BJL is a Texas guitar slinger fronting the blues outfit the Honeybears. Seemed like a pared down version of the traveling group with just guitar, bass, and drums. BJL is an expert picker and seemed to flow easily from hill country blues ( think R.L. Burnside) to some Stax-like soul stylings. Blistering leads and solid rhythm section had the near capacity crowd bumping. The band’s recorded output started in the 2010s then seemed to hit a hiatus until recently. At one point, Lewis stated “we’re from Texas, the hottest state in the union. The only good thing about it is that you can drive 80”. Lewis is a keeper of the flame, the Blues is an art form that won’t be snuffed out. When I saw GA-20 at this years Green River Fest, I described them as “hairy blues men”. I stick by that observation, but in a club setting, I got a better look. This blues trio is Boston-based, not thought of as a hotbed of the genre. The band was Matthew Stubbs on guitar, Pat Faherty on guitar and vocals, and Tim Carman on drums. Stubbs said the band was born out of necessity. He was the guitarist for Charlie Musselwhite, but was furloughed when Charlie teamed up with Ben Harper for their excellent recordings. Stubbs admits that playing wine bars in Boston was challenging and felt as if he had to educate his audiences on the blues. Faherty is the hairiest of front men. A white guy, dressed in black, with an impressive Afro, and dark aviator glasses, he looked like an informant for Link on the Mod Squad. The set was a lesson in the blues with rolling workouts that touched on Chicago, the Delta, and soul. They played cuts from each record, including a tribute to Hound Dog Taylor. The crowd at blues show is great, with a mix of ages and genders, dancing and grooving is encouraged.
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