Southern soul band brings gospel-tinged sounds to the Castro
SAN FRANCISCO -- Over the course of nearly a decade since forming, Birmingham, Ala.-based soul band St. Paul and the Broken Bones has risen from total obscurity to national acclaim thanks to their transcendent, gospel-tinged stage show and a string of stellar albums and EPs.
Talented vocalist Paul Janeway and bassist Jesse Phillips had first worked together in more indie-oriented blues-rock outfit The Secret Dangers, garnering positive notices for their fiery live performances and Janeway's undeniably powerful delivery. The singer would explore a similar style with another band -- The Strife Rifle -- but eventually re-teamed with Phillips in 2012 to found St. Paul and the Broken Bones and began explore a more traditional southern soul sound.
Bringing on Browen Lollar (the former guitarist from Jason Isbell's backing band, the 400 Unit), drummer Andrew Lee and horn players Ben Griner (trombone), and Allen Branstetter (trumpet) to fill out the group they christened St. Paul and the Broken Bones, the musicians wrote material that highlighted Janeway's potent Otis Redding-inspired vocals. The following year, the band self-released their first songs on the EP Greetings from St. Paul and the Broken Bones before playing a live show, but it didn't take long for them to build a reputation as an intense performing unit.
For their full-length debut, the group tracked tunes at the legendary Fame Studios in Mussel Shoals, working with Alabama Shakes keyboardist Ben Tanner as producer and inviting noted Memphis organ player Al Grimes to contribute (he would join the band as a full-time member early in 2014). The resulting album Half the City on Single Lock Records earned rave reviews for Janeway's soul-baring Pentacostal fervor and the band's swinging, slinky grooves.
While some of the vintage-sounding cuts like opener "I'm Torn Up" and "That Glow" hew closer to the slow-burning style of Al Green or late soul great O.V. Wright, the band's live performances have always proved they have no shortage of funk and grit to their material. The group would be invited to play numerous late-night talk shows and became a regular attraction on the festival circuit, making scorching appearances at both Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and Outside Lands in San Francisco.
Janeway's lyrics touched on more introspective and political subject matter on the group's sophomore effort Sea of Noise in 2016 that garnered the outfit another round of critical praise. While still leaning heavily on the classic Stax/Motown soul template, the band would further update its sound on its third album Young Sick Camellia two years later with its flashes of more modern pop-funk and flashes of disco influence. The change in approach was mirrored by Janeway's adoption of progressively more outlandish stage gear, ditching the suits he once wore for sparkling robes and feathered ensembles.
Like most touring bands, St. Paul and the Broken Bones spent much of the pandemic in a forced hiatus. However, the group decided to revisit its roots with its first socially distanced performance, staging a hometown show at the Avondale Brewery -- the same venue where they played their first ever show -- and playing their debut album in full. A live recording from that performance was released in the summer of 2021 the weekend before they headlined Stern Grove Festival.
The band has continued to move further afield musically, though their songs remain anchored by Janeway's potent soulful delivery. Last year's effort The Alien Coast embraced the group's more experimental side for a melancholy exploration of psychedelia. A rumination on the world he was bringing his then unborn daughter into, the band's latest album Angels In Science Fiction features songs that started as letters penned to his now infant girl that offer a fragile mix of hope and uncertainty. While stripped-down and often somber, the new material shows St. Paul and the Broken Bones taking their music journey into some unexpected places. Funk-influenced singer-songwriter Maggie Rose opens this sold-out show at the Castro Theatre Saturday night.
St. Paul and the Broken Bones
Saturday, Nov. 11, 7 p.m. $39.50-$69.50 (sold out)
Castro Theatre
