Noisey: The new album, Backlash, sounds like an old soul record with modern touches. "Wasted" immediately comes to mind. What inspired that shift in sound? Electric Slave is a little more bluesy and a little more edgy.
It's just sort of the stuff I was feeling at the moment. I wanted to keep this album really cohesive. The last album was a little bit all over the place. There are a couple of rock songs on there, it's a lot more mixed. I just felt like I was maturing as a musician, I feel like this is by far the best album we've done. We finally figured out what we wanted to be as a band. When we first started we were all really young, I was in my mid-20s. But having experience making records, it was all pretty new to us. It took us a long time to figure out where at the table we should sit.
It's just sort of the stuff I was feeling at the moment. I wanted to keep this album really cohesive. The last album was a little bit all over the place. There are a couple of rock songs on there, it's a lot more mixed. I just felt like I was maturing as a musician, I feel like this is by far the best album we've done. We finally figured out what we wanted to be as a band. When we first started we were all really young, I was in my mid-20s. But having experience making records, it was all pretty new to us. It took us a long time to figure out where at the table we should sit.
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I feel like most artists look back at their old work and it always sounds naïve or immature.
Definitely. That was definitely the case with this band.You recorded this record in Austin. What does recording in your hometown mean to you?
Ah, man. Cost [Laughs]. It's just where I live. We have a good producer, Stewart Sikes, too. He lives out here.He recorded the last one too, right?
Yeah. He did the last one. I really just like staying at home to record. I can go home at the end of the night, which really benefits me.What does Stewart bring to your music that you're looking for or unable to bring yourself?
It's really just having an extra voice, you know. Like, 'right here, the drums should be like this,' or whatever. He's a drummer, too, so he's really great with that. He told our drummers what to do and I think it really pops on this record. He's also great with mic-ing up sounds. A lot of times, a lot of our songs will be pretty much done, but he just adds in a little extra to help make them great. It's just really cool to have that extra voice. He's worked on so much shit, too, he's just got that experience.The album is about regret and backlash, but you push through it. The album sounds pretty defiant and sturdy. Where did this attitude come from?
I feel like I've gone around telling a lot of people to fuck off [Laughs]. Everyone always has their own opinions, so it's backlash from being insistent on doing my own thing. I'm uninterested in accepting the status quo or the scene. When I was younger it was all about fuck the scene, you know? It's kind of like the badass has it harder because everybody's hating. Everyone's like, "Oh, how the fuck did he do this? How did he do that?" But I'm still here, you know?
Definitely. That was definitely the case with this band.You recorded this record in Austin. What does recording in your hometown mean to you?
Ah, man. Cost [Laughs]. It's just where I live. We have a good producer, Stewart Sikes, too. He lives out here.He recorded the last one too, right?
Yeah. He did the last one. I really just like staying at home to record. I can go home at the end of the night, which really benefits me.What does Stewart bring to your music that you're looking for or unable to bring yourself?
It's really just having an extra voice, you know. Like, 'right here, the drums should be like this,' or whatever. He's a drummer, too, so he's really great with that. He told our drummers what to do and I think it really pops on this record. He's also great with mic-ing up sounds. A lot of times, a lot of our songs will be pretty much done, but he just adds in a little extra to help make them great. It's just really cool to have that extra voice. He's worked on so much shit, too, he's just got that experience.The album is about regret and backlash, but you push through it. The album sounds pretty defiant and sturdy. Where did this attitude come from?
I feel like I've gone around telling a lot of people to fuck off [Laughs]. Everyone always has their own opinions, so it's backlash from being insistent on doing my own thing. I'm uninterested in accepting the status quo or the scene. When I was younger it was all about fuck the scene, you know? It's kind of like the badass has it harder because everybody's hating. Everyone's like, "Oh, how the fuck did he do this? How did he do that?" But I'm still here, you know?
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So are you trying to tone down your attitude? Or are you doubling down?
No. I'm still the same guy. I'm still aggressive. Now I'm just working against the backlash from doing my own thing. But the backlash can be anything, you know?How did the idea for "PTP" come about?
