On Saturday night, Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears unleashed their ultra-groovy sound on a largely unsuspecting Chicago crowd. It took all of about 30 seconds for that crowd to stop staring and start dancing. Suddenly, the North Side of Chicago was awash in a new blues, with some funk tossed in for good measure.
“Chicago’s always good man,” Lewis told us after the show. “Out of all the three major cities, Chicago is number one.” There’s little doubt that Chicago doesn’t feel the same way about Lewis and The Honeybears after an inspired performance.
Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears are a relatively “new” band, but their music comes from a place of old souls. Lewis evokes the likes of Otis Redding and James Brown; one of his influences, along with Lightnin’ Hopkins, Howlin’ Wolf and Eazy-E. While purists might scoff at those comparisons (likely they haven’t seen him live yet) consider this: James Brown scored his first R&B #1 hit “Try Me” when he was just 25 years old. Redding became a legend before his tragic death at age 26.
Another influence on Lewis is a man by the name of Little Joe Washington, whom Lewis talks about in our interview with him (see video below). Essentially, Washington is a street musician with paying gigs from time to time. And it’s that street-wise sensibility, improvisational flair and live-in-the-moment attitude that permeates Lewis’ music and lyrics.
Back in the day (just a few years ago) Lewis was working in a pawn shop. After seeing a number of hocked guitars come over the counter, he finally picked one up. “I got the guitar and just tried to learn it,” says Lewis. “My neighbors had a band. They didn’t have to work, all they had to do was play music. I thought; dude I gotta get in on that! I just tried to learn as much as I could. That’s how I really started performing … I hated my day job.”
Thank goodness for bad day jobs.
Below is a video from Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears’ performance at Chicago’s Folk and Roots Festival, including a few different songs and interview footage of both Joe Lewis and keyboardist Ian Varley. Tour dates are below the video – go see them.
| Jul 17 2009 | 6:00P | Latitude Festival | Southwold, Suffolk, London |
| Jul 18 2009 | 8:00P | Lovebox Festival | London |
| Jul 21 2009 | 8:00P | Jazz Cafe | London, London and South East |
| Jul 23 2009 | 8:00P | Valkhof Affaire | Nijmegen, Gelderland |
| Jul 24 2009 | 8:00P | Sala Heineken | Madrid, Spain |
| Jul 25 2009 | 8:00P | San Sebastian Jazz Festival | San Sebastian, Guipúzcoa |
| Aug 7 2009 | 4:00P | Lollapalooza, Vitamin Water Stage | Chicago, Illinois |
| Aug 8 2009 | 2:00P | San Jose Jazz Festival, Main Stage | San Jose, California |
| Aug 8 2009 | 7:00P | San Jose Jazz Festival, Blues Stage | San Jose, California |
| Aug 22 2009 | 4:00P | CD101 Summerfest, LC Pavilion | Columbus, Ohio |
| Aug 26 2009 | 8:00P | Bluebird Theater | Denver, Colorado |
| Aug 27 2009 | 7:00P | Salt Lake City Arts, Twilight Series | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Aug 29 2009 | 8:00P | Street Scene | San Diego, California |
| Aug 31 2009 | 8:00P | Troubadour | Los Angeles, California |
| Sep 3 2009 | 10:00A | The Depot | Humboldt State Univ. Arcata, California |
| Sep 4 2009 | 8:00P | Mississippi Studios | Portland, Oregon |
| Sep 6 2009 | 8:00P | Media Club | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Sep 7 2009 | 8:00P | Bumbershoot – Mural | Seattle, Washington |
| Oct 14 2009 | 8:00P | ACL Festival | Austin, Texas |
Old Town School’s Chicago Folk and Roots Festival is right around the corner. Every year, the two-day event hosts an eclectic mix of music – you’ll always find something interesting and, most of the time, it’s bands you’ve never heard of. That’s a good thing. This year is no different.
