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Gritty with an elemental rhythm, tight-as-a-drumhead playing, and a profound depth of feeling: these are the promises of a great soul band. And St. Paul & The Broken Bones deliver on those promises.

Front man Paul Janeway’s handle “St. Paul” is a witty allusion to the vocalist’s grounding in the church. Like so many soul singers, Janeway, from Alabama, was raised on the gospel side, in a non-denominational, Pentecostal-leaning local church. Virtually no non-religious music could be heard in his devout household.

“The only secular music that I heard at all was a ‘70s group called the Stylistics, and Sam Cooke. That was about it. The rest of it was all gospel music. When I was about 10 years old, I was groomed to be a minister. My goal in life until I was about 18 years old was to be a preacher.”
– Paul Janeway

St. Paul & The Broken Bones – Don’t mean a thing:

Greetings from St. Paul & The Broken Bones, the self-released single/ep from Dec 2012(from their bandcamp page):

“My pastor was the reason that I learned to play guitar. They would let me play guitar and sing in church. What was weird was that he would never let me sing lead – I’d sing background vocals. I always thought, ‘Well, maybe I’m just a good background vocalist.’ So I never thought I could really, really sing, at all. I never thought it would be a living, ever.”

after this he s ought different inspirations…

” Tom Waits and Nick Cave were the really big attractions, they have that passion. They’ve built this aura. They’re showmen to the teeth. And that’s what got me – it’s like going to church, in a weird way. At about the same time, I began listening to the great soul singers like Otis Redding, James Carr, and O.V. Wright. I was trying to find something that made my earbuds tingle.”
– Paul Janeway

St. Paul & the Broken Bones – Half the City:

A great soul find, and should definitely be booked on the festivals in Europe in the time to come.

The band:
Paul Janeway: Lead Vocals
Browan Lollar: Guitars, Vocals
Jesse Phillips: Bass
Andrew Lee: Drums, Percussion
Allen Branstetter: Trumpet
Ben Grine: Trombone, Tuba
Al Gamble: Organ, Piano

The whole band are credited as writers on their new album, Half The City, Paul Janeway contributes with the lyrics.

“I’m going to be dancing, getting in the aisles, climbing on tables, that’s just the way we do it. It really takes me back to church. There’s not a lot of difference. When I get on stage, it’s, ‘All right, it’s time to pour it on.'”
– Paul Janeway

Blue-eyed soul with a gospel-tinged feel that looks real good live, oh, how we look forward to see them in the future!

– Hallgeir