Austin - New Year’s Eve in Austin is generally referred to as amateur night, due to the packs of Jagerbomb-happy frat boys stumbling from bar to bar. The Mohawk is safely tucked away on Red River, a couple of blocks from the mayhem, giving the hipsters a little Lonestar-filled Oasis.

It does catch you off guard that Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears are a band of soul-filled young men emitting a sound straight from Motown. Even more perplexing is that the kids sure seem to like it.

Opening for Spoon earlier in the year they seemed to take the crowd over. The weather was frigid and the show was outside leaving everyone to dance or huddle under the portable heaters. From the beginning, everyone was ready to join in on Clifton Chenier’s Hot Tamale Baby. Boogie gives off a hint of Ben Folds-style piano with the regular Motown sound - if there is such a thing. Black Joe is complimented by a roaring band, The Honey Bears, equipped with saxes, driving guitar, and even a little electro sound.

Prison Song is a song that brings the soul-happy Joe Lewis to his knees with begging. It’s refreshing that everyone seems to like the band’s sound, and Joe can Du-Wop with the best of them, such as The Bar-Kays’ Humpin. The youthful outlook in the song is far from boring. The Honey Bears are tight with Joe and it can be heard on every track.

After a quick scan of the waves of the indie scene, Black Joe Lewis and The Honey Bears seem to stand alone in their genre and sound. As opposed to sounding just like the days of Motown, the band is able to manipulate it into a funky stage show with crowd participation and James Brown’s energy. They ended the set with the song Please, a soul crunching plea that brings the house down for the end of the night and hopefully paves the way for a little soul in the Austin scene.

- By Sarah Padgett for The Stonewailer

Sarah Padgett is an Austin-area freelance writer.