Below are our picks of five performances not to miss this year. If you read Sound Citizen with any regularity, you might recognize one or two of them. If not, you’ll find a few links and a couple of videos here to get familiar.
Held on July 11-12 in spacious Welles Park on Chicago’s northwest side, an $8 donation ($4 for kids) will get you in where, over both days, more than a dozen bands will play. You can also find performance by Old Town School’s student groups and a kids tent with music activities and more. There are also learning opportunities – from dance lessons to open jam sessions, so bring your instrument.
For $8, the Chicago Folk and Roots Festival is a downright bargain. Be there. We will be.
Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears – 8:30 pm, Saturday, July 11
This is a band quickly on the rise. We wrote about them before, so check out Black Joe Lewis is on Tour.
HoneyHoney – 7:00 pm, Saturday, July 11
Honey Honey is comprised of Suzanne Santo and Ben Jaffe, two very talented musicians from Venice, California. Santo’s voice is crisp but sultry and bluesy, and complemented wonderfully by rolling rhythms provided by Jaffe. The style is simple, catchy and played with precision. Below is their video for Little Toy Gun, directed by Kiefer Sutherland. You might also like this version of “Sugarcane” played in what looks like a subway station.
Karsh Kale – 8:30 pm, Sunday, July 12
While growing up in New York, Karsh Kale (pronounced Kursh Kah-lay) has fully embraced his Indian heritage through a mastery of percussion. What you’ll hear on Sunday is a mix of this traditional drumming style, with a little techno. Together, it’s a unique sound that you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.
Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble – 4:55 pm, Sunday, July 12
Maybe my New Orleans upbringing put these guys on the list but this guy is talented, as is his band. And who doesn’t love a little Zydeco every now and then? The forecast is in the 80′s, so you might just feel a little of the bayou during what’s sure to be an energizing performance from a New Orleans original. Laisser les bons temps rouler!
Midwest Fiddle Championship – 12:55 pm, Saturday, July 11
No folk festival would be complete without some dueling fiddles. That’s exactly what you’ll find here, as five artists compete for $1,200 in prize money. The event is sponsored by the Fiddle Club of the World, Chicago Chapter.
Enjoy the festival, and leave a comment if you have any other suggestions! Visit the official website for more details and full schedules of performances and activities.
The Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears 2009 tour will leave a steady stream of believers in its wake. It starts with Texas native Joe Lewis, who is raw and unapologetic. Songs on the new record “Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is!” are unfiltered and speckled with profanity, but ultimately inspired, groovy – and hilarious at times. They include titles like “Big Booty Woman,” and “Cousin Randy,” which tells the tale of crazy cousin Randy, whom Lewis suspects has the devil in him, because he decided to go fishing at 2 a.m. What you get is a modern infusion of soul, blues, funk, rock and bluegrass, all wound up in Joe Lewis’ imaginative lyrics and forceful, in-your-face delivery. It’s impossible to not prick up your ears to try and hear every word, every detail of every song.
UPDATE: Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears came to Chicago and we took them in. See Black Joe live and updated tour dates.
Brought up in Round Rock, Texas, Lewis was exposed to soul and blues early by his dad and uncles. He then ended up working in a pawn shop where he eventually picked up one of many hocked guitars and started playing. He then went from playing self-described “terrible” solo open mic gigs; to almost giving up music; to catching the attention of future guitarist Zach Ernst; to fronting a show for Little Richard; to touring with Spoon. In fact, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears’ new album got production help from Spoon drummer, Jim Eno, who said, “We were able to do about 75 percent of the album live, and that’s something you very, very rarely do.”
“All the songs on this record, I just made up as I went along. I couldn’t do a lot of ‘em again if I didn’t have ‘em on tape.” – Joe Lewis
Lewis already draws comparisons to James Brown. It’s justified – his influences include Brown and Lightnin’ Hopkins, and he even sounds a bit like Brown. You can also feel some Otis Redding. Lewis is a smart man too, joining a talented cast of musicians in The Honeybears who, only assembled a few years ago, play like they grew up together. But this isn’t your granddaddy’s soul and blues band. It’s all original. It flows free. And there’s so much more coming – you just can’t stop something like this.