I actually had this friend who was dating a stripper. He sort of, she was sort of like a pimp to him [Laughs]. She was telling him what to do. I'd wake up and he'd be downstairs—we lived together—playing with her kid, and I was always like, 'Where is she?' And he would be like, 'Oh, she's at work.' He'd be taking care of her kid and driving her car around and she'd be telling him what to wear. They hadn't been dating very long and he was kind of obsessed. And he was like, Oonce you do it with her one time, man [Laughs].' I know it's kind of crude [Laughs].My cousin Tiffany, she has a great way of coming up with terms and characters, and they started calling her 'PTP.' Power to the pussy. I was looking at my friend like, shit they're right. He can't stop doing all this shit and they just started dating. So that's kind of where it came from.Why did you decide to make the video a cartoon?
I really like it because I don't like acting or really being in my own videos. I really like cartoons, too, so it's just a cool way to give an artist rendition. I love when artists interpret my music. I thought it was cool. I really want to do another one.
No. I'm still the same guy. I'm still aggressive. Now I'm just working against the backlash from doing my own thing. But the backlash can be anything, you know?How did the idea for "PTP" come about?
I actually had this friend who was dating a stripper. He sort of, she was sort of like a pimp to him [Laughs]. She was telling him what to do. I'd wake up and he'd be downstairs—we lived together—playing with her kid, and I was always like, 'Where is she?' And he would be like, 'Oh, she's at work.' He'd be taking care of her kid and driving her car around and she'd be telling him what to wear. They hadn't been dating very long and he was kind of obsessed. And he was like, Oonce you do it with her one time, man [Laughs].' I know it's kind of crude [Laughs].My cousin Tiffany, she has a great way of coming up with terms and characters, and they started calling her 'PTP.' Power to the pussy. I was looking at my friend like, shit they're right. He can't stop doing all this shit and they just started dating. So that's kind of where it came from.Why did you decide to make the video a cartoon?
I really like it because I don't like acting or really being in my own videos. I really like cartoons, too, so it's just a cool way to give an artist rendition. I love when artists interpret my music. I thought it was cool. I really want to do another one.
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What were some of your favorite cartoons growing up?
Oh, shit. Too many, man. G.I. Joe, Transformers, Watership Down, X-Men was also a big one. When I was really little, He-Man was cool, but that was way early. Thundercats, too. I used to watch all kinds of shit. But yeah, G.I. Joe and Transformers were the biggest ones.You used to play a bunch of shows at the Hole in the Wall in Austin. Are you planning to do that again with the new record?
We'll see. We haven't really picked a place to do a release how yet. I've been doing bigger clubs around town, so I would like to do something a little smaller. We'd have to do a couple of nights, but I'd love to do the release at one of my older stomps.Do you like going on tour?
The older you get the harder it is. It normally takes about a week to get acclimated to what we're doing. It takes about a week to get over the anxiousness and stuff and get the show really tight and good. We haven't done a long tour like this in a while, so it will definitely take me awhile to get used to, but yeah, once we get into it I love it.How big is the band you tour with?
This tour will be with a seven piece. We'll be touring with two saxophones and a keyboardist this time, versus a trumpet, which we used to do.Do you have a favorite place to play in the states?
Yeah, I love the West Coast. People are free out there, you know? But deep Chicago is also good to us, as is Columbus, Ohio. We have good shows all over. It'd be hard to say, but pretty much where we have the most baller shows people really get wild.
Oh, shit. Too many, man. G.I. Joe, Transformers, Watership Down, X-Men was also a big one. When I was really little, He-Man was cool, but that was way early. Thundercats, too. I used to watch all kinds of shit. But yeah, G.I. Joe and Transformers were the biggest ones.You used to play a bunch of shows at the Hole in the Wall in Austin. Are you planning to do that again with the new record?
We'll see. We haven't really picked a place to do a release how yet. I've been doing bigger clubs around town, so I would like to do something a little smaller. We'd have to do a couple of nights, but I'd love to do the release at one of my older stomps.Do you like going on tour?
