Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears has reclaimed their original moniker and announced their fourth full-length album Backlash, out February 10, 2017 on INgrooves. Hear the fed-up and fired-up first single PTP here, and watch the album teaser via YouTube here. Known for their cant-miss, full-throttle live show, they have also announced a 2017 North American headline tour, the bands first comprehensive run since 2013. Pre-order Backlash here, and see full tour dates below.
Backlash sees the return to their celebrated take on classic soul and punked-up R&B, though the album is their most stylistically adventurous work so far. Recorded in the bands hometown of Austin, TX, the 10-track album expands their sound by bringing gritty guitar tones and Stax-styled horn sections to intricate, danceable arrangements inspired by the likes of Nile Rodgers. I wanted to go for more of a soul/blues/rock-and-roll sound compared to the last one—the kind of stuff I was doing back in the day, but with the songwriting a little more evolved, notes eponymous frontman Lewis.
The album also confronts the ugly reality of dealing with the backlash from the things youve done in the past, delivering a host of songs rooted in regret but steeped in a defiant spirit. Bombastic but nuanced, Backlash ultimately unfolds as an album both joyfully chaotic and intensely cathartic.
A Texas native, Lewis discovered his love for the blues soon after learning to play guitar in his late teens. Naming Lightnin Hopkins and Iggy Pop among his main inspirations, he formed Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears in 2007 and released his major label debut Tell Em What Your Name Is! the following year. The band has performed on late night TV including The Late Show, The Late Late Show and more, and has been praised by Rolling Stone, SPIN, GQ and much more.
BLACK JOE LEWIS & THE HONEYBEARS
BACKLASH
Hear PTP: http://smarturl.it/PTPSoundCloud
Watch Album Trailer: https://youtu.be/1BCATby0kVI
Pre-Order Backlash: shop.blackjoelewis.com
TOUR DATES
02/14 Lafayette, LA – Blue Moon Saloon
02/15 Mobile, AL – The Merry Widow
02/16 Atlanta, GA – The Earl
02/17 Charleston, SC – Charleston Pourhouse
02/18 Charlotte, NC – Visulite Theatre
02/20 Richmond, VA – Strange Matter
02/21 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
02/22 New York, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
02/23 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
02/24 Boston, MA – Middle East Downstairs
02/25 Burlington, VT – Higher Ground Lounge
02/27 Montreal, QC – La Sala Rossa
02/28 Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace
03/02 Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
03/03 Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
03/04 Chicago, IL – Metro
03/06 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
03/07 Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room
03/08 Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads Saloon
03/29 Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad
03/30 Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom
04/01 San Diego, CA – Casbah
04/02 Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour
04/04 San Francisco, CA – The Independent
04/06 Seattle, WA – Neumos
04/07 Vancouver, BC – Fortune Sound Club
04/08 Bellingham, WA – The Wild Buffalo
04/09 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
04/11 Boise, ID – Neurolux
04/12 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
04/13 Boulder, CO – Fox Theatre
04/14 Taos, NM – Taos Mesa Brewing Company
04/15 El Paso, TX – Lowbrow Palace