St Paul & The Broken Bones - Half the City

Released February 2014

Preach Paul Janeway. Preach.

I stumbled upon this guy preaching at the GA Theatre as the opening act for Jason Isbell. I was mid-beer, he was mid-first note of the first song, and I was evangelized. Afterward I approached him on the sidewalk and said what any sober respectable parishioner would, "Fuck you man! That was awesome!" To which he replied with a belly rolling laugh-n-hug combo. 

I can only assume that my conversion was along the same vein as everyone who hears St P for the first time. Anticipate the performance with the understanding that he's probably pretty good as he's opening for Isbell but also that he's no Miley Cyrus because nobody is. See what will be the performing cast, a group of nerdy looking white kids and know now that it's some americana indie rock act. Hear the first string of notes and learn its good ol nitty gritty Greenbow Alabama soul food. And it's an all you can eat buffet baby!

Now a performance like the one the Theatre experienced surely couldn't translate accurately to studio recording. It can't. It doesn't. No blue ribbon but a close 2nd, which is probably a good thing. Without the visual accompaniment of the stage production, that high energy bombardment would most likely feel like a tidal wave sized berating. While he gets his screaming kicks out on the disc, he's not spraying saliva in your face. 

To add gravy to the biscuits, he's accompanied by some Muscle Shoals muscle in Al Gamble and Browan Lollar. But make no mistake, Janeway is the steam in this riverboat. So again I say fuck you man, you're awesome.

With love

Dennis