Warren Zevon celebrated in all-star Wild Honey show, October 24, 2025 at L.A.'s United Theater

Check out the exciting news about a once-in-a-lifetime concert celebrating the songcraft of the late Warren Zevon coming to Los Angeles on Oct. 24, 2025...Robert Kinsler

WILD HONEY FOUNDATION and the ZEVON FAMILY
PRESENT
JOIN ME IN L.A.: THE SONGS OF WARREN ZEVON

 

A concert to benefit The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization
and The Ed Asner Family Center for the Autism Community. 
 Friday, October 24, 2025, 8 p.m.
at the United Theater in Downtown Los Angeles

 

FEATURED PERFORMERS:  JACKSON BROWNE, JORGE CALDERÓN

JORDAN ZEVON, SHOOTER JENNINGS, FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE,
MARSHALL CRENSHAW, AND MORE
WITH HOST CHRIS MORRIS

 

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Wild Honey Foundation and the Zevon Family will present Join Me in L.A.; The Songs of Warren Zevon on October 24, 2025 at 8 p.m. at the United Theater, 929 S. Broadway, in Downtown Los Angeles. 

 

To celebrate the enduring brilliance of Los Angeles musical legend Warren Zevon, Jordan Summers/Nick Vincent-led all-star Wild Honey Orchestra and Friends will present 25-plus songs from all phases of the legendary singer-songwriter’s career. Hosted by the celebrated rock journalist/author Chris Morris, Zevon’s gritty, colorful, and moving tunes will be performed by a rotating all-star ensemble of L.A.’s best players over the past 50 years, including a number of folks who closely collaborated with Zevon (including Jackson Browne, his frequent co-songwriter and producer Jorge Calderón, and band members Leland Sklar, Rick Marotta, Bob Glaub, Matt Cartsonis.  In addition to Jackson Browne and Calderón, guest singers include Dennis Diken (the Smithereens), Fountains of Wayne, Phil Cody, Shooter Jennings, Marshall Crenshaw, Billy Valentine, Susan Cowsill, Adam Weiner (Low Cut Connie), John Wesley Harding, Leslie Mendelson, Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate), Chris Stills, Inara George, and Eleni Mandell.  This will be an unforgettable and deeply emotional celebration of one of the best songwriters/performers of the last 50 years.

   

According to musical co-director Jordan Summers: “When the P.E. coach called roll on the first day of 10th grade, two students answered "here" to the name ‘Jordan.’ I was Jordan Summers, he was Jordan Zevon — Warren's son. Despite my alphabetical advantage, we became instant friends and formed our first band a month later. Warren Zevon showed up to our first gig that year at Madame Wong's. My best friend's dad taught me ‘Werewolves of London’ over the phone. We went to his shows and recording sessions, and he'd come to our rehearsals and, one time, played my keyboard. My keyboard never forgave me for that. I was with Jordan through his father's diagnosis, the day he passed, the funeral, and beyond. We went on to write and record Jordan's solo record, play Letterman, and record "Studebaker" on the Enjoy Every Sandwich tribute album with Waddy Wachtel, Jorge Calderón, and David Lindley at Jackson Browne's studio.

We've continued Warren's legacy through performances supporting ADAO's mesothelioma awareness efforts, where Jordan now serves as national spokesman. I've been fortunate to be part of The Wild Honey Orchestra for over a decade now. It's the highlight of my year every time they mount a show with the best musicians and people in Los Angeles. They'd wanted to do a Warren Zevon tribute for years, so when this opportunity came up, it felt inevitable. Getting to serve as musical director alongside my friend Nick Vincent —  another alphabetically disadvantaged soul with incomparable talent — is absolutely incredible. The Wild Honey shows are a happening that enlightens both the musicians and audience about the music of the artists they honor. This time it's that and more for us. It's also the pre-party for many of Warren Zevon's former bandmates, partners, family, and current devotees to play him into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame two weeks following the show.”

 

 

THE BENEFICIARIES:

 

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) is the largest independent asbestos victims’ organization in the U.S. It was founded in 2004 to give asbestos victims and concerned citizens a united voice, to raise public awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure and to work towards a global asbestos ban. ADAO is dedicated to preventing consumer, environmental and occupational asbestos-caused diseases through national and international education, advocacy, and community initiatives.  https://www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org/

 

The Ed Asner Family Center (TEAFC) serves as a comprehensive resource for individuals with special needs and their families. Co-founded by Navah Paskowitz-Asner and Matthew Asner, inspired by their six children—three of whom are autistic. Our mission is to foster acceptance and enrichment for those striving for wholeness in all aspects of life. Through a diverse range of mental health services and innovative, interactive programs, the Center proudly employs autistic self-advocates as camp counselors, educators, and assistants. https://edasnerfamilycenter.org/

 

 

