of us all,” and no one did that with as much facility as Prine, in my opinion. From Mr. Peabody’s coal train to a poster of an old rodeo to hammering nails in planks to hair so unnaturally curled, any listener could relate to his characters and his takes on love and life. There was a plain generality to it, but it was filled with so many tiny bejeweled details that addressed the specific as well. And oh, the emotion from that road-worn beat-up voice. The real thing in every respect. We are left with a catalog of his songs, a phalanx of his albums and minds full of memories to assuage this loss as best we can. It’s so vast, yet I think we all hoped for even more from John, had his life not been cut short. We will have to learn to be satisfied with what we have and to revel in all of it. We hoped for a miracle that did not come for John; and when it didn’t happen, he accidentally became someone in one of his own songs." - The dB's Peter Holsapple “More than once, I saw Prine get so tickled with himself he couldn’t keep his teeth in his mouth, the grin would overtake him, but he’d keep talking anyway. I remember him pointing at the TV screen one night in the early nineties. The news was showing clips of the crowd at a folk festival that had taken place that afternoon and the people looked like they were trying to re-create Woodstock, headbands, tie dye, the usual. Prine said, ‘Look at them out there trying to be hippies. There’s not a cavity in that whole crowd. I never met a hippie chick didn’t have a mouth full of rotten teeth.’ John Prine was a realist.” —James McMurtry "My first ever live concert at the esteemed ‘mother church’  The Ryman Auditorium was John Prine...and I sat there like a school kid waiting for the spring break bell, I was so excited...he did all his greatest hits, but at that time (around 1995)...he was especially pushing his newest body of work, Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings. I believe I had a spiritual awakening when I heard him and his full band do 'Lake Marie' for the first time, in THAT venue. I mean, my soul shook. Funny thing is, I still feel that way EVERY time I hear it now, long after....just like I do when I hear Ain’t Hurtin Nobody. All the Way with You. We Are the Lonely.   I Love you So Much It Hurts and This Love is Real. There’s not a weak song on the whole damn record, but then....that was John. He was one of those lyrical untouchables, but every word, every single word, reached out and touched you. He was the apidimi of real. All those great songs, all those great records, such a lovely man...such a gentle soul. Good God!!!  We cried in our kitchen tonight when we found out he’d passed away. Matt and I both realized we’d only met him once each, but both experiences equally important enough to remember for life. John remembered your name. He made such tender-hearted eye contact,  he shook your hand and made you feel like you were long lost family. He wasn’t a show-boater or a grand-stander and he didn’t seem like he had much use for those that were.  He wrote simple songs with fairly simple chords about real life things, but NOBODY could do em like he could. You could tell he had a mind that was deep as the deepest well and that’s why writing simple songs is so complex. It’s flat out hard to say the same ol’ thing and make it sound new, fresh, genuine, and poetic. John Prine was one of my all time favorite poets. The world will be one less honorable and talented man going forward. One less legend. Selfishly, I’d just wished I’d have gotten to sit and share lunch with him at his favorite meat and three where we met once, and visit a spell....or sing a duet with him....and watch him do his thing from a few feet away, I’ll always be a little extra sad about that. I wish love and support to his wife Fiona and his family during this confusing time in our universe. Bless you all.  One of the all time favorite quotes from the movie Daddy and Them was a line John so perfectly and timely delivered “Don’t never let it be too late...” John Prine, you were right on time, and you touched the hearts of every set of ears that got to hear you. Until we meet again, I look forward to that lunch." - Heidi Newfield  “John Prine was one of the most introspective songwriters of our time.  I was introduced to John Prine’s songs while on Navy leave in a small club in Charleston, SC. many years ago. Songs like “Dear Abbey” and “Sam Stone” drew me in as a fan of great lyrics. But “Hello In There” and “Angel From Montgomery” stole my heart and became my favorites. John Prine not only inspired me to be a songwriter, but to want to be a better songwriter. I’m still working on that...  Rest In Peace John.” - Ruthie Foster Read an outstanding remembrance of Prine's life and art just published in American Songwriter here. Finally, watch a moving October 1, 2019 performance of Prine performing "Summer's End" backstage at the John Anson Ford Theater:

Doheny Blues Festival-bound California Honeydrops' new track debuts at No Depression; album out April 6

"Live Learn" is the latest bit of sonic gold from The California Honeydrops, and you can listen to the new track via the post below. I'm looking forward to catching the group when they perform at the Doheny Blues Festival this coming May...

THE CALIFORNIA HONEYDROPS’ “LIVE LEARN” DEBUTS AT NO DEPRESSION

NEW DOUBLE ALBUM CALL IT HOME: VOL. 1 & 2 
DUE APRIL 6, 2018

CONFIRMED TOUR DATES INCLUDE DANA POINT'S DOHENY BLUES FESTIVAL, LOS ANGELES,
SAN FRANCISCO, NEW YORK, CHICAGO, NEW ORLEANS, PLUS AUSTRALIA’S BLUESFEST IN BYRON BAY

Photo credit: Keith Berson

“It’s rare to find a band as much in love with music and each other as The California Honeydrops. Their deep understanding and mastery of classic R&B, New Orleans Jazz and more has allowed them to create music that is as fresh as it is funky, and uniquely their own. Lech has one of the most soulful, elastic voices I’ve ever heard...and he shreds on trumpet and guitar as well. They are truly one of my favorite bands!”—Bonnie Raitt

“Live Learn,” the second track from The California Honeydrops’ upcoming album, premieres at No Depression who call it, “a playful tune that’s impossible not to dance along to,” furthering, “[it] opens with a plunking bass before lead singer Lech Wierzynski joins in on a call-and-response banter with the bass, even as a bright guitar riff adds some tasty seasoning to the bubbling stew.” See the post here and listen/share here.

