St. Paul & The Broken Bones make Alabama proud

During the first day of Bonnaroo 2014 there was a palpable buzz about St. Paul & The Broken Bones.  Press/ VIP areas were at capacity, after the set the band was getting frequent mention from journos.  It wasn't frontman Paul Janeway's first time at the party according to Alabama.com.  Janeway, who has the swagger of a white Cee-lo or a modern day Wilson Pickett, an Alabama native worked the festival in Manchester, Tennessee two years earlier noting "he got peed on at the Jay-Z concert" and that if he saw the perpetrator he was going to thrash the lad.  But this isn't a one-man show as Matt Wake reported:

"St. Paul & The Broken Bones guitarist Browan Lollar laid down crisp proto-soul rhythms and even added some caustic rock licks in a place or two – would be nice to hear more of that color from this '60s Muscle Shoals minded group. 

Trombonist Ben Griner and trumpeter Allen Branstetter's punchy horn lines really moved some air. And their arrangements are quite interesting, ivy-like and interwoven into the songs, unlike many horns that can seem like after-though iron-ons. Bassist Jessie Phillips and drummer Andrew kept a deep, wide pocket throughout, and shifted dynamics in key places – breaking down to just vocals and drums here, guitar, bass and drums there. Although for the most part the sound was pretty good at front, I could have heard more of Al Gamble's percolating Hammond organ fills in the mix."

The Bones came briskly to national attention though when they appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman about a week back and Dave lavished sincere over the top praise on them for some time before he even let them begin (later noting that he and Paul Schaffer had tried to book the band for a wedding but one of the members couldn't make the gig).  The performance, which Dave asked them to play in honour of his retirement and 'as if I was dying', is singular, classy and blasting.  From their debut album Half The City the Pickett inspired Call Me (611-3369).