the california honeydrops

Biography

The California Honeydrops are an electrifying retro-soul band that emerged from the Oakland, California subway system in 2007, founded by Polish-born frontman and multi-instrumentalist Lech Wierzynski and drummer Benjamin Malament. What began as a makeshift jug-band trio busking at Bay Area BART stations—playing with washboard, tub-bass, and guitar for fun—rapidly evolved into a globally recognized ensemble that has become a mainstay at major festivals including Byron Bay Bluesfest, Outside Lands, Monterey Jazz, and Lightning In A Bottle. The band's unique sonic identity draws from diverse American musical traditions including Bay Area R&B, funk, Southern soul, Delta blues, and New Orleans second-line jazz, creating an infectious, dance-party energy that defies easy categorization.

Lech Wierzynski's unlikely journey to becoming an American blues and soul singer began in Warsaw, Poland, where he was raised by political refugees who smuggled contraband American recordings of Louis Armstrong, Sam Cooke, and Ray Charles into communist Poland during the 1940s and 1950s. He later studied ethnomusicology at Oberlin College before relocating to Oakland, where he immersed himself in the city's rich blues heritage and learned from musicians a generation older who had achieved hits in the 1960s. Over the first decade of the band's existence, Wierzynski devoted himself entirely to the project, famously spending ten years doing nothing but developing the band's sound and building their reputation from street performances to international touring.

The band's current core lineup features Wierzynski on vocals, trumpet, and guitar; Benjamin Malament on drums; Yanos "Johnny Bones" Lustig on saxophone; Lorenzo Loera on keyboards and guitar; Beaumont Beaullieu on bass; with regular accompaniment from Oliver Tuttle on trombone, Leon Cotter on saxophone and clarinet, and Miles Lyons on trombone and sousaphone. Since their 2008 debut album Soul Tub, they have released seven studio albums including Spreadin' Honey (2010) and the double album Call It Home: Vol. 1 & 2, while touring extensively across North America, Europe, and Australia. The Honeydrops have supported legendary artists including B.B. King, Dr. John, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, and Allen Toussaint, maintaining their commitment to making audiences dance and sing while staying true to the organic, street-level feel that defined their origins.

Fun Facts

• Lech Wierzynski was born in Warsaw, Poland, and his love of American blues and soul music came from his father, who smuggled contraband American recordings into communist Poland during the 1940s and 1950s when such music was illegal—making it especially cool to young Wierzynski.
• The band's name was inspired by the Tennessee Chocolate Drops, a 1930s African-American quartet who backed blues legends like Big Bill Broonzy, though Wierzynski has acknowledged the name became somewhat limiting as the band evolved far beyond their jug-band origins.
• For the first decade of the band's existence, Lech Wierzynski devoted himself entirely to the Honeydrops, spending approximately 10 years doing nothing but the band—he didn't go to the park, watch TV, or have any life outside of trying to make the band happen.
• The Honeydrops began as a street-level busking group performing in Oakland BART subway stations with just a washboard, tub-bass, and guitar, eventually performing at major international festivals including Byron Bay Bluesfest in Australia and touring across North America, Europe, and Australia.

Members

• Chuk Barber
• Beau Bradbury
• Chris Burns
• Seth Ford-Young
• Charlie Hickox
• Lorenzo Loera
• Yanos Lustig
• Ben Malament
• Nansamba Ssensalo
• Lech Wierzynski

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Louis Armstrong - Vocal and musical inspiration through contraband recordings heard during Wierzynski's childhood in Poland (Classic jazz and blues recordings) [1940s-1950s (formative influence)]
• Sam Cooke - Vocal styling and soul music influence through recordings that shaped Wierzynski's approach to singing (Soul and R&B recordings) [1940s-1950s (formative influence)]
• Ray Charles - Musical and vocal inspiration through contraband American recordings (Soul and blues recordings) [1940s-1950s (formative influence)]
• Bay Area Blues Musicians (Jackie Payne, Freddie Hughes, Karl Green, Maria Muldaur) - Direct mentorship and training in Oakland's blues tradition; musicians 40 years older who taught Wierzynski how to work a crowd and develop as a frontman (Live performances and club circuit training) [2000s (pre-Honeydrops era)]

Key Collaborators

• Benjamin Malament - Co-founding drummer and percussionist; founding member who established the band's rhythmic foundation (All Honeydrops albums and performances since 2007) [2007-present]
• Yanos 'Johnny Bones' Lustig - Tenor saxophone and clarinet player; core band member for approximately 12 years (All recent Honeydrops albums and performances) [2013-present (approximately)]
• Lorenzo Loera - Keyboardist and guitarist; core band member for approximately 12 years (All recent Honeydrops albums and performances) [2013-present (approximately)]
• Beaumont Beaullieu - Bass player; core band member for approximately 12 years (All recent Honeydrops albums and performances) [2013-present (approximately)]
• Oliver Tuttle - Trombonist; regular collaborator with the band (Recent Honeydrops performances and albums) [2010s-present]
• Leon Cotter - Saxophonist and clarinetist; regular collaborator (Recent Honeydrops performances) [2010s-present]
• Miles Lyons - Trombonist and sousaphone player; regular collaborator (Recent Honeydrops performances) [2010s-present]
• B.B. King - Touring support artist; the Honeydrops supported this blues legend on tour (Live touring) [2010s]
• Bonnie Raitt - Touring support artist; the Honeydrops supported Raitt on her North America release tour (North America release tour) [2016-2017]
• Dr. John - Touring support artist; the Honeydrops supported this New Orleans legend (Live touring) [2010s]
• Buddy Guy - Touring support artist; the Honeydrops supported this blues legend (Live touring) [2010s]
• Allen Toussaint - Touring support artist; the Honeydrops supported this New Orleans musician (Live touring) [2010s]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. All Day, All Night (Like You Mean It)
2. Tumblin' (Soft Spot)
3. When It Was Wrong (Spreadin' Honey)
4. Live Learn (Call It Home, Vol. 1)
5. In My Baby's Arms (Call It Home: Vol. 2)
6. Get Real High
7. Shine Delight
8. Lead Me Home (A River's Invitation)
9. Good Times (Soft Spot (Deluxe))
10. When It Was Wrong (A River's Invitation)

External Links

• Spotify
• [Wikipedia](Not found in search results)
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #blues, #contemporary-blues