New York, NY (Top40 Charts) In their fourteenth year together, bay-area soul/R&B favorites The California Honeydrops hit the post-lockdown ground running. Tour dates and festivals returned, including the Honeydrops' first headlining show at Red Rocks, and, much to the delight of the band and fans alike, the group returned to the recording studio to lay down a new full-length album. Today, the Honeydrops are sharing the very first taste of their upcoming release Soft Spot-out October 7th.
"Takin' My Time" kicks off with a slinky groove that the Honeydrops are known for, having made a career out of their signature blend of Bay Area R&B, Southern soul, Delta blues, and New Orleans second line. With tasty horn-section interjections dancing around well-timed background vocals, "Takin' My Time" embodies exactly what guitarist, trumpeter, and lead singer Lech Wierzynkski wanted to channel with the song's lyrical content-as he describes, "Slow down, erase your social media, smoke some weed, watch the sunset, get out of the rat race."
The Honeydrops have come a long way since Wierzynkski and drummer Ben Malament started busking in an Oakland subway station, but the band has stayed true to that organic, street-level feel. Listening to Lech sing, it can be a surprise that he was born in Warsaw, Poland, and raised by Polish political refugees.
He learned his vocal stylings from contraband American recordings of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, and Louis Armstrong, and later at Oberlin College and on the club circuit in Oakland, California. With the additions of Johnny Bones on tenor sax and clarinet,
Lorenzo Loera on keyboards, and Beau Beaullieu on bass, they've built a powerful full-band sound to support Wierzynski's vocals.
Fans can listen to "Takin' My Time" below and pre-order or pre-save Soft Spot ahead of its October 7th release right here. This year has also brought the Honeydrops' return to live music with their first headlining date at Red Rocks as well as performances at festivals across the country including FloydFest, High Sierra, and Burning Man, and now, The California Honeydrops will kick off their nationwide Lil Bit Of Lovin' Tour in Napa on
September 9th. A full list of tour dates can be found below or at cahoneydrops.com.
Listen to the new single here:
Tour Dates:
Sept. 9 - St. Helena, CA - Charles Krug Winery
Sept. 10 - San Luis Obispo, CA - SLO Gathering
Sept. 11 - Perris, CA - Same Same But Different Festival 2022
Sept. 19 - Buena Vista, CO - Ivy Ballroom at Surf Hotel
Sept. 20 - Crested Butte, CO - Center for the Arts
Sept. 22 - Telluride, CO - Sheridan Opera House
Sept. 24 - Aspen, CO -
Belly Up
Oct. 14 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
Oct. 16 - Flagstaff, AZ - Yucca North
Oct. 18 - Durango, CO - Animas City Theatre
Oct. 19 -
Santa Fe, NM - Meow Wolf
Oct. 21 - Denver, CO - Mission Ballroom
Oct. 22 - Kansas City, MO - Knuckleheads
Oct. 23 - St. Louis, MO - The Big Top
Oct. 25 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club
Oct. 26 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club
Oct. 27 - Chicago, IL -
Thalia Hall
Oct. 29 - Indianapolis, IN - HI-FI Annex
Oct. 30 - Ferndale, MI - Magic Bag
Oct. 31 - Kalamazoo, MI - Bell's Brewery
Nov. 2 - South Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
Nov. 3 - Portland, ME - Aura
Nov. 5 - New York, NY - Sony Hall
Nov. 6 - Boston, MA - Royale Boston
Nov. 8 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live
Nov. 9 - Washington, DC - Lincoln Theatre
Nov. 11 - Charlottesville, VA - The Jefferson Theater
Nov. 12 - Asheville, NC - The
Orange Peel
Nov. 13 - Highlands, NC - Highlands Food and Wine Festival 2022
Jan. 15-22, 2023 - Fort Lauderdale, FL -
Sandy Beaches Cruise 2023.
