Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, The Relatives

There is a great tradition of getting a little on the side within soul and R&B, so when we saw this show advertised as "Black Joe Lewis & the Relatives" for the longest time, we thought the Austin shouter was stepping out on our beloved Honeybears. Turns out Lewis and band are just playing smaller rooms to warm up for next month's stretch of opening dates for the Dave Matthews Band, including in The Woodlands. (Watch out, Dave.) Then this show got even more appealing, when we learned the story of the Relatives. Founded in 1970 by Dallas native Rev. Gean West, who recorded for Don Robey's Peacock Records in the '60s as a member of the Southernaires, the Relatives played holy-rollin' gospel music with generous side dishes of psychedelic soul and James Brown-grade funk for a decade before West headed back to the pulpit, where he remains today. Last year Austin-based Heavy Light Records collected the Relatives' sporadic '70s singles and five unreleased tracks for the group's first-ever full-length, the vinyl- and MP3-only Don't Let Me Fall – and, even better, convinced West and the other Relatives to reunite. Suffice to say, in one of Houston's hottest summers on record, the Continental's air conditioning will have all it can handle Friday.