About the Wild Honey Foundation:
Since 1994, Wild Honey Foundation, a 501(c)(3), non-profit, has produced concerts, film screenings, online fundraisers, and live stream events to benefit autism treatment/research and members of the music community-in-need.  Wild Honey is a grassroots, volunteer organization dedicated to passing on the passion, creativity, and idealism found in rock, rhythm & blues, folk, classical, and pop music to future generations through cultural events of all types. Past Wild Honey Foundation shows with original artists: 2022 Big Star #1 Record with Jody Stephens; 2020, Lovin’ Spoonful with John Sebastian, Steve Boone, and Joe Butler; The Kinks  (1995 version with Dave Davies); Buffalo Springfield (2018 featuring Richie Furay); The Band (2017 with Garth Hudson); Beach Boys (1994 with Brian Wilson; 2016 with Al Jardine).   Other featured performers since 1994- Lenny Kaye, Alex Chilton, Jackson Browne, the Bangles, Marshall Crenshaw, Weird Al, Micky Dolenz, Dave Alvin, The dB’s, Peter Buck/Mike Mills of R.E.M., Terry Reid, Claudia Lennear, Al Stewart, Denny Laine, Matthew Sweet, the Muffs, Gary Wright, Carlene Carter, Dan Wilson, and many more.

More information on the Wild Honey Foundation can be found here: Wildhoneyfoundation.com and https://www.facebook.com/groups/183120448393501/

Burt Bacharach remembered; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announces nominees

Burt Bacharach performing on an
ABC television special in 1972.

At first glance, the Feb. 1 announcement of 14 nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2023 and passing of legendary songwriter Burt Bacharach on Feb. 8 would seem to have little in common.

Having written a slew of timeless classics — and seen his songs recorded by the diverse likes of the Beatles, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello, the White Stripes, Love, Perry Como, Cilla Black, Stevie Wonder and Rod Stewart —  the 94-year-old Bacharach has still not yet been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

But this writer —  having had the good fortune to cover a concert featuring Bacharach and Warwick when they were still at the height of their artistic powers —  believes Bacharach will rank alongside Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Donald Fagen and Elvis Costello as one of the great sophisticated songwriters of the 20th century. His passing is also a jab at the Hall of Fame to consider the influence of artists on other musical greats as a key element in the consideration of nominees.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Speaking of the Hall of Fame, the following artists are nominated to be inducted later this year: groundbreaking British songstress Kate Bush; contemporary hitmaker Sheryl Crow; hip-hop icon Missy Elliott; heavy metal pioneers Iron Maiden; tandem alternative rock outfits Joy Division/New Order; singer Cyndi Lauper; pop singer George Michael; outlaw country music great Willie Nelson; rap-metal giants Rage Against the Machine; Seattle grunge champions Soundgarden; rhythm and blues vocal group The Spinners; American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest; Detroit garage rock revivalists the White Stripes; and American singer-songwriter-musician Warren Zevon.

I am hopeful some of the more veteran artists in that field will be be announced as as the top names in May, and subsequently inducted in fall 2023. Here are the six artists I feel are most deserving of induction.

Kate Bush — Far better known in her native England than in the U.S., Kate Bush has nonetheless found growing acclaim here in recent years — thanks in no small part to her marvelous 1985 single "Running Up That Hill" gaining renewed popularity in May 2022 after it was featured in the plot of the fourth season of the hit Netflix series "Stranger Things." Other great Bush originals include "Cloudbusting," "Don't Give Up" (a duet with Peter Gabriel), "The Man with the Child in His Eyes" and "Babooshka." Her debut single "Wuthering Heights" released in 1978 when she was only 19, marked the first time a female artist had a number 1 hit on the UK Singles Chart with a self-written song.

Iron Maiden — Founded in 1975, English heavy metal heroes have released more than 40 albums. Beginning in the early 1980s, the band released a series of Platinum and Gold albums; the critically-acclaimed 1982 LP The Number of the Beast is among the most acclaimed heavy metal albums of all time and has reportedly sold more than 20 million copies. 

Joy Division/New Order — One of the smartest decisions by the selection committee was to nominate Joy Division and New Order together. Joy Division was an English rock group comprised of lead vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. The group pioneered a melancholy-wrapped style of sparse recordings that made them one of the most influential alternative rockers to emerge in the late 1970s. Sadly, Curtist struggled with a number of health and mental issues; the committed suicide at the age of 23 in May 1980. Later that year, the remaining members regrouped as New Order and went on to find enduring fame with their original mix of electronica and dance music. 

Willie Nelson — Like the late Johnny Cash, 2023 nominee Willie Nelson brings a legacy beyond his parade of celebrated outlaw country albums (Shotgun Willie, Red Headed Stranger, Stardust, etc.). The rare country artist to appear on the main stage at Coachella, Nelson has acted in more than 30 films, co-authored several books and has a signature guitar style as distinctive as his voice. It would be wonderful to see Nelson — who celebrates his 90th birthday on April 29 — be inducted into the Rock Hall.

