Music Day 4: Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears

I’d been hearing about Black Joe Lewis before I hit Austin, and wanted to make sure to see him. Other shows kept getting in the way, though, so this was my last chance: a 1:00 a.m. set on the last night of the festival. What a way to end the week! Lewis (and his seven-strong Honeybears) delivered a show that felt like a classic R&B/soul revue. Heavy on horns and guitar, it recalled the up-tempo work of the Stax label, although Lewis added his own touch of Texas blues guitar to the sound. Lewis is a charismatic frontman, working the crowd with ease, exuding flawless cool one moment and launching into moanin’ and groanin’ soul shouter mode the next. It was a fun set, one so charged that it made me forget the exhaustion from four straight days of music, and made me want to start again the next morning.