The California Honeydrops

“The California Honeydrops…evoke the greasy rumble of Booker T and channel the spiritual ecstasy of Sly and the Family Stone.” -Rolling Stone

Formed in the subway systems of Oakland, retro-soul outfit The California Honeydrops are an electrifying group that defy convention at every turn. They’ve become a mainstay at festivals including Byron Bay Bluesfest (Australia), Outside Lands, Monterey Jazz, Lightning In A Bottle, and touring with B.B. King, Dr. John, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, and Allen Toussaint. Led by the enigmatic and energetic frontman, Lech Wierzynski, and drummer Benjamin Malament, each member of the band is a virtuoso in their own rite — Yanos “Johnny Bones” Lustig on saxophone, Lorenzo Loera on keyboards/guitar, Beaumont Beaullieu on bass, and regularly accompanied by Oliver Tuttle on trombone, Leon Cotter on saxophone/clarinet, and Miles Lyons on trombone/sousaphone — navigating through a vast repertoire of original songs and timeless classics every night. But what truly sets them apart is their unwavering commitment to the art of improvisation – a skill so finely honed that they have completely abandoned the use of set lists and no two shows are ever the same. Off stage, their music has been streamed more than 200 million times, and placed in a variety of TV and films, including “Dead To Me,” “Alaska Daily,” “Black-ish” and more. They are currently touring North America in support of their new deluxe album, ‘Soft Spot’.

Meet your Opener!

Neil Minet loves performing almost as much as he loves adventuring in solitude. Born, raised, and currently working in rural, upstate New York, Neil is a singer-songwriter and guitarist on a never ending search for the right sound, the right word, and the right story. He enjoys playing small listening rooms as much as he enjoys large stages and as a listener first, finds his purpose in making music that can give back some small sliver of the joy he’s experienced from it himself. His earliest roots are in the blues, his earliest guitar lessons in folk/Americana, and his earliest gigs playing bluegrass and rock ‘n roll. Somewhere between those genres is where Neil began his journey, and his final destination: unknown.