The older you get the harder it is. It normally takes about a week to get acclimated to what we're doing. It takes about a week to get over the anxiousness and stuff and get the show really tight and good. We haven't done a long tour like this in a while, so it will definitely take me awhile to get used to, but yeah, once we get into it I love it.How big is the band you tour with?
This tour will be with a seven piece. We'll be touring with two saxophones and a keyboardist this time, versus a trumpet, which we used to do.Do you have a favorite place to play in the states?
Yeah, I love the West Coast. People are free out there, you know? But deep Chicago is also good to us, as is Columbus, Ohio. We have good shows all over. It'd be hard to say, but pretty much where we have the most baller shows people really get wild.
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There's a little bit of Russian on the album cover. What's that about?
[Laughs] Yeah. Since I had to change the name back I had to make it look cool. I wanted to work on the brand and everything, so I wanted to make it look distinct. I've been reading a lot of Russian literature—that shit is crazy—so I figured that would be cool. It still says The Honeybears.Oh, really?
Yeah, that's what the Russian is. I figured I'd go with that. Fuck it, I'll make it look all wild.People can't complain now, at least.
Yeah, fuck that [Laughs].What sort of Russian literature have you been reading?
My buddy got me into Maxim Gorky. I've also been reading Alexander Pushkin and Anton Chekov. Those are the ones I've really been reading up on. I haven't done any Tolstoy, because he was a nobleman who romanticized peasant life, but Gorki was a straight up peasant. Gorki is the best shit.Are you a big reader?
Yeah, I go through my phases. I try to get down on books.Is that how you stay busy in between tour dates?
I fish a lot. I love fishing when I'm back home.Oh really? Where in Austin? I live by Lake Travis so I fish there a bunch.
Mostly Decker Creek. It's the east side lake so no one really goes there. It's sort of the forgotten lake. It's close, too.Who are some of the musical inspirations for this new record?
I've been listening to a lot of Bobby "Blue" Bland, a lot of Bobby Womack, too. Some of the songs—I'm a big Bruce fan. A lot of people don't know that. We always have the punk rock thing, that's always there. With this one, I was listening to a lot of Nile Rodgers. Chic stuff. Just a bunch of different stuff going on.
[Laughs] Yeah. Since I had to change the name back I had to make it look cool. I wanted to work on the brand and everything, so I wanted to make it look distinct. I've been reading a lot of Russian literature—that shit is crazy—so I figured that would be cool. It still says The Honeybears.Oh, really?
Yeah, that's what the Russian is. I figured I'd go with that. Fuck it, I'll make it look all wild.People can't complain now, at least.
Yeah, fuck that [Laughs].What sort of Russian literature have you been reading?
My buddy got me into Maxim Gorky. I've also been reading Alexander Pushkin and Anton Chekov. Those are the ones I've really been reading up on. I haven't done any Tolstoy, because he was a nobleman who romanticized peasant life, but Gorki was a straight up peasant. Gorki is the best shit.Are you a big reader?
Yeah, I go through my phases. I try to get down on books.Is that how you stay busy in between tour dates?
I fish a lot. I love fishing when I'm back home.Oh really? Where in Austin? I live by Lake Travis so I fish there a bunch.
Mostly Decker Creek. It's the east side lake so no one really goes there. It's sort of the forgotten lake. It's close, too.Who are some of the musical inspirations for this new record?
I've been listening to a lot of Bobby "Blue" Bland, a lot of Bobby Womack, too. Some of the songs—I'm a big Bruce fan. A lot of people don't know that. We always have the punk rock thing, that's always there. With this one, I was listening to a lot of Nile Rodgers. Chic stuff. Just a bunch of different stuff going on.
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There are a lot of moments on the album that have stripped down ideas with complex horn arrangements. Was that tricky to balance?
I don't really like having horn lines that are too complicated because I'm more about songs and the way horns complement them. But for this record, the horn players came up with a lot of their own lines. For the most part the players do their own arrangements. We kind of just went with whatever sounds good. I was really happy with the drumming, so we went around that. But there are definitely some crazy horn lines on there.We're talking on Inauguration Day. What are your thoughts on the terrifying stuff about to happen all over our country?
