St. Paul & the Broken Bones deliver searing social punch
NASHVILLE — With their electrifying modern interpretation of classic soul music, St. Paul & the Broken Bones are a buzzed-about live band, even opening for the Rolling Stones on two dates last year.
Dressed to the nines in wildly colored suits, sparkly shoes and black glasses, singer Paul Janeway throws his microphone around like a drum major with his baton leading the parade while the horns blare.
On the band’s second record, “Sea of Noise,” Janeway and his Birmingham, Ala., crew deliver their musical punch with a message about Southern identity, divisive politics and social unrest.
Bass player Jesse Phillips said that early on, they referred to themselves as a punk rock soul band.
Three years later and road-hardened, Janeway wanted to take the eight-piece band to a new level, without losing the excitement of live performances.
On the new album, they added a choir and recorded at the Stax Museum in Memphis, with strings orchestrated by Stax veteran musician Lester Snell.
For the new tour, Janeway is stepping up his suit game, with three new suits with matching shoes that his wife makes.