Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears are an eight-piece, garage-soul ensemble featuring groove-laden guitars, penetrating brass and a fiery frontman who
exudes power and attitude. James Brown may be dead, but his soul is reincarnated in Black Joe Lewis.

Talk about refreshing: Joe and his 7-piece, Austin-based backing band, The Honeybears, are a raw, unadulterated throwback to the edgy soul, blues and R&B of the late 1960s and early ’70s. With a little garage rock inspired guitar, the instrumentation — including a big, blaring brass section and powerful organ — and production kick butt.

By ANDREW DANSBY Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle: The vibe of Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is!, an outrageously energetic album of 21st-century garage soul by Austin’s Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, is retro down to its Naugahyde heart. Blasts of brass pop like corn, the keys are soupy and funky, the guitars never solo when they could be wah-wahing. Then there’s Lewis, who sells it all like a screaming carnival barker. He’s the kind of expressively unhinged singer that has been in short order in R&B for decades. Check out the unholy howl three-and-a-half minutes into I’m
Broke (great title). On a hiking trail…

Experiencing the raw energy of Black Joe’s performances, accompanied by the Honeybears’ masterful backing is the equivalent of a kick to the stomach. Their gut-shot style, draws directly from their classic soul, R&B and blues influences. Inspiration from artists such as Otis Redding and The Bar-Kays, James Brown and Lightning Hopkins are clearly present in their songs and live shows, but Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears inject a full-tilt, unabashedly brash element to this old-school style.