On today’s show I speak with Lech Wierzynski of the California Honeydrops. This band of expert musicians has created a sound drawing from virtually all areas of African-American music – early folk and New Orleans music, blues, gospel, R & B and soul, creating an excellent and unique style. They are writing some great new songs using conventional instruments such as guitar, piano, trumpet and snare, but also incorporate folk instruments such as the tub bass and washboard into their sound.
On the show we plays some songs from their new CD, “Soul Tub,” plus Lech speaks about their influences and gives us a brief but very well informed sample of African-American music history – a bunch of seminal recordings which I had not heard before. Great stuff!
The band is:
Lech Wierzynski : Guitar Vocals Trumpet…. Nansamba Ssensalo: Washboard, Drums, Vocals, Fiddle, Jug, Tub Bass…. Chris Burns: Piano…. Ben Malament: Tub Bass, Drums, vocals
California Honeydrops Myspace page
Tracks played on today’s episode:
1. Miss Louise – The California Honeydrops
2. Cry For Me – The California Honeydrops
3. Rain – The California Honeydrops
4. Bye Bye Baby, I’m Gone
5. Basin St. Bles – Louis Armstrong
6. If I get Lucky – Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup
7. Crying Won’t Help You – Robert Nighthawk
8. Don’t You Just Know It – Huey “Piano” Smith
9. Too Tired – Johnny “Guitar” Watson
10. Mary Don’t You Weep – The Swan Silvertones (with Claude Jeter)
11. You’re Gona Make Me Cry – O.V. Wright
12. Mercy Mercy – Don Covey (with Jimi Hendrix on guitar)
13. I Love My Baby – Lowell Fulson
14. Trouble Blues – Charles Brown
15. After Hours – Lloyd Gelnn