Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears: SXSW 2017

Texas native Black Joe Lewis formed the Honeybears in 2007, and they quickly earned a reputation for raucous live performances. Their raw, powerful, limit-busting sound is hard to classify, falling somewhere between about six different genres.

The Honeybears’ new release Backlash — their fifth — grabs a mix of soul and R&B and throws it together with classic Stax-ish horns and a fat dash of rock ‘n’ roll. They recorded it in their Austin, TX hometown with producer Stuart Sikes (The White Stripes and Modest Mouse), and are touring the bajeezus out of it across the U.S. right now.

This 2017 mature collection of energetic songs houses thoughtful lyrics in the realm of the personal ("Lips of a Loser") to the political ("Nature's Natural,” written in the aftermath of the Ferguson riots).

You can hear the band's whole set from the 2017 SXSW Radio Day Stage below, or eye a couple of choice songs on video. To go back in time and chart some of the bands history, head back to these sessions in the FUV Live Vault: Words & Music 2009 | Words & Music 2011 | FUV Live 2013