The Honeydogs w/Jake La Botz & Humbird at First Avenue

Imagine if Television and Curtis Mayfield formed a band and tried to re-record Rubber Soul. That's a tease of what you get with Love & Cannibalism (2016), the 11th studio release for 20 year Minneapolis-based veterans The Honeydogs. This record might be the band's best, most rocking collection of songs in that long career. That says a great deal considering previous records like 10,000 Years, Here's Luck, and Amygdala have been called masterpieces--the band comfortably exploring varied musical styles (psychedelia, experimental, jazz) while being true to their roots in American music.

Inspired by the crystalline chill of the north country she calls home in Minnesota, Humbird combines a wintry longing with the warmth of a familiar folktale. Humbird’s music moves between experimental folk and environmental Americana to embrace the unexpected. The music invites a refreshing dissonance into the house. It leaves bread crumbs along the path and reflects light back at the stars.

Singer/songwriter Jake La Botz plays roots-drenched music that reflects his time performing in streets, bars, churches, and even tattoo parlors. You can also hear the various places La Botz has lived in his music — including his time in New Orleans, the Mississippi Delta, and his native Chicago where, as a young man, he found kinship with some of the last of the pre-war era bluesmen: David “Honeyboy” Edwards, “Homesick” James, and “Maxwell Street” Jimmy Davis.