New Single + Winter Tour Follows Debut Album’s 4 Million+ Streams and Growing Festival Circuit Success
Honeybear, the Band, the Vancouver-based vintage soul, blues, and roots quartet that music blog B-Side Guys describes as sounding “as if The Teskey Brothers decided to collaborate with the ghost of Muddy Waters,” releases their new single “Unbroken” out now. The track serves as a quiet anthem to resilience, blending soul, blues, and pop sensibilities into a message that has resonated far beyond its original intention.
“Originally the tune was written as a quiet anthem to resilience, targeted at a friend of ours who was going through a really rough patch and needed some help to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” the band explains. “However, this song has ended up being much bigger than us, our friends, and our own situations. Many that we play the song for can think of their own particular situation or relationship where some of this song’s energy could have helped, and we are glad to hear their stories and bring it forward.”
Comprising Ian Beaty on vocals and bass, Colin Brumelle on guitar, Mike Kenney on keyboards, and Tim Watson on drums, Honeybear takes listeners on an old school road trip through the dusty back roads of American music. While the band formed in 2023, the four members are old friends who have been playing together in other formations for over a decade, crossing paths on tours across Canada, down the West Coast, and beyond. As individual performers, they have appeared at most major folk and jazz/blues festivals in Canada.
The band’s origin story captures the spirit of musical perseverance that defines their sound. When the pandemic struck and live music came to a standstill, the four friends found themselves jamming outdoors in parks, with amps and PA systems hooked up to jerry rigged motorcycle batteries, just to bask in the joy that is playing live music with like minded souls. That creative determination has paid dividends.
Their debut FACTOR funded album, self released in June 2025 on their own Playmor label, has received well over 4 million streams on Spotify with approximately 110,000 monthly listeners. The album has been featured on official Spotify Editorial playlists including Nu Blue, New Music Friday, Blues Bar, and Best Blues of 2024. The band is also receiving airplay on CBC, NPR, CKUA, and other indie and co-op radio stations across the globe.
Honeybear is fast becoming a festival favorite with appearances at Rifflandia, Barnside Harvest Fest, Vancouver Jazz Festival, Harmony Arts, Wapiti, Starbelly, and many more. Recent packed club shows at some of the country’s favorite dive bars including The Horseshoe in Toronto, the Rainbow in Ottawa, and the Ironwood in Calgary have seen the band routinely selling out shows in brand new markets.
Tour Dates:
Dec 5 Vancouver, BC – Wise Hall
Dec 13 Vancouver, BC – Keithmas @ The Rickshaw
Dec 26 Vancouver, BC – Guilt & Co.
Feb 13 Penticton, BC – The Hub
Feb 14 Salmon Arm, BC – Song Sparrow Hall
Feb 15 Kelowna, BC – Red Bird Brewing
Feb 17 London, ON – The Richmond
Feb 18 Toronto, ON – The Horseshoe *
Feb 19 Montreal, QC – L’Escogriffe *
Feb 20 Ottawa, ON – The Rainbow *
Feb 21 Kingston, ON – The Broom Factory *
March 5 Calgary, AB – The King Eddy
March 6 Edmonton, AB – The Aviary +
March 7 Camrose, AB – The Bailey +
* w/ Mr. Pinstripes
+ w/ Kyle Mosiuk and his Band
https://honeybear-the-band.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/honeybeartheband
https://www.instagram.com/honeybear_the_band
Editor’s Note: Honeybear, the Band and Unbroken has been chosen as a Top Ten Pick for December 2025 on Cashbox Radio. You can support this band by requesting more airplay by logging on to: Request a Song on Cashbox Radio! – Cashbox Radio or