Up-and-coming neo-soul megastars St. Paul and the Broken Bones are coming to Dallas this Saturday, and you can bet for one hell of a hair-raisingly-good show. Recently praised by Rolling Stone and Esquire as the “best soul revivalists at SXSW 2014” and “your new Southern soul band,” the young Birmingham-based sextet hones a retro yet remarkably fresh sound that—combined with charisma and classic Southern charm—provides for one of the best live performances among emerging artists today.
Formed in 2011 around the powerhouse vocals and gospel-inspired stylings of lead singer Paul Janeway, St. Paul and the Broken Bones isn’t your average, run-of-the-mill 21st century band. In fact, you’d swear they hailed from another time. Joined by the talents and matching bow ties of members Browan Lollar (guitar and vocals), Andrew Lee (drums and percussion), Jesse Phillips (bass), Allen Branstetter (trumpet), Ben Griner (trombone and tuba), and Al Gamble (organ and piano), Janeway and crew manage to unearth the old-school essence of ’60s-era soul bands while crafting a mature sound relevant for today’s listeners. Consider it revivalism at its finest.
After releasing an EP in 2012, the group debuted their first full-length record this past February, and to critical acclaim. Produced by Ben Tanner of the Alabama Shakes and recorded to tape at the Nutthouse in the South’s legendary Muscle Shoals, Half the City combines high-voltage vocals with classic instrumentation and thoughtful songwriting, providing for gritty, grandiose soul straight off the needle.
They may be young, but these guys are the real deal. With an impressive record debut in their handkerchief-adorned pockets, the group has spent the past few months wowing audiences nationwide with their stellar live set. Janeway’s larger-than-life presence before a crowd, coupled with the band’s colorful energy, has been compared to the talents of revivalist contemporaries and live performance dynamos Alabama Shakes and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings. But with St. Paul and the Broken Bones, rumbling, howling, bone-chilling soul is all the more intriguing when emanating from seven sharply-suited, somewhat nerdy-looking white dudes.
That said, St. Paul and the Broken Bones is a rare gem among bands today, and a must-see. Young, old, ultramodern, nostalgic: it doesn’t matter who you are or what you’re into, connecting with feel-good grooves–and a classic underdog story–is inherent to us all.
Currently on an extensive nation-wide tour, St. Paul and the Broken Bones plays at Dallas’s Club Dada this Saturday, 4/12. For tickets, visit the venue’s website.
