Tep’s Villa Roma will serve a musical version of San Francisco sourdough bread dipped in New Orleans gumbo.
The South Lake Tahoe restaurant began to offer music last year by promoter Pet Projekt Presents, which will bring the California Honeydrops on Friday, Jan. 17.
“Our thing is a mix of West Coast Bay Area soul and R&B, stuff that I learned playing here, and our own preference for New Orleans music,” said trumpet and guitar player Lech Wierzynski. “So we mix those two together with a healthy dose of our busking street music energy.”
The Bay Area-based band started playing in BART stations. It now has legions of fans throughout the word. Since we last saw the California Honeydrops at the High Sierra Music Festival, the band toured Europe for the ninth and 10th times.
Busking honed the California Honeydrops entertainment skills.
“You really learn that there because you’ve got to get people’s attention quick and make them have fun with you,” Wierzynski said. “You are trying to stop some people who are probably busy doing things. You try to get their ear for a second and get them to forget about whatever it is that’s been on their minds on their mind and give them a moment of music enjoyment.
“We definitely bring that to the big stage. We love to love to come off the stage and play unamplified on the dance floor with people. It brings things back to where we started.”
The band also include Ben Malament (drums, percussion, vocals and tub bass), Johnny Bones (saxophone, clarinet and vocals), Lorenzo Loera (the former bassist now on keys); Beaumont Bradbury (bass) and Charlie Hickox (keys and vocals).
Friday’s opening band is Peter Joseph Burtt and the Tide Kings. Burtt is a 26-string kora player as well as percussionist and guitarist who lived and studied for several years in Africa. He now lives in Kings Beach. His music has a blues-based world sound.
California Honeydrops
With Peter Joseph Burtt and the King Tide
When: 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17
Where: Tep’s Villa Roma,
3450 Lake Tahoe Blvd.
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
Tickets: $12 in advance, $15 at door PURCHASE
