Live: St Paul and the Broken Bones / Diane Coffee

Soul music has forever held a special place in my heart, a guilty pleasure if you will… It’s often delivered a certain level comfort and safety as well. In 1980 I saw “The Blues Brothers” at the local theater and I guess you could say that it was my introduction to the genre. Obviously, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd aren’t the standard purveyors of soul music… None the less, it still grabbed a hold of me and has yet to let go. Touring in support of their critically acclaimed sophomore release Sea of Noise, St. Paul and the Broken Bones have finally made it back to the Midwest (Indianapolis, IN to be exact)  and Id be damned if I was going to miss out!. The Birmingham, Alabama based soul eight-piece is a throwback which is why it wasn’t surprising that well over half  the audience members in Indianapolis, IN were sporting a little more gray in their hair than the norm. Openers, indie rock band Diane Coffee. Led by ex-Foxygen drummer and Bloomington, IN transplant Shaun Flemming took full advantage of their set time to introduce themselves and their music to the audience. Opening with the ethereal, Crumbling Light Posts  pt. 1 highlighted a Janaway’s vocal range and artistry. Complete with gold lamé cheetah spotted suit and gold jeweled shoes didn’t appear to hamper Janaway’s ability to cut a rug either. The set list contained  eleven of the twelve tracks from Sea of Noise along with I\’m torn Up and  Broken Bones & Pocket Change from Their debut, Half the City.  Topping off the night were Van Morrison’s I’ve been Working   and an amazing tribute to David Bowie with Moonage Daydream that enlisted help from openers Diane Coffee. It’s obvious that Janaway and the Broken Bones love what they’re doing because it showed in every aspect of their performance. Thank God (or whoever) that St. Paul and the Broken Bones held steady and didn’t throw in the chips as they’d originally planned   Setlist:

• Crumbling Light Posts  Pt. 1
• Flow with It (You Got Me Feeling Like)
• Like a Mighty River
• I\’ll Be Your Woman
• Tears in the Diamond
• All I Ever Wonder
• I\’m Torn Up
• Instrumental (Take the Ticket and Ride)
• The National Anthem
• Brain Matter
• Waves
• Midnight on the Earth
• I\’ve Been Working  (Van Morrison cover)
• Broken Bones & Pocket Change
• Call Me
• Loran\’s Dance
• Sanctify

Encore:

• Is It Me
• Moonage Daydream (David Bowie cover)
• Burning Rome