Paul Janeway has a humongous voice and even bigger laugh, and he’s quick to unleash it over the phone when CL asks about a recent Oscar after party gig with Sir Elton John.
“He’s a fan of the band. It was an interesting night. We did our normal set, but me and Elton sang ‘I’ll Be Your Woman’ off of our record, which is a song he really loves,” Janeway said. “It was incredible.”
The Birmingham boy — and leader of St. Paul & the Broken Bones — really lets the chuckle unfurl when ribbed about whether or not a show with the Rocket Man can ease the pain of watching his beloved Crimson Tide lose to the Clemson Tigers during the recent College Football Championship played in Tampa two month ago. Janeway — a preacher’s son who famously quit stints as a mechanic’s assistant and accountant before jumping head first into music — had plans to be at the game, but his wife Caroline, who works at a university, had a free trip to Rome on deck.
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“We were gonna start a European tour, so I flew out a week earlier. I was up at 3 a.m. watching the game. I’m still not over that — it was a great game,” Janeway said.
These days, Janeway’s game is to bring a new LP (last year’s Sea of Noise) to an adoring, fast growing, fan base that first came into contact with him thanks to the band’s 2014 debut, Half the City. Recorded live with what Janeway has described as a “hair on fire” kind of urgency, the effort served well to put the sound an ensemble just five months into their lives a unit on the record. Its 12 tracks are a fine picture of the Broken Bones’ appreciation for 60s and 70s soul; the LP’s 40 minutes are haunted by the ghosts of Etta, Al, Otis and Muscle Shoals’ famed Swampers rhythm section.
Janeway, who’s famous for a fiery stage presence and vocal that’s juxtaposed to his mug, has grown by leaps and bounds on Sea of Noise, and the seven-piece band (with the help of producer Paul Butler) has come along for the ride. Vocal choirs, strings (arranged by Stax guru Lester Snell, who worked with Issac Hayes, Albert King and the Staples Singers) all appear on the record next to a proud horn section that isn’t afraid to be silent on the album’s many darker moments.
“To get in a certain headspace, especially with what I do, I have to write about what moves me. I think with the new record singinging a little more topical makes you realize the importance of lyrics,” Janeway said. He even admits that Just Mercy, a book by Alabama activist and lawyer Bryan Stevenson, had a hand in the album’s direction.
“I mean on Half The City the words were really important, but I ad-libbed a lot of stuff. So this time, you had to be a little more focused than the last time.”
The focus paid off. Noise is insightful and ripe with colorful lines that are steamy, sullen, and loving. But where City crooned romantically into listeners’ lives, this new set of songs asks questions about our very existence and purpose on this planet. Themes of social justice, religion, fear, hate and being on the wrong side of right litter Noise’s 13 tracks. The lyrics are something his wife Caroline — who has a master’s in literature — can be proud of, and Janeway doesn’t shy away from the fact that his band’s grip on modern soul attracts listeners from every economic and political background.
“I like the idea of being able to reach anybody. We’re always gonna write songs that move us. This record is a little more topical and might ruffle a few feathers, but I’m okay with that,” Janeway explained. “I’ve always said everyone is welcome as long as they come from a place of love and acceptance. That’s really how I feel about our audience and our shows. And I think that’s a beautiful thing. That’s what music should do.”
Janeway is also careful in his response to those who point to the fact that his voice clearly pays homage to soul music’s deep, black, roots, saying that he has wondered if what he was doing was wrong. He admits that some of it has to to do with the fact that so many black musicians were taken advantage of and had music stolen, adding that you have to pay your respects.
“I mean, is there a complicated history there? Yeah, absolutely. I’m never afraid to talk about that,” he said. “The thing is also like, what am I supposed to be doing? What would you have me sing? I’m not trying to sound a certain way, it’s just how I sound.” He adds that the same approach from a place from love and respect has helped him navigate that tricky space where he’s just trying to figure out how to put his own human experience down on record.
“I think that’s the thing,” Jane said as time ran out on our chat. “If I was singing about the black experience, then I think 110-percent I think that would be wrong because I can’t. I’m with you 100 percent on that.”
Read our full Q&A below, and get more information on the show via local.cltampa.com. Listen to Sea of Noise at the bottom of the interview.
More information: local.cltampa.com
This is Ray.
This is Paul.
How you doing?
Good, how you doing?
Great. Michelle hooked me up with a phone call is right now a good time?
It’s good.
