St. Paul and the Broken Bones- Cedarburg Summer Sounds @ Cedar Creek Park 8/1/14

photo by Steven Bloom

Situated on the banks of the scenic Cedar Creek, Cedarburg's annual "Summer Sounds" concert series has quickly drawn acclaim for its diverse bookings and has become a destination for music fans  from the north shore suburbs on Friday evenings.  After playing to capacity crowds at Club Garabaldi and Shank Hall over the past year, Summer Sounds happened to land one of the fastest rising bands in the country, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, to perform to a large crowd of folks ranging in age from 1 to about 90.  During their hour and a half set, they managed to engage just about everyone and put on a performance that will rank among the best concerts I've seen this year.  I was thoroughly entertained, and looking around at the crowd, mostly seated in lawn chairs for the majority of the set, it was clear that everyone had a smile on their face.  How could you not?

Put simply, St. Paul and the Broken Bones make joyful music.  Hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, St. Paul and the Broken Bones are a relatively new band, being together for just two years, and consisting of seven musicians, guitar, bass, drums, keyboard/organ, and a dynamic three piece horn section.  The main showman in the band, however, is vocalist Paul Janeway, whose incredible vocal range and energetic showmanship was nothing short of thrilling to listen to and watch live.

The band's set drew heavily from their debut release, Half the City. After the instrumental, "Chicken Pox" opened the show, Janeway took the stage to "Don't Mean A Thing," which featured his rich crooning.  The band peppered a few covers into the set, including Sam Cooke's "Shake" which got the crowd on its feat to boogey.  The funkified version of Wilson Pickett's "Ninety-Nine and a Half" was another well-placed cover.  The clear inspiration for Janeway and the band, however, was the great Otis Redding, whom St. Paul and the Broken Bones covered not once, but twice for, "Down in the Valley" as well as "Try a Little Tenderness" (which concluded the performance).

photo by Steven Bloom

Covers aside, it was the band's original work that engaged the audience the most.  My personal favorite track off of Half the City, "Like A Mighty River," showcased the rhythm and blues swing of the group, as well as Janeway's deep range and lyrics.  In addition, "Call Me," which was performed toward the end of the set, was another naturally rocking energizing tune.

For an encore, St. Paul and the Broken bones busted out "Let Me Roll It," a Wings cover in honor of going to see Paul McCartney in the Twin Cities on Saturday night, along with "Try a Little Tenderness."

It is hard to find bands that can engage a crowd of all ages and appeal to folks who like all different types of music, but St. Paul and the Broken Bones proved to be one of those unique acts.  I dare you to find a more entertaining group on tour right now.  There is a good reason why St. Paul and the Broken Bones are selling out shows across the country- they are masterful entertainers who have a bright future in music.

Setlist:
Chicken Pox,
Don't Mean A Thing
Sugar Dyed Honey Pants
Dixie Rothko
I'm Torn Up
Shake (Sam Cooke Cover)
Half the City
The Glow
Broken Bones and Pocket Change
Ninety-Nine and a Half
Like a Mighty River
Let it be So
Like A Mighty River
Down in the Valley (Otis Redding Cover)
It's Midnight
Call Me
Grass is Greener
Make it Rain

Encore:
Let Me Roll It (Paul McCartney and Wings Cover)
Try a Little Tenderness (Otis Redding Cover)

me and Paul Janeway after the show