The band’s seventh album (and first double album) Call It Home: Vol. 1 & 2 is set for release on April 6 via Tubtone Records. The lead track, “Call It Home” features music legend Bonnie Raitt, with whom the band toured on her 2016-2017 Dig In Deep tour. The song premiered at Noisey and was featured in Rolling Stone’s “10 Best Country, Americana Songs of the Week” Listen/share the track here and pre-order the album here.

In celebration of the release The Honeydrops will tour extensively, with stops in L.A., San Francisco, Chicago, D.C., New York, Australia and many more. See below for current dates, with more to be announced.

Recorded over the past year and a half, the new album takes its inspiration from the many facets and ever-changing nature of the idea of home—a subject frontman and co-founder Lech Wierzynski thinks a lot about. “Home’s been on my mind since I was a kid,” he says. “I was born in Warsaw, Poland. My parents brought me here as a kid and we moved around a lot. They were always talking about missing where they were from and I was always wondering who I was in that way, whether I was Polish or Amercan or both. I didn’t set out to make an album about that, but these songs just started coming out that way…” Drummer and co-founder Ben Malament mentions that it also grapples with the many changes their longtime home of Oakland, California has undergone in the past decade. “We’ve always been a Bay Area band and the Bay Area has been such a hotbed of change the last 10 years. It’s been interesting for us to see and live in, and it’s affected the way the band works.”

With a “tub full of songs” written by Wierzynski, the band—made up of Wierzynski (lead vocal, trumpet, guitar), Malament (drums, washboard, percussion), Johnny Bones (tenor saxophone, clarinet), Lorenzo Loera (keys, melodica) and Beau Bradbury (bass, percussion)—took to the studio on breaks from touring, collaborating on a multitude of tracks blending a diverse array of styles, in true Honeydrops fashion. On the decision to compile and release them all as a double album, Wierzynski says, “This was a breakthrough year for the band. I wanted something that captured the totality, instead of doing something small. That’s why you’ve got the whole cosmos on the album cover. This is my life. This band has never been for sale. This band has been everything for us. It’s something that we do for the love. I’m proud of that.”

The California Honeydrops got their start busking on the streets of the San Francisco Bay Area, where they quickly developed a passionate local following that has continued to grow over the course of nonstop American, European and Australian touring. In addition to Raitt’s Dig In Deep tour, the band has also supported such icons as B.B. King, Allen Toussaint, Buddy Guy and Dr. John. They have sold out headline shows at venues across the country and performed at major festivals including Outside Lands, Bluesfest Byron Bay, Monterey Jazz, High Sierra and many more. Their previous record, A River’s Invitation, was released in 2015 with KQED hailing it as “a winning new album,” and The Bluegrass Situation furthering, “The groove is Muscle Shoals deep, singer Lech Wierzynski’s voice is Sam Cooke wide, and saxophonist Johnny Bones bangs heavy on the door of Ben Webster.”

CALL IT HOME: VOL. 1 & 2 TRACKLIST

Vol. 1 

1. Call It Home
2. Coming Around
3. Cry For Me
4. Standin’ Still Blues
5. Hold It Down
6. Your Sweet Love
7. Those Days
8. Live Learn

Vol. 2 

9. Only Home I’ve Ever Known
10. Silicon World
11. Tell Me (I Wanna Know)
12. Drop By Drop
13. Good Good Lovin’
14. Things We Used To Do
15. In My Baby’s Arms
16. Starr Child

TOUR DATES

March 29–April 2—Byron Bay, Australia—Bluesfest
April 6–8—Squaw Valley, CA—Winter Wondergrass
April 11—San Diego, CA—Belly Up
April 12—Los Angeles, CA—Teragram Ballroom
April 13 & 14—Las Vegas, NV—Bender Jamboree
April 19—Dallas, TX—Gas Monkey
April 20—Waco, TX—Brazos Nights
April 21—Lockhart, TX—Old Settler’s Festival
April 22—Houston, TX—The Studio at Warehouse Live
April 24—Nashville, TN—High Watt
April 25—Memphis, TN—Growlers
April 27—New Orleans, LA—House of Blues
April 28—Birmingham, AL—Zydeco
April 29—Asheville, NC—Salvage Station
April 30—Raleigh, NC—Lincoln Theatre
May 2—Richmond, VA—Capitol Ale House Music Hall
May 3—New York, NY—Bowery Ballroom
May 4—Brooklyn, NY—Music Hall of Williamsburg
May 5—Washington, DC—The Hamilton
May 8—Ann Arbor, MI—The Ark
May 9—Madison, WI—High Noon Saloon
May 10—St. Louis, MO—Atomic Cowboy
May 11—Chicago, IL—Concord Music Hall
May 12—Minneapolis, MN—Cedar Cultural Center
May 17—Sacramento, CA—Harlow’s
May 19—San Francisco, CA—The Fillmore
May 20—Dana Point, CA—Doheney Blues Festival      
May 24 & 25—Cumberland, MD—DelFest
May 27—Bradley, CA—Lightning In A Bottle
July 6 & 7—Quincy, CA—High Sierra Music Festival
July 20–22—Winthrop, WA—Winthrop Rhythm & Blues Festival
September 22—Morrison, CO—Red Rocks Amphitheatre*
October 28–November 4—San Diego, CA—Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise

* supporting Greensky Bluegrass

Additional summer and fall tour dates coming soon.

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