Oakland groove-makers the Humidors have filled Bay Area clubs with happy dancers for more than a decade. Their fusion of funk, R&B, jazz, rock and off-the-cuff jams keeps folks moving, with Mike Mulqueen’s free-flowing guitar lines adding a bit of psychedelic soul to the mix. They put their latest effort, the four-song Show Me EP, together during the pandemic lockdown. Their previous albums, The Humidors from 2014, and 2018’s Movin’ the Needle, were cut live. This time they practiced social distancing, so they put the tunes together by exchanging sound files over the course of several months.
“We started with drums and bass, or drums and keys, depending on the song,” said Justin Abee, the band’s percussionist, coordinator and booking agent. “We all have our own home studios, so we could record our parts and circulate them between band members on digital files. Everyone would layer on top of each other; then it all got mixed down. Stevie Utstein, our keyboard player, produced it and mixed it, with the rest of us giving him feedback during the process.”
Show Me is a solid effort that showcases the band’s eclectic blend of styles. “Black Enough” was a hit for Billy Paul under the title, “Am I Black Enough For You?” The band’s recently departed lead singer, Andre Cruz, delivers a lyric describing the ongoing struggle for equality with a joyful fervor, while the band lays down a funky Latin rhythm. Scott Okamoto’s trombone and Patrick Cress’ sax trade solos to deepen the song’s message.
The band dips into James Brown’s bag of tricks for “Show Me,” a funk/rock jam that reminds us of the power of music to heal the body and soul. The instrumental breaks give drummer Adam Willis and Mulqueen a chance to show off their chops. The band adds a bit of gospel to “Get It Together,” a tune with a hint of Curtis Mayfield in its melody. Utstein’s electric piano opens the track, with Cruz quietly inviting everyone to join in and change the world for the better. The band comes in with a slow, smoky groove, as Cruz reminds us that “we’re all the same race.” He slips into falsetto near the end of the tune, inviting everyone to make the world a better place.
“Live, we stretch out to let everyone solo and show off their best stuff,” Abee said.
The band planned to release Show Me as a vinyl EP, but after they finished the record they encountered a series of setbacks. Their bass player moved back East to raise a family, and Cruz went on the road with one of his other bands.
“Our ethos is to replace departing members with someone who has equal or better abilities,” Abee said. “We have high standards, and found Rob Ewing to play bass and Tori Roze to sing lead. Tori had a successful band in San Diego called the Hot Mess. Her wife is from the Bay Area, and told her we were looking for a new vocalist, so Tori joined up.
“As the pandemic wound down, all the pressing plants were backed up, so we released Show Me online, through our website,” Abee continued. “We’ve been in the studio a few times with the new lineup, moving toward an album, but the way things are with social media these days that may not be practical. Right now, we’re aiming for another EP in January, with a few singles leading up to that release.”
Abee said the Humidors began life as an instrumental combo, playing frequently at San Francisco’s Boom Boom Room. “Joe Carter was the booking agent and bartender at the Boom Boom,” Abee said. “He’d get up and sing a couple of songs with us. He slowly evolved into our first lead singer. That was the transition into writing songs with lyrics.
“These days, everyone in the band has jobs, so it’s a challenge to get the group together, in the practice room or recording studio,” Abee added. “Our goal is to put out good music, get it into as many ears as possible and have fun doing it. When it stops being fun, that’s when the band will stop, but we’ve all become lifelong friends. It’s like a marriage. It has its ups and downs, but we have fun together. The band is a great artistic outlet for all of us, as musicians.”
The Humidors play Sat, Sept. 7, at 7pm, Music City San Francisco, 1355 Bush St., San Francisco. 415.767.0799. musiccitysf.com. More info at humidfunk.com.
