A girls’ night in can do wonders. Just ask Honeymoon. For a band whose first jam session started out haphazardly as an excuse for a bunch of talented ladies to casually hang out and drink wine at home last November, the band has snowballed into an intoxicating musical force. A powerful brigade of four singer-songwriters coalescing into a fresh new project that wields a juggler’s dream of instrumental variation, a cappella magic, and endearing familial chemistry, the ensemble is on the rise. Lauren Shera, Andrea Blunt, Christina Bailey and Sara Bollwinkel have each made their mark solo or in other bands before stumbling upon Honeymoon—in which they’re now fueling each other’s fires as a standout Americana-folk act. “The whole pedagogy behind the band is keeping four female singer-songwriters happy and giving each an equal chance to shine,” Blunt says. From the beginning, she continues, the songstresses’ sweet pipes found a fit when stacked atop one another and the entrancing formula felt effortless. Shera adds, “Chemistry is rare with this many people. … I think we’re in our honeymoon phase because it feels like a celebration every time we get together.” Trading vocal leads and transforming each person’s songs with additional help from band husbands Matt Bailey (drums) and Matt Bollwinkel (bass), Honeymoon balances all its members’ ingenuity; acoustic guitars, piano, banjo, violins, ukulele, accordion, and scene-stealing harmonies are the puzzle pieces to a stellar show. Recording the debut After the Flood EP at Gadgetbox Studios, Honeymoon will play at the Crepe Place this Wednesday, July 28, before doing a mini tour with Mary Chapin Carpenter and opening for Jackie Greene at the Catalyst in August. And whether crooning originals like the bittersweet “Processional” and the EP’s title track, or reinventing the serenity of Nick Drake’s “Black Eyed Dog,” Honeymoon procures a set peppered with a joyful banter between friends. Sisterhood never sounded so good.
INFO: 9 p.m. Wednesday, July 28. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $8. 429-6994. Honeymoonismusic.com.
