Black Joe Lewis w/ Dams Of The West
Neumos, Seattle, WA
04.06.17

Over the years, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears have gone through many transformations both in sound and look. They have tinkered with matching tailored suits, removed the “and the Honeybears” from their name, and slowly weaned themselves off of the retro sound that attracted their fan base. Touring in support of their latest release, Backlash, they now have a sound that bridges yesteryear to present day rock n’ roll, and they treated Seattle to a bit of everything.

Opening the night was Dams of the West, the solo project of Vampire Weekend drummer, Chris Tomson. The rhythmic force behind one of the most beloved pop-rock bands of the last ten years, it’s no surprise that his solo debut, Youngish American, had some catchy hooks. He showed off songwriting chops too, evoking themes of politics, culture, and romance, with strong pop sensibilities, like on “Death Wish” and “Flag on a Can.” The veteran showed that even though he was the last of the VW crew to embark on a solo project, he certainly was not the least.

Ever since BJL made his name in the mainstream music scene, he has been compared to everyone from James Brown to Jimi Hendrix. Before the show, I met a young lady who saw BJL in Oxford, MS while on a teaching stint there. When asked what I should expect, she simply said, “Expect a whole lot of booty shakin’.” That being said, it didn’t take long for that to happen once the band opened with the blues-laced “PTP” off their latest release.

A man of few words, Lewis let his guitar do the talking with incendiary guitar solos on “Freakin’ Out” and “Nature’s Natural” at the beginning of the set and funk-laden grooves on “Mammas Queen” and “Come To My Party” later on.

The standout songs of the night were most definitely “Sexual Tension” and “Skulldiggin’.” “Tension” was the most complete song. It featured the entire band and went from tender to torrid on a dime. Lewis oozed charm and his band provided a foundation for a pretty epic jam session. “Skulldiggin,” off of his 2013 release, Electric Slave, let his garage flag fly with some major howling and powerful distortion. The complete departure from where he originally made his mark is what resonated with me about this song.

BJL ended the set with the heavy handed rock track, “Shadow People,” which seemed to be the direction that the band is taking. Just like that, the night ended like it began, with bodies moving and the addition of sweat beads dripping off each person on the floor. It was truly a night of music that had something for every punk and funkster in the house.

Review and photos by Phillip Johnson

Black Joe Lewis


Dams Of The West