“The way I look at it, I have to step my game up every day,” says Lewis. “I look at it as a challenge. It’s great that we’ve gotten noticed, but we’ve got to keep those people interested and bring more people in. If you don’t keep moving forward, nobody’s gonna care – and I’m gonna make sure people really care about this band.”
You hear that buzzing? It’s Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears. They’re about to burst onto the scene, and all up in your town.
Head to the official website to hear some streaming tunes. You can also get a free video download of “Sugarfoot,” and free MP3 at Amazon MP3 store. You’ll be hearing this song all summer on the radio.
Below is a new video of “I’m Broke.”
Below that are the Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears 2009 tour dates – and they just added an August 7 date at Lollapalooza.
| Jun 2 2009 | 8:00P | Diamond Ballroom w/ New York Dolls | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Jun 3 2009 | 8:00P | House of Blues-Dallas w/ New York Dolls | Dallas, Texas |
| Jun 4 2009 | 8:00P | House of Blues-Houston w/ New York Dolls | Houston, Texas |
| Jun 5 2009 | 8:00P | Emo’s Outside w/ New York Dolls | Austin, Texas |
| Jun 7 2009 | 8:00P | House of Blues-New Orleans w/ New York Dolls | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Jun 9 2009 | 8:00P | State Theatre w/ New York Dolls | St. Petersburg, Florida |
| Jun 10 2009 | 8:00P | Culture Room w/ New York Dolls | Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
| Jun 11 2009 | 8:00P | House of Blues-Orlando w/ New York Dolls | Orlando, Florida |
| Jun 12 2009 | 8:00P | Center Stage w/ New York Dolls | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Jun 14 2009 | 8:00P | The Music Farm w/ New York Dolls | Charleston, South Carolina |
| Jun 15 2009 | 8:00P | Amos’ Southend w/ New York Dolls | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Jun 16 2009 | 8:00P | Norva w/ New York Dolls | Norfolk, Virginia |
| Jun 18 2009 | 8:00P | Trocadero w/ New York Dolls | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Jun 19 2009 | 8:00P | 9:30 Club w/ New York Dolls | WASHINGTON, Washington DC |
| Jun 20 2009 | 8:00P | Starland Ballroom w/ New York Dolls | Sayerville, New Jersey |
| Jun 22 2009 | 8:00P | Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ New York Dolls | Brooklyn, New York |
| Jun 24 2009 | 8:00P | Higher Ground w/ New York Dolls | South Burlington, Vermont |
| Jun 25 2009 | 8:00P | Pearl Street Nightclub w/ New York Dolls | Northampton, Massachusetts |
| Jun 26 2009 | 8:00P | The Chance w/ New York Dolls | Poughkeepsie, New York |
| Jun 28 2009 | 8:00P | Paradise Rock Club w/ New York Dolls | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Jun 29 2009 | 8:00P | Club Soda w/ New York Dolls | Montreal, Quebec |
| Jun 30 2009 | 8:00P | Lee’s Palace w/ New York Dolls | Toronto, Ontario |
| Jul 4 2009 | 8:00P | Red Rocks | Morrison, Colorado |
| Jul 9 2009 | 8:00P | Stubb’s Outside w/ Spoon | Austin, Texas |
| Jul 11 2009 | 8:00P | Chicago Folk & Roots Festival | Chicago, Illinois |
| Aug 8 2009 | 2:00P | San Jose Jazz Festival – Main Stage | San Jose, California |
| Aug 8 2009 | 7:00P | San Jose Jazz Festival – Blues Stage | San Jose, California |
| Aug 27 2009 | 7:00P | Salt Lake City Arts – Twilight Series | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Oct 4 2009 | 8:00P | ACL Festival – time TBD | Austin, Texas |
