POP WEEKEND : Honk Reunites for a Touch of Nostalgia and More

Nostalgia is the stuff that attempts to make us feel the way we were, even though we’re not.

Honk, an Orange County band that won a loyal local following in the early to mid-70s and emerged for a time as a national pop contender with albums for Twentieth Century and Epic Records, went a bit beyond nostalgia in the first of its two reunion shows Friday at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano.

The band’s bright, zestful renditions of songs from its old repertoire were loaded with nostalgic appeal for a packed house of 30-ish fans who got to relive the old times, and they rewarded Honk’s every song and solo with applause that was lustier than most current hit-makers get to hear.

But more than nostalgia may have been behind all that noise. By playing a tight, zestful show despite some receding of hairlines and encroachment of wrinkles and silver, Honk served a reminder that those who stay enthusiastic about their youthful pleasures can hold onto something of the way they were.

The six band members, who have staged periodic reunions over the past five years (the last one before Friday’s shows had been about a year ago), were able to get beyond nostalgia because they all are still up-to-par performers.

The instrumental soloists got plenty of space in stretched-out arrangements and made good use of it: Richard Stekol’s lead guitar lines had a clean, note-shredding quality reminiscent of Jeff Baxter; saxophonist Craig Buhler was strong in a variety of settings, and keyboardist Steve Wood picked his spots without muddying the arrangements. Beth Fitchet, Stekol and, Wood, especially, were in sharp vocal form. With Will Brady providing simple, anchoring bass and an extra player at the back of the stage adding computerized percussion parts behind the band, drummer Tris Imboden was free to take an activist, all-over-the-kit approach (these days, Wood and Imboden play in Kenny Loggins’ band).

Most of Honk’s repertoire was cheerful, upbeat pop inflected with R&B--reminiscent; at times of old Van Morrison, James Taylor or the “Vahevala” incarnation of Loggins & Messina.

In most cases, it’s best to hear some darker hues during an 80-minute show, but staying on the bright side in a reunion is understandable. Honk could have dispensed with one instrumental change of pace, a bit of instrumental pop-jazz akin to Kenny G. That style is an empty pleasantry, like saying “have a nice day.” Otherwise, the set had enough breadth and catchiness to maintain interest through to the hot homestretch, which included a crisp, cresting run through Martha & the Vandellas’ “Heatwave.”

Honk’s members were far more interested in playing than in wallowing in nostalgia. There were a few “remember this one?” song intros (the fans invariably remembered) but no extended reminiscing. Wood saved the only truly nostalgic observation for the end, dedicating a sentimental, country-rock encore to “a couple of old friends who are having babies. That’s not the kind of thing you’d want to say back in the old days--when drugs were good for you and you couldn’t catch an infection you couldn’t get a shot for.”