The Spinners — Formed in Ferndale, Michigan in 1954, The Spinners scored a number of timeless hits during the 1960s and 1970s. Among their biggest hits was "I'll Be Around," "I'm Coming Home," "Then Came You" (the latter a collaboration with Dionne Warwick) and "The Rubberband Man."

Warren Zevon — Since passing away at the age of 56 in September 2003, Warren Zevon's legacy has only grown. A unique artist widely celebrated for his "dry wit and acerbic lyrics," the Chicago, Illinois native's most well-known songs include "Werewolves of London," "Lawyers, Guns and Money" and "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner." He also wrote the Linda Ronstadt 1978 hit "Poor Poor Pitiful Me." Of all this year's nominees, I am rooting hardest for the induction of this singularly unique artist.

Robert Kinsler

Album reviews: Tedeschi Trucks Band, Brett Harris, Mike Jacoby, Tim Hockenberry

The art of powerful songwriting remains in good hands as evidenced by the latest album releases from the Tedeschi Trucks Band, Brett Harris, Mike Jacoby and Tim Hockenberry.


Artist: Tedeschi Trucks Band
Title: Let Me Get By (Fantasy)
You might like if you enjoy: Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks
Tell me more: The third full-length studio from the Tedeschi Trucks Band, Let Me Get By, somehow outdistances the ensemble's terrific 2011 debut Revelator and fine 2013 follow-up Made Up My Mind. The group's distinctive blend of Southern rock, blues and Memphis soul is still intact, but the large 12-member troupe has fully brought all the diverse talents of the band members together in the service of amazing songs. Singer-guitarist Susan Tedeschi and lead guitarist Derek Trucks may be the leaders of the band, but there is an energy that bursts across the line-up that brings thrilling performances at every turn. Just listen to the yearning "Anyhow" with Tedeschi's soulful soprano bolstered by the surrounding players, and  funk-meets-soul standout "Don't Know What It Means."  Although this writer is reviewing the standard 10-track release, "Let Me Get By" is also available as a two-disc deluxe edition that includes bonus studio tracks, live recordings captured at the Beacon Theatre in New York and alternate mixes and an expanded booklet. Information: TedeschiTrucksBand.com.

Purchase 'Let Me Get By' [2 CD][Deluxe Edition] today




Artist: Brett Harris
Title: Up in the Air (Hit the Deck Recordings/Redeye)
You might like if you enjoy: Nick Lowe, Band of Horses, Big Star, Burt Bacharach
Tell me more: In his 1981 signature hit, Greg Kihn once famously sang, "They don't write 'em like that anymore." Don't tell that to singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Brett Harris who has a pop sensibility that harkens back to a slew of greats from the the '60s, '70s and '80s. Fusing folk rock, power-pop and melodic rock on his wonderful new sophomore LP Up in the Air, the Durham, North Carolina-based artist has tapped into deep musical and lyrical territory via 10 outstanding songs that are fully original even while recalling giants ranging from Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach to Alex Chilton (Big Star) and Nick Lowe. The album is fantastic, spanning Beatles-styled art pop ("End of the Rope"), fully-original genre jumpers ("Lies," "Summer Night") and rich Americana ("Up in the Air," the affecting album closer "Spanish Moss"). Information: BrettHarrisMusic.com.

Purchase 'Up in the Air' here




Artist: Mike Jacoby
Title: NorthEastSouthWest (independent)
You might like if you enjoy: David Serby, Walter Clevenger & the Dairy Kings
Tell me more: Perhaps because he hails from the Northeast part of the nation and now lives in the Southwest, singer-songwriter Mike Jacoby's brand of Americana defies easy comparisons with his influences or contemporaries. But his aptly-titled NorthEastSouthWest provides a joyful listen filled with melodic songs inspired by first-hand experiences, his lyrics delivered with an authenticity and surrounded by artful and affecting musical textures. The disc features all kinds of infectious and accessible tracks including the uptempo Rolling Stones worthy "Nevermind Me," country blues "Hell If I Know," and the beautiful acoustic guitar layered "Anyone's Guess." Information: MikeJacobyMusic.com.

Buy 'Northeastsouthwest' on CD here


Artist: Tim Hockenberry
Title: Tim Hockenberry (Poignant Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Ray Charles, Warren Zevon, Emitt Rhodes
Tell me more: Although he first achieved widespread fame singing well-known cover songs on "America's Got Talent" in 2012, Tim Hockenberry's new self-titled album showcases an artist who has talents that extend beyond his expressive baritone vocals. On the country ballad "Ease Your Pain," he displays a knack for commercial songwriting with a heartfelt tale of selfless love. Another highlight is the celtic-styled ballad "Carrying You," where his piano playing and vocals carry the weight in the song's opening section with a tapestry of guitar, mandolin, tin whistle and other sounds helping the song soar. "Come On Let's Dance" starts out simply, with Hockenberry's voice and a strumming guitar soon ascending into a driving celebration. Information: PoignantRecords.com.

Buy 'Tim Hockenberry' on audio CD here


Robert Kinsler