The Honeydogs with Chris Koza
The last thing The Honeydogs' lead singer songwriter, Adam Levy, wants his band to be is a Sunshine Committee. You know, the cloying co-workers who attempt to bring a little Trojan Horse happiness to the dysfunctional corporation on the eve of mass layoffs with flowers, pizza, ribbons, lace, and cupcakes? No, the Honeydogs have chosen a tough path, singing about serious subject matter always avoiding the maudlin and producing some music of great emotional intensity, complexity and beauty.
Starting with 2001's brilliant day darkener, Here's Luck, the band charted a course of, as Paste magazine said, capturing "the Zeitgeist of this anxious era." The follow-up, 10,000 Years, was hailed as the bands' masterpiece—a concept album based on Levy's experiences in social work telling the story of a poor urban test tube kids’s rise and fall during a genocidal apocalypse in the not-so-distant future. In 2006 the band released Amygdala, a record thematically exploring fear in its varied forms—abandonment, losing children, war & death, aging, social decay.
In 2009 the band emerges with an offering considerably more hopeful in these desperate times. The tracks on Sunshine Committee reflect a complex, often nuanced intersection of art and humanity while marking a return to a more live, rocking sound.
Once featured guests, Matt Darling on trombone and Steven Kung on trumpet have now become integral core members of the band, adding a vintage Stax/Volt-Muscle Shoals unctuousness to the record. Bass player Trent Norton’s writhingly hooky parts almost singularly define the new improved sound. Levy and Brian Halverson have further perfected their guitar matrimony, playing off each other and swapping leads and obbligatos. Peter Sands, given extra real estate space, layers clavinets, harpsichords, pianos, Hammond organs, Chamberlains, and various odd keyboards from his museum of myriad electronic instruments. Drummer Peter Anderson directs traffic like an empathic inner city principal, alternately slamming and playing with great economy, sensitivity and restraint.
As always, the band refers to the traditional soul and rock touchstones while creating something interesting, unpredictable, insightful, and moving: shades of the Stones' Exile on Main Street, Fresh-era Sly Stone, twilight Hendrix and Revolver-esque Beatles, all with Levy's surreal, evocative and enigmatic lyrics winding sinuously through the savory mix.
For tonight's show, there'll be a string of extra special guests, including The Twilight Hours, Alicia Wiley, and Steve Roehm of The New Standards.
You can expect more perfectly constructed, lyrical and melodic masterpieces from Twin Cities songwriter Chris Koza, who'll open the show tonight.
Tickets are on sale now from the Cedar Ticketline (612-338-2674 ext 2), Cedar outlets, and online at Ticketweb.
STANDING ROOM ONLY
Chris Koza is a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based singer/songwriter, and has released three albums since 2004 -- "Exit Pesce," "Patterns," and "A Friend of a Friend" (EP). Music critics have compared Chris' sound to Wilco, Paul Simon...
The Honeydogs play indie/rock-music. Some of their songs have a touch of country in them.
The last thing The Honeydogs' lead singer songwriter, Adam Levy, wants his band to be is a Sunshine Committee. You know, the cloying co-workers who attempt to bring a...
