Recap Black Joe Lewis And The Honeybears at Memorial Union Terrace

As Austin’s Black Joe Lewis And The Honeybears ripped into set-opener “Sugarfoot” at the Terrace on Friday night, Decider was immediately taken aback by just how much Lewis’ tortured howls and blues-infused chops were always somehow matched with the raw, sexual energy of the late James Brown. This was especially clear from the pictures of scantily clad women taped to Lewis’ ratty old Stratocaster and the fact that a song called “Booty City” was sandwiched between a working-class anthem (“I’m Broke”) and a song that Lewis insisted was about his stint in prison (“Prison Song”). “We’ve got lots of booty songs. I hope you ain’t tired of them!” Lewis yelled to the audience with the utmost concern.

While Lewis' screeching vocals and filthy guitar leads were somewhat awe-inspiring, the performance of the Honeybears was no less formidable. Drummer Matt Strmiska and bassist Bill Stevenson engaged in a rhythmic headlock underneath the tight brass section of trumpeter Darren Sluyter and saxophonist David McKnight, who also wailed some call-response back-up vocals in “Big Booty Woman.”

“Man, I’m parched. Can we get some beer over here?” Lewis begged the audience between songs. After a few more minutes with no beer onstage, Lewis threatened, “We’re just gonna play instrumentals until we get some beer. Let me know when you want to hear some vocals!” The band squeezed out two full instrumentals before some sympathetic fans brought some well-deserved beer to the stage. The Honeybears finally broke their instrumental streak with “Bitch, I Love You.”

The set largely pulled from 2009’s Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is! and the band’s self-titled EP, while it also featured a handful of unreleased material. After the scorching, organ-fueled waltz of "Please Pt. 2," the Honeybears wrapped up their set with “Big Black Snake.” When the set finally came to a close, Lewis grinned excitedly as the crowd kept begging for more songs. But when Lewis tapped the microphone to see if he could play an encore, the P.A. had already been shut down.