Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
“Sugarfoot”
Austin band Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears is a tour de force mashup of James Brown and American blues that takes the listener to places modern bands fear to treat: the past. In a mainstream world where “old” music somehow became “bad” music, Black Joe Lewis found a way to take the “old” music and make it new again by breathing fresh air into the lost genre of funk.
You won’t find big afros and bell bottom jeans with these guys. Armed with immaculate suits, the band removes any sort of impressions based on looks and brings a general uniformity to the band that says: “We’re here, we’re one, and we’re about to rock your face off.”
Much like Possessed by Paul James, if you’ve never experienced Black Joe Lewis live, you only get half the story from the recordings. The Honeybears’ brass is a veritable force of music and soul that hits you in the face before you get a chance to see it coming. The uniformity of the band as a whole reminds me of old swing clubs, and their straight-up passion makes any comparison to James Brown completely founded.
Back around 2008, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears put on one of the most memorable live performances I’ve ever experienced, and it’s an honor to feature them in this Tuesday Tunesday. If you don’t know them yet, you soon will, and I promise you won’t forget.
