Steven Mirkin on February 25th, 2019

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Over the last seven years, the annual Wild Honey Benefit show — a benefit for the Autism Think Tank — has become an anticipated event on Los Angeles’ musical calendar. The brainchild of Paul Rock, whose 14-year-old son is autistic, it’s part concert, part reunion and part communion between musicians and audience, all in the name of doing something good. The idea is simple: Choose a classic album, perform it from start to finish, followed by a set of songs from the band’s other albums — in short, a massive undertaking.

This year’s edition featured the two-dozen strong Wild Honey Orchestra, a collective of L.A.-based veterans (including strings, woodwinds and a harp) backing 35 singers performing 40 songs.

This year’s featured album was “The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society,” a 1968 release that was, as host Chris Morris put it, “an instant and colossal flop.” The midpoint of the Kinks’ run of five incredible albums over the late ’60s, starting with 1966’s “Face to Face,” and concluding with 1970’s “Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One,” it’s an album that flew in the face of that year’s music.

The Kinks had been moving away from the raucous, powerful sounds of their early hits, reaching its apotheosis with “Village Green.” While the Stones snarled “Street Fighting Man,” and Led Zeppelin insisted you squeeze their lemon til the juice runs down their leg, Ray Davies turned to music hall, parlor songs and other old-fashioned styles, writing delicate, wonderfully intricate and wistful tunes that praised, among other things, steam engines, china cups and virginity.

It was a record out of touch with its time, but that has allowed “Village Green” to become timeless, and it is now generally acknowledged as one of the Kinks’ best. It might not have been a best-seller, but it’s arguably become their most beloved album. Which makes it a perfect fit for the Wild Honey Orchestra, whose previous benefits have paid tribute to albums by the Beatles, Beach Boys, the Band, Big Star, and Buffalo Springfield. A collection of some of L.A.’s best musicians — players who have logged time with Johnny Cash, Brian Wilson, Leonard Cohen, Jackson Browne, Dave Davies, Sheryl Crow, Tom Waits, the Long Ryders and many more — was augmented by luminaries such as Blur’s Graham Coxon, the Cars’ Elliot Easton and Blondie’s Clem Burke. Along with the likes of Kristian Hoffman, Buffalo Tom’s Bill Janovitz, Dramarama’s John Easdale and Redd Kross, they recreated the album, and much more from the Kings’ catalog, with a loving fidelity.

As with many tribute shows, the performances ranged between the respectful — those who stayed close to the recorded versions — and singers who put their own, distinctive stamps on the material. The performances of “Village Green” mainly stuck to the former. It was more a question of influence than lack of imagination. The one singer who left his imprint on the music was the irrepressible Terry Reid who, along with Willie Aron’s harmonica, brought a bluesy heat to “The Last of the Steam-Powered Trains.” The songs fit the voices of singers such as Jason Falkner, Chris Stamey and Dan Wilson like bespoke suits; the Kinks are so much a part of their DNA, it’s hard to imagine what they could have done differently. But Stamey brought an arch whimsy (and a kazoo) to “Phenomenal Cat,” and Ira Kaplan’s whispery reading of “Sitting By The Riverside” recalled Davies’ wavering vulnerability.

The second half of the show was an looser affair, allowing the performers a greater chance to stretch out. The Textones’ Carla Olson swaggered her way through a wry “Top of the Pops”; the Three O’Clock (augmented by Falkner) bashed their way through “She’s Got Everything.” Mark Eitzel of American Music Club brought a gruff yearning to “Days.” Those Pretty Wrongs (Luther Russell and Big Star’s Jody Stephens) added some California cool to “God’s Children,” a song from the soundtrack to “Percy,” and probably the most obscure choice of the night. And That Dog.’s Anna Waronker and Rachel Haden gave a melancholy character study of “Two Sisters.”

Among the many moments capturing the energy and reverence of the night came when British legend Reid was joined by Chris Price, 35 years his junior, on the 1966 song “I’m Not Like Everybody Else.”

The evening ended on a high note: The Baseball Project (The Dream Syndicate’s Steve Wynn, R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, and Filthy Friends’ Scott McCaughey and Linda Pitmon) delivered jangly versions of “Lola,” “Get Back In Line” and “Where Have All The Good Times Gone?.” Then the entire ensemble — including the crew — took the stage for a joyous “You Really Got Me,” including an anarchic solo from Easton. With the last power chord still ringing, the band came together in a group hug.

Photos by Susan Moll