I think we only have 15 minutes, so I’m gonna try and blaze right through this if you don’t mind.
(Laughs) okay.
This definitely isn’t as cool as that phone call you got from Elton John a few weeks ago, huh?
(Laughs) Uh, well, it’s all varying I guess. I had to talk about myself on that one, too.
Was it like a job interview?
Ha, yea always. Nah, it was really good. He’s been a fan of the band for a while, and we’ve talked a few times. When he asked us to play the Oscar party it was quite something. It was an interesting night.
What song did you guys do?
We did our normal set, but me an Elton sand our song “I’ll Be Your Woman” off of our record, which is a song he really loves. It was, uh, incredible.
That’s amazing. So does that help you get over the whole Clemson thing?
(Laughs) Ooooohh…
Did you come to Tampa for that game by the way? I’m interviewing you from Tampa, you guys have a show in the area.
No I didn’t. What was crazy was that my wife, she works for a university, she got a free trip to Rome. We were gonna start a European tour, so I flew out with me wife a week earlier. We were gonna go to the game, but a free trip to Rome…you know. So I was up at 3 a.m. watching the game, so you know…I’m still not over that.
It was a classic.
It was. It was a great game.
Speaking of something that’s hard to get over. I was in Atlanta when you played Fox Theatre. In between the marching band and you guys, I found out that Sharon Jones died. Did you guys know that she died before you went on? I was wondering if you knew, and if there was an impulse to do a tribute there.
We didn’t know until after the show, which has been really weird. We’ve had that happen a couple times. I wanna say, it’s weird, it’s like right before the show or right after the show we find out that someone passed away. It’s weird. With Sharon, I mean that was hard one because, yeah, that was a hard one — that would suck. I would be lying if I said that I knew them super well on a personal level. But as a fan, we’ve played a few shows with them. I think we actually played a show with them down there.
Yes you did, it was the Clearwater Sea-Blues Festival.
Yeah, it was a blues fest. She was such a titan, and everyone was so pleasant and nice to us. After she died, we were asked to do a New Year’s Eve gig that she was going to do, and we were trying to work up “100 Days, 100 Nights.” But yeah man, it was weird. We didn’t know until we got off stage.
You talked about her being a singer. I had a question about you as a singer. You’ve mentioned that there are singers that seem to ease through a song and other more working type singers who clock in and grind through a song. Sea of Noise is about six months old now, and you’ve had it on the road. What kinds of things is the album teaching you as far as what kind of singer you want to be on your next album? Are you even thinking about new music right now?
I am. When we did the Elton thing we actually stayed and hung out with the producer. We’ve been meeting with producers. I think the thing is for me is that I am still learning my voice. The first record was, you know, unhinged. It wasn’t very disciplined, and to be fair I didn’t know any better.
Yeah, you’ve said you were still getting to know your voice on that.
So on this one is a little more nuanced. You realize that it’s give and take. And I think for me, the next record will be even more expanding, and learning the tug and pull. When you hear amazing singers — the Etta James and Marvin Gayes — they just knew their voice. Really for me, I’m still feeling out that process and still figuring that stuff out.
Do you feel like the subject matter of the album helps you out at all there? I know the last album was a little bleak as far as the solutions it provided. It was kind of a dark look at these situations. Do you feel like singing about those kinds of things helped you figure out who you are as a singer at all? What about the new stuff? Is there any hope in the new stuff? Not that it’s all downer stuff…
(Laughs) I mean, really, the subject matter…you have to sing about what moves you. To get in a certain headspace, especially with what I do, I have to write about what moves me. I think with the new record singinging a little more topical makes you realize the importance of lyrics, so you have to remember, like, okay, the words are really important. I mean on Half The City the words were really important, but I ad-libbed a lot of stuff. So this time, you had to be a little more focused than the last time — that’s definitely how that goes.
Oh, speaking of ad-libbing, I was wondering if there were any of those demos where you guys sounded like Dave Matthews Band.
(Laughs)
Do those exist? I know you said at one point you kind of sounded like them. I can’t believe that actually got printed.
No. No. No.
I wanted to sneak this one in. You mentioned that your mom played piano, and she would play it when she was feeling bad. Did she teach you how to play piano, is that where you started to play music?
No. No. I learned how to play guitar. I mean I view music more naturally on the piano, I took piano lessons for a little while.
You’ve said that you have a redneck and hillbilly thing going because of the Bristol and Middlesboro connection. Forgive my ignorance here, but I thought those two were the same thing.
