Head Honchos: 'Eclectic mix' of blues, rock band ready to hit Stage Left

DeKALB – It will be sort of a homecoming for one member of Head Honchos when the group plays in DeKalb this weekend.

Frontman Rocco Calipari Sr. has performed here a number of times over the years with Howard and the White Boys.

Now he and Head Honchos – the rock and blues band he founded with his son, Rocco Calipari Jr. – will play at 8 p.m. Saturday at Stage Left,
249 E. Lincoln Highway, a recently opened live entertainment venue connected to Hometown Sports Bar and Grill, 241 E. Lincoln Highway.

Calipari said he and Rocco Jr. started the band when Rocco Jr., now 31, was in his late teens. The band, based in Valparaiso, Indiana, features skillful guitar solos and a gruff, yet soulful, voice.

The elder Calipari still plays with Howard and the White Boys, which got its start in DeKalb in 1988, when the original members met at Northern Illinois University. The band has performed around the world with many blues legends, including B.B. King, at the Egyptian Theatre and NIU’s Convocation Center.

Calipari said Head Honchos plays more of a Chicago-style blues, while Howard and the White Boys is more bluesy. The Honchos sound has been inspired by Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Wilson Pickett, ZZ Top and Led Zeppelin.

“We’re an eclectic band,” he said. “It’s all over the map. We do some funk, too. It’s a mix.”

He called Head Honchos a high-energy rock and blues band.

“Head Honchos is a little more rockin,’” he said. “Howard doesn’t play any ZZ Top or [Jimi] Hendrix, but we do.”

Calipari said the Honchos booking agent brought the band to Stage Left and he’s happy to play here.

“I love the DeKalb area,” he said. “I’ve played there so many times. I played with B.B. King at the [NIU] Convocation Center.”

Calipari said the way he and his son share the guitar leads has been compared to the Allman Brothers.

After listening to a few of the songs from the Head Honchos CD “Bring it on Home,” it’s clear the music has a rock influence, which might be explained by Rocco Jr.’s time studying at the Guitar Institute of Technology in Los Angeles.

“He studied Slash,” Calipari said referring to the Guns ’N’ Roses lead guitarist. “I didn’t have that. He learned more about music theory than I did. He’s the metal guy in the band. He loves the blues and is well-rounded, also.”

Calipari said Head Honchos plays about 50% covers and 50% original songs.

“We’re trying to get to the point where we play all of our own music,” he said.

Calipari said he and the other band members – bassist Mike Boyle, drummer Will Wyatt and Calipari Jr. – have good chemistry when they play.

“We know if he’s going to play or I’m going to play,” Calipari said. “If we’re improvising, we give a look to another guy and they take off.”

For a preview of the Head Honchos sound, listen to the band's song "Not For Me," from its CD "Bring it on Home," on YouTube.