Austinist Show Preview: Black Joe Lewis at the Parish

One of Austin's most dynamic acts, Black Joe Lewis has been blazing a trail for local blues artists these past few years, and we're lucky enough to get another shot at seeing him live tomorrow night at the Parish Room, one of Sixth Street's cozier and more acoustically friendly venues. Lewis and his band, The Honeybears, use lyrics such as "You can make a Black Joe blue," not to mention a palpable passion and awareness of how they fit into the history of blues and soul music, to make themselves a consistently entertaining ticket. On top of all that, our friend Lewis is endorsed by Barack Obama.

Taking the stage just before Lewis is Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights, a Dallas-based rock and blues outfit that fuses the southern sounds of Jon Spencer with modern radio rock. They're in the midst of a lengthy tour through the south-central United States, so they should be at the top of their game. Batting lead-off for the festivities are The Ape-Shits, an Austin-based fuzz rock group that combines rambling vocals, energetic percussion, and rocking guitar dexterity to keep the mood high.

To get your paws on a pair of free tickets for the show, enter your name and email in the happy contest entry form, a form which lies just on the other side of the jump.