WORDS Robert Wool
On stage, Paul Janeway is as captivating a front man as anyone. In a full suit and bow tie, he gives off the vibes of a man proselytizing to a congregation.
His body shakes, his fingers wag, and in particularly intense moments he places one hand over his eyes and with the other he positions a sweaty outstretched palm towards the crowd as if dispelling evil spirits in a gospel soul sermon. Playing with such fervor makes sense. Soul has its roots in Gospel and at one point in his young life Paul was on a path to becoming a man of the church. Thankfully he saw the light of soul music and Birmingham’s St. Paul and the Broken Bones may just be the next big thing to emerge from our great state and capture the attention of the nation.
So far in 2013 the Broken Bones have enjoyed success playing shows around the Southeast and are building buzz on the web. They’ve opened for John Mayer, garnered popularity in talent and industry heavy Nashville, and played festivals such as South X Southwest, the Hang Out, and the Cut Bait festival in Columbus, Georgia.
Their songs are filled with retro rhythms, bass and booming horns that make you want to move and would sound at home in the background of Blues Brothers. In their popular “Broken Bones and Pocket Change,” Paul laments the pain and feeling of loss after a tough breakup. The song has all the attributes of a classic Soul jam and we can all relate to the feeling of hurt being, “all she left me with,” when a relationship ends. We’ll be looking forward to September for the full length album to offer more soulful consultation.
The album, which is already fully mastered but yet to be titled, was recorded at the historic Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals. The one-time tobacco warehouse converted in the 1960s to lay down tracks by Soul greats such as Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, and Clarence Carter seems an apt setting for St. Paul and the Broken Bones to record their first full length album. In the same building where Wilson Picket’s “Mustang Sally” was canned, Paul and his group of soul servants worked with Ben Tanner, keyboardist of the Alabama Shakes, to help with production.
Paul let MADE in on a secret of their studio session. For the recording process the band did things a bit differently to contribute to their Soulful sound, “We did it kind of old school - we did it all by tape, the record sounds old.” Unlike most musical conglomerates of twenty something’s who prefer tracking with laptop computers, St. Paul and the Broken Bones (who are comprised of guitars, bass, drums and horns section) stepped back in time with the soul greats by recording analog.
This month St. Paul and the Broken Bones will be embarking on a tour to share their old-school sound nationwide. With shows in New York City and Philadelphia, the band will look to mirror the meteoric rise to fame felt recently by compatriots the Alabama Shakes. Although it’s worth mentioning the Athens, AL rockers when talking about the Broken Bones, Paul thinks we shouldn’t get carried away, “People say ‘Oh this is the next Alabama Shakes’ or whatever the hell they say, but they come to our show and see it’s not the same.” Although he has much respect for the Alabama Shakes, Paul thinks the comparison only works geographically but not musically.
With songs being played on satellite radio and features of the band the doing the rounds on the blogosphere, the future looks promising. The success of this band would show other musically inclined Alabamians that our home is an acceptable launch pad for a career. Where others have felt the pull and gone on to more conventionally musical sites, the Broken Bones are staying put. “Some people are like, ‘Hey when are you guys moving?’ I don’t want to move - Birmingham is home. Nashville is only three hours away and it’s good not to get engulfed in that culture and just do our own thing.” Good thing they’re sticking around. You can find them playing locally at shows in Birmingham and Mobile in mid-June.
As a measure of success, today’s heavily marketed and image based groups look at album and ticket sales or the modern endorsement of fame today: Twitter followers. Not Paul. In the sentiment of a true Soul man he knows what’s really important. “I just try to take it one step at a time and enjoy it because this shit can turn on you and if we take more steps awesome - if not, it’s one good story to tell your grandkids one day and I guess that’s the whole point.”
For songs and tour dates visit
www.stpaulandthebrokenbones.bandcamp.com