The Honeydogs CD Release Party with The Hopefuls at First Avenue on 3/13/09
By: David de Young
 |
| The Honeydogs - Photo by David de Young |
A couple people who had attended the Hopefuls CD Release show a few months back told me they thought Friday’s might have even been a better show. Surely it was a special event in its own right as Dan Wilson (Trip Shakespeare, Pleasure, Semisonic) joined the band on stage for the final three or four songs.
But the night was about The Honeydogs. Their new EP Sunshine Committee was produced by Honeydogs songwriter/front man Adam Levy and drummer Peter Anderson. It was recorded at the Institute of Production and Recording where Levy teaches, and it was mixed by Grammy award-winner John Fields, though the press release says the entire band was involved in every aspect of bringing the product to fruition. Regarding the album’s title, Levy says a Sunshine Committee is the last thing he wants his band to be, “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.”
Friday night’s crowd showed much love for the band, though it seemed to thin just a little bit after the Hopefuls had finished. They opened up with "Cherub" from 1997’s Seen a Ghost and played a set that was heavy on songs from 2006’s Amygdala as well as the new EP, with surprisingly few songs from one of my recent favorites, 2004’s 10,000 Years. But with a discography as large as theirs has become over the past 14-15 years, the Honeydogs have so much great material to choose from they would have been playing until dawn if they played all their best songs.
By the third song Friday night they cracked open the new CD with “The Good Fight.” A few songs later title song of the new EP reminded me as much of Elvis Costello live as it had on disc. (You can probably note from the photos that Adam Levy is actually looking more and more like Elvis as well as the years go by, the bow tie and heavy glasses certainly help that along.) “Sunshine Committee” also includes what has my vote for one of the best song lyrics of the year:
Adam Levy - Photo by de Young
Tired of being deafened, silenced, drugged, and blinded by your honey-sweet openings.
Make of that what you will, it’s a doozy. Hear the entire song on the March, 2009 HowWasTheShow podcast here.
The audience was adoringly pressed forward against the rail making the room seem less crowded than it was if you ventured to the back. Levy announced he was really happy to see all the familiar faces. A girl in the front row asked for a guitar pick but unfortunately, it was only the fifth song and he only had two so said it’d have to wait until after the show.
The live band these days is sounding like they are at the top of their game, officially incorporating a few members of the Hookers & Blow horn section (Matt Darling and Steven King) in addition to regulars Trent Norton on bass, Brian Halverson on second guitar, Peter J. Sands on keyboards and Peter Anderson on drums.
See more photos from this show here.
- Cherub (Seen a Ghost)
- Elan Vital (Amygdala)
- The Good Fight (Sunshine Committee)
- Amygdala (Amydala)
- Hearts and Heads (Here’s Luck)
- Truth Serum (Amygdala)
- Fiber Optic Paramour (Sunshine Committee)
- Too Close To The Sun (Amygdala)
- Test Tube Kid (10,000 Years)
- Rumor Has It (Seen a Ghost)
- Stash (Sunshine Committee)
- Blues for Castro (Amygdala)
- Balaclava (Sunshine Committee)
- Levers, Pulleys and Pumps (Sunshine Committee)
- Lullaby Pie (From the Bunnyclogs album More! More! More!)
- Sour Grapes (Here’s Luck)
- Poor Little Sugar
- Rattling My Tin Cup (Amygdala)
Location Info:
First Avenue
Artist Info: The Duhks
Share this story:
Article comments powered by Disqus