Okay, newsflash everyone: the spirit of James Brown is alive and well, dancing with Howlin’ Wolf and channeling a gritty side of motown.  All from Austin, Texas of course.

Black Joe Lewis and his seven compatriots bring it loud and bring it right from the Lone Star blues Mecca, and if you were to catch them live somewhere at SXSW this year (9 shows) you would probably have to kick it up a little.  If you weren’t into dancing, well, that might be a problem.  Your date would leave you and you’d have to wonder why you were such a heel.  You  would have missed out on something crucial to being human, something that your sheepish butt would chalk up to being “too white” or something.  How sad for you.

Ever heard of Northern Soul?  Well, if people in dreary 1960s Manchester got it, you certainly can. Check out this cool mini documentary on Northern Soul if you have no idea what I am talking about.  Remember, this was nearly two decades before break dancing, and people a lot pastier than myself (I’m hardly beige) were getting down.  They would have loved Black Joe Lewis…