I'm just gonna try to lay low. My main worry is with police brutality. With him up there in the feds—it's not like Obama did a ton of stuff in that regard—I feel like the crazy cops are gonna go fuck-all on us. I haven't been paying too much attention. I'm out here in Hawaii and no one really cares who the president is [Laughs]. When I come back, it is what it is. I don't like it, I'm just gonna try to watch my back. There are just a bunch of aggressive people coming out of the woodwork. Just watch your back. That's all you can do.Will Schube is a writer and filmmaker based in Hudson Bend, Texas. Follow him on Twitter.Backlash is out February 10. Pre-order it here and catch Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears on tour at one of the dates below. 02/10 Austin, TX - Waterloo Records (in store)
02/14 Lafayette, LA - Blue Moon Saloon
02/15 Mobile, AL - The Merry Widow
02/16 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
02/17 Charleston, SC - Charleston Pourhouse
02/18 Charlotte, NC - Visulite Theatre
02/20 Richmond, VA - Strange Matter
02/21 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
02/22 New York, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
02/23 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
02/24 Boston, MA - Middle East Downstairs
02/25 Burlington, VT - Higher Ground Lounge
02/27 Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa
02/28 Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
03/02 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
03/03 Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
03/04 Chicago, IL - Metro
03/06 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
03/07 Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room
03/08 Kansas City, MO - Knuckleheads Saloon
03/29 Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
03/30 Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
04/01 San Diego, CA - Casbah
04/02 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
04/04 San Francisco, CA - The Independent
04/06 Seattle, WA - Neumos
04/07 Vancouver, BC - Fortune Sound Club
04/08 Bellingham, WA - The Wild Buffalo
04/09 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
04/11 Boise, ID - Neurolux
04/12 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
04/13 Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre
04/14 Taos, NM - Taos Mesa Brewing Company
04/15 El Paso, TX - Lowbrow Palace
I don't really like having horn lines that are too complicated because I'm more about songs and the way horns complement them. But for this record, the horn players came up with a lot of their own lines. For the most part the players do their own arrangements. We kind of just went with whatever sounds good. I was really happy with the drumming, so we went around that. But there are definitely some crazy horn lines on there.We're talking on Inauguration Day. What are your thoughts on the terrifying stuff about to happen all over our country?
I'm just gonna try to lay low. My main worry is with police brutality. With him up there in the feds—it's not like Obama did a ton of stuff in that regard—I feel like the crazy cops are gonna go fuck-all on us. I haven't been paying too much attention. I'm out here in Hawaii and no one really cares who the president is [Laughs]. When I come back, it is what it is. I don't like it, I'm just gonna try to watch my back. There are just a bunch of aggressive people coming out of the woodwork. Just watch your back. That's all you can do.Will Schube is a writer and filmmaker based in Hudson Bend, Texas. Follow him on Twitter.Backlash is out February 10. Pre-order it here and catch Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears on tour at one of the dates below. 02/10 Austin, TX - Waterloo Records (in store)
02/14 Lafayette, LA - Blue Moon Saloon
02/15 Mobile, AL - The Merry Widow
02/16 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
02/17 Charleston, SC - Charleston Pourhouse
02/18 Charlotte, NC - Visulite Theatre
02/20 Richmond, VA - Strange Matter
02/21 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
02/22 New York, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
02/23 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
02/24 Boston, MA - Middle East Downstairs
02/25 Burlington, VT - Higher Ground Lounge
02/27 Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa
02/28 Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
03/02 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
03/03 Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
03/04 Chicago, IL - Metro
03/06 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
03/07 Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room
03/08 Kansas City, MO - Knuckleheads Saloon
03/29 Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
03/30 Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
04/01 San Diego, CA - Casbah
04/02 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
04/04 San Francisco, CA - The Independent
04/06 Seattle, WA - Neumos
04/07 Vancouver, BC - Fortune Sound Club
04/08 Bellingham, WA - The Wild Buffalo
04/09 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
04/11 Boise, ID - Neurolux
04/12 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
04/13 Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre
04/14 Taos, NM - Taos Mesa Brewing Company
04/15 El Paso, TX - Lowbrow Palace