On Saturday, October 3rd, eclectic rock and R&B outfit The California Honeydrops took part in Democracy Comes Alive, a one-day, nonpartisan virtual music festival aimed at channeling the power of music to make a critical impact on civic engagement in this November’s elections and beyond.
The band’s performance featured a condensed lineup of Lech Wierzynski, Lorenzo Loera, and Steve Height, who took on an original tune as well as covers of classic songs by The Drifters and Chuck Berry. Things started off with the slow waltz of “Little Bit of Love”, on which Wierzynski came right out of the gate with his smooth-as-honey vocals. With lyrics like “They say the worlds gone crazy/but I got my feet on the ground/just give me a cold glass of a water/and an hour in your loving arms,” the band presented the kind of sunny afternoon music that makes you pine for the front porch.
Between songs, Wierzynski remarked that this early-morning performance was probably the earliest the group had ever played. Yet, their situation was decided by circumstance as Loera was preparing to leave town. With that, the band went into “Under The Boardwalk” by The Drifters, a song the group recently released as a live cut on streaming platforms. For the song, Wierzynski traded his semi-hollow body acoustic guitar for shakers to add a percussive element to the 1964 R&B classic. The smooth, harmonious nature of the performance added to that easygoing effect that makes this set the perfect way to start the day—whether for those listening or performing.
To close out the set, the group took on the Chuck Berry standard “You Never Can Tell”. This saw yet another instrument change as Wierzynski picked his acoustic back up and Loera moved over to the piano. Loera’s boogie-woogie piano riff provided the lead as Wierzynski and Height together formed the rhythm. Over top of the instrumentation, Wierzynski came in with his vocals that immediately conjured Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace dancing in their socks at Jackrabbit Slims.
Relive The California Honeydrops’ performance at Democracy Comes Alive in the video below. If you enjoyed the performance and have the means, consider making a donation to HeadCount and the Democracy Comes Alive artists here.
The California Honeydrops – Full Set – Democracy Comes Alive
Tonight, Friday, October 30th, Lech, Ben, and Lolo will stream a live performance on The California Honeydrops Facebook and Instagram pages at 6:30 PT in partnership with HeadCount in order to help publicize their resources for voting in the ongoing election. For more information on the band’s nonprofit Spreadin’ Honey Project or to tune in, head here.
Remember to check out the new live California Honeydrops release, Remember When: Live Vol. 3 when it hits streaming services on November 20th.
The California Honeydrops joined 50+ performers and 10+ other speakers as part of Democracy Comes Alive, presented by Live For Live Music in partnership with voter registration nonprofit HeadCount. The 10-hour streaming event, powered by Nugs.TV and Plus 1, generated $40,000 and counting in funds for HeadCount as well as the participating artists, who remain out of work as the pandemic continues. In addition to the funds generated, Democracy Comes Alive led thousands of people to HeadCount’s tools to check your voter registration status and register to vote. For more information, head here.