(Laughs) What hillbilly and redneck?
Yeah.
Oh no. No, no, no. They are not the same thing. Hillbilly is more in the mountains, like in Kentucky, very regional there. Redneck is very Alabama, deep south, you know North Florida — that part of the country.
Right on, I wanna squeeze a few more questions in here. Are you at home by the way? I think you have a sold out show tomorrow.
No, I’m in Philly.
You always talking about trying to stay human, and you do a really good job of that on stage. The stage show gets better every time — I think I saw you take off your shoe in Atlanta. You have a very diverse audience, which lends itself to some opposing views which you have kind of been able to transcend. Like in Atlanta I saw a guy walk out on the marching band, calling it bullshit and some other stupid shit, but what’s your secret to connecting to everyone in the audience and how do you know that you had a good show when the curtains come down at the end? Especially in theses times, in different parts of the country. I’m sure that there are some people might like your music and your message. Some probably just wish you’d play your music, right?
Right, of course. For me I like the idea of being able to reach anybody. I think that’s what music should do. To me, I think hip-hop does a really good job of that. To me, hip-hop reaches everybody. I think that’s a beautiful thing. That’s what music should do. It should be a moment between, doesn’t matter what walk of life, who you are, any of those things, you know here you come from…I think that’s the beauty of it. I think the thing is, you know we’re gonna write songs and make things that move us, so you know this record is a little more topical and might ruffle a few feathers, but I’m okay with that. You know, I think for me, and I’ve always said this, everyone is welcome as long as they come from a place of love and acceptance. You know, that’s really how I feel about our audience and our shows — you know what I mean? And I think that’s a beautiful thing. That’s what music should do.
Speaking of welcome. I think of feeling welcome. I think you’ve kind of answered this question here and in other interviews. You’re very cerebral, you do a lot of reading, and you can read yourself out of a situation. Your wife is obviously an educator, and I feel like you answered this question so let me know if you think I am treading on familiar territory again. You have a deep understanding about Birmingham’s history and its place in the South. The question is do you have any guilt about being a white guy doing what most people feel is black music. Now you have said that obviously the Stones have done it, everybody has done it, and you’re just from the South so it’s a little cultural appropriation, but is there any kind of guilt that you’ve had to get over? Was there any book or was it just being with your friends and realizing that you are from the South, that’s the kind of music you were listening to, and that is what you sound like?
Yeah. I think the thing is that it’s interesting. It is complicated. It is something that you look at and you’re like, ‘Am I supposed to be doing this?,’ ‘Is this wrong?’ — you know what I mean? I think it’s all where it comes from. I think the issue is — you know we mention cultural appropriation and things like that. I think the issue is that there is a long history of black musicians being taken advantage of and music being stolen, and I think you have to pay respect to those who laid a foundation. I think you pay your respect. The Otis Redding family is a huge fan of ours. You pay your respect. That’s where we come from. I mean, is there a complicated history there? Yeah, absolutely. I’m never afraid to talk about that. The thing is also like, what am I supposed to be doing? I mean, what would you have me sing? What am I supposed to do.
I mean you already quit two jobs to do this whole music thing.
Yeah, absolutely. What would you have me do? That’s always my question. I always say I sound the way I sound. I’m not trying to sound a certain way, it’s just how I sound. That’s what I always ask. Are you telling me that I should do bluegrass? You know? I don’t think anybody who does music — white, black, purple pink — ever thinks on those terms. Prince was heavily influenced by Joni Mitchell. We’re all influenced by a lot of music. And we’re not just influenced by…I mean you know we had Muscle Shoals, you know you had the Swampers, and we’re not just influenced by “black music” and so…I get it. It is a complicated thing, but we come from a place of love of respect. I think it’s actually helped us navigate through that because, you know, I don’t hear it was much. I heard it some on the first first, but I haven’t heard it as much on the second, which has been really interesting.
For sure, I just wanted to personally ask. I mean at a certain level how are you and I supposed to even try and discuss and try to fully understand the black experience in America.
Exactly. And I think that’s the thing. If I was singing about the black experience, then I think 110-percent I think that would be wrong because I can’t. I’m with you 100 percent on that.
Sorry to leave us on a hot topic, but I know you’re cool with talking about it.
Oh no man, totally cool, that’s fine.
Well enjoy the rest of your night, and we’ll see you in a couple of weeks.
Alright man, thank you.
This article appears in Mar 23-30, 2017.