The Hunt For New Music. St. Paul and The Broken Bones are breaking out. The seven piece band from Birmingham, Alabama plays R&B and soul with an intensity and urgency seldom seen on stage. Fronted by singer Paul Janeway, who commands the stage with messianic presence and energy, the band of Janeway (vocals), guitarist Browan Lollar, bassist Jesse Phillips, drummer Andrew Lee, keyboardist Al Gamble, and a two-man horn section that features Allen Branstetter on trombone and Ben Griner on trumpet, is re-interpreting soul and R&B music while expanding the performance edges of the genre. The band’s first full length album, Half The City, had all the right Alabama music trademarks involved: part of the album was recorded at the legendary Muscle Shoals studio (the Rolling Stones, among others, have also recorded at Muscle Shoals) and the album was produced by Ben Tanner of the very hot band The Alabama Shakes. The band’s recorded repertoire (which includes the full length Half The City and the EP Greetings from St. Paul and the Broken Bones) is small but impressive, but if you really want the full impact of St. Paul and The Broken Bones, you need to see them live. To get you in the mood, here’s a concert they did in Boston on October 21, 2014. The band is currently touring; as a look at this video will confirm, you certainly want to catch live when you get a chance.
The Fine Print: This concert made available through YouTube. It was recorded on October 21, 2014 and is from WGBH Boston’s Front Row Boston music series. All rights belong to their respective rights holders. We thank YouTube, WGBH, and St. Paul and The Broken Bones for making this concert available.