Review/Photos: Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears at Stubb's for New Year's Eve; 12.31.2009
words and photos by Andy Pareti
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In the live music capital of the world, you don’t have to look far to find the perfect band to ring in the new year.
In fact, Stubb’s BBQ brought in some locals for their New Years Eve bash. Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, the funky eight-piece soul band from Austin, were present to usher in the big twenty-ten. Black Joe himself couldn’t have looked any happier to be leaving behind a decidedly forgettable year, pounding down Miller High Life and bearing a grin from ear to ear between songs.
The band proved once again why they have garnered mass attention since their now legendary performances at 2009’s South by Southwest. Channeling the ghosts of everyone from James Brown to Elmore James, Lewis careened through a searing set of funked up blues jams, most of which from their 2009 major label debut, Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is! Backed by the sterling horn section of Jason Frey, Derek Phelps and Joe Woullard, the Honeybears are a genuine retro-rhythm and blues outfit, minus all the imitation and plus all the bone-rattling soul.
As the clock counted down to midnight, the performance imploded into chaos as balloons fell from the ceiling and audience members stormed the stage to embrace the frontman and give friendly NYE kisses to Lewis’ band mates. In perfect R&B fashion, this was a house party posing as a concert, the audience a frat party dressed as socialites. It was a good time to be at Stubb’s.
There is a tendency at New Year’s Eve – even at a party – to reflect on how shitty the past year has been. And 2009, in a lot of ways, was fairly shitty. But Black Joe Lewis gave us no political lamentations this time, not even a glimmer of recognition for the numerous issues we saw this past year (I won’t bother naming them here). Resolving the past, it seemed, was no longer as important as embracing the future. New Year’s Eve has always been a celebration, but sometimes we forget that we are celebrating a beginning, not an end. And there’s no better way to begin something than with balloons, music, and a commitment not to dwell on the past.
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