Honeybear, The Band releases second album at Hollywood Theatre with 7 million Spotify streams in three years

Honeybear, The Band is releasing its second album, The Cure, at the Hollywood Theatre next week in what organizers expect will be another sellout—a milestone that feels unlikely for a Vancouver group that didn't exist three years ago.

Since forming in 2023, the roots and soul quartet has accumulated more than 7 million Spotify streams, 175,000 monthly listeners, and a touring resume that spans Barnside Harvest Festival, Vancouver Jazz Festival, and Toronto's legendary Horseshoe Tavern. Last year, Roots Music Canada named them New Discovery of the Year.

Guitarist and co-writer Colin Brumelle credits the band's fast rise partly to its musical identity—a sound mined from 1960s soul artists like Sam & Dave and roots acts like Los Lobos—and mostly to the voice of bass player and lead singer Ian Beaty. "Ian's voice makes people feel things really deeply," Brumelle said. "In many ways, I think the reason behind the band was to get my best friend and his incredible instrument up in front of as many people on as many stages as I can convince people to put us on."

Beaty and Brumelle have known each other since childhood, playing together in a band called Green Room that toured across Canada. Brumelle spent years in San Francisco working in software before returning to music in 2020. "It surprises no one more than me that we've done as well as we have in the time we've been around," he said.

The rest of the group brings serious credentials: drummer and percussionist Tim Watson, and multi-instrumentalist Mike Kenney on keyboards. Kenney has been the organist at Rogers Arena for Canucks games for years—likely the person who has played in front of more sold-out crowds than any other musician in the venue's history. "Everyone thinks the Canucks' organ job was somehow funny, but think about when the puck drops and how much pressure comes with being right on time, and it's pretty serious," Brumelle said. "He's so good on so many instruments that I usually refer to myself as the second best guitarist."

The Cure was recorded at Light Machine with engineer Jeff Zipp and Afterlife Studios with engineer John Raham. The album features additional musicians including pedal steel player Scott Smith, background singers Dawn Pemberton and Colleen Rennison, and a full horn section. Saxophonist Jerry Cook often joins the group in concert.

Brumelle sees this moment as a golden age for independent bands. "We don't have a label, an agent or anything but our mailing list and social media enable us to pack enough shows in, say, Ontario that it's affordable to fly out there and play them and fly back," he said. "It's such a big change from the cross-country grind and all the gatekeepers you used to have to deal with when Ian and I started."

The band has a West Coast U.S. tour planned before heading to Europe in March.