After a sold-out two-night run at the Alabama Theatre, Paul Janeway of St. Paul & The Broken Bones was kind enough to do an interview with us.
In Part One of our three-part interview, Paul reflected on the band’s experience at the Theatre, the possibility of a live recording of those shows, their tour schedule for 2015, and their goal of recording a new record sometime next year.
In Part Two, we kick things off with familiar fall territory here in the South: college football.
So, you’re an Alabama fan, yes?
I am indeed.
You’ve got seven guys behind you. How’s the Alabama/Auburn split in the band?
Actually, there is no split. The closest we get is Al, the keys player—he’s a Bama grad, but his wife is an Auburn grad, and his daughter goes to Auburn. So that’s the closest we get actually. Some of these guys don’t even care, so they don’t quite get it. But, you know, I’m named after Bear Bryant, so I had no choice at birth. I’m a huge Bama fan. I really wish I could get to go to a game this year, I just haven’t had any time. But I set my phone up as a hot spot and watch it on my laptop. That’s how I watch the games on the road. It’s been fun—I think some of the guys who are not into football, I’ve actually caught them watching games. They said they know more about it now than they ever did.
You gotta connect with that audience, man. That’s what they wanna hear.
I know! You know, when you start to say “Roll Tide,” it’s always starting something. But I did get a “Roll Tide” in London. Anytime you get that anywhere, it’s always kind of nice—a little slice of home, I guess.
I’m named after Bear Bryant, so I had no choice at birth. I’m a huge Bama fan.
As far as the touring markets go, have there been any surprises? Maybe somewhere you played and you didn’t realize they’re huge fans?
I think when we did our first west coast tour, that was bizarre. We sold out a show in Boise, ID. We sold out shows in Seattle and San Francisco. I mean, those have been surprising to us, but Boise, Idaho, of all places, we sold out a show. That blew my mind. We just played Toronto for the first time, and those people were going crazy. Oh, I’ll tell you—the most surprising was Berlin. We played a show in Berlin, and the show sold out. And I’m like, “We’ve never been over there. Never even set foot in the country.” And it was like a 400-500-person room. That’s nuts, you know? It was really special. That one I’ll never forget.
Photo by Josh Weichman