Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of Inside the Studio on iHeart Radio. My name's Jordan Runtag, But enough about me. My guest today honed his singular voice in the church choir. In fact, he briefly trained to be a preacher before his calling let him elsewhere. Many of those who've heard his songs are seen and performed would agree that there's still a touch of the fire and brimstone and his singing, and also a touch of the divine.
His soulful spirit has made him a favorite of musical giants. The Rolling Stones invited his band to open for them. Elton John has shared a stage with them, and Stephen Colbert tapped him the sing on the premier episode of his late show. Those music bears traces of his gospel upbringing. His latest record, The Alien Coast, is a massive creative leap forward, infusing hip hop beats, samples, and scynths along
with the band's trademark horns and fluid funk. Its lyrical inspirations are equally diverse, pulling in imagery from dystopian sci fi, Greek mythology, seventeenth century Italian sculpture, and colonial history books. This Bewitching Brew is out now and it needs to be heard to be believed. From the mighty St. Paul and the Broken Bones, I'm so happy to welcome St. Paul himself, Paul Jane Win so much I want to talk to you about. I want to start with your
new record, The Alien Coast. It's been called an ambitious musical fever dream, which is perhaps the most awesome description of an album I've ever heard. How did this start for you? How did it come together? Well, I mean it kind of man, it started in uh uh yeah, so it really was a record that um it started. It started I think really January twenty nine, and we we knew we were, you know, doing demoing and doing
the thing. We knew like, oh, this is gonna be a little bit different, and so as we kind of went through the process, I think we finished up the record by March, basically right before it's all held recluse perfect. Yeah,
it was a great timing, perfect timing. Um but uh yeah, you know, over time we kind of knew with the demos were going, and it was like, okay, this is this is different, and um I was the kind of concept and all I was kind of working through myself and and this kind of for some reason it seemed appropriate to like think of it as like a fever dream or a nightmare or however you want of you, you know, with some kind of surrealist touches and things
like that. And then basically the last two songs are me kind of waking up, going on just you know, lonely and and and and sad. So um. It's a concept that it took a little time to kind of finesse and and get there, and but we finally got there. Um, and I'm pretty proud of it. Him you mentioned the last two tracks, I man, the album closes with love Letter from Red Roof, in which he says, kind of
like the key to the whole record. It kind of like, oh I see or have all these you know, the all the somebody of the prior tracks are just taking influence from an incredible range of influences, from the Greek mythology and Dystopian sci fi stuff, and you know, seventeenth century Italian sculpture, and then all of a sudden, you're you go from you know, seventeenth centuries Italian sculpture to Read Roof in all of a sudden you think, oh, what you just said about it kind of being this
concept that lands here right back at this very specific place. Talked a little bit bit more about that. That final track it really does kind of like ground the album and is it's a great almost like a twist ending Yeah, in a way, it is. I think what I really liked about it, you know, because what was interesting is that we had folks in our camp. They were like, hey, you should play that. That song should be earlier in
the album, and I kept saying, it doesn't. The album doesn't make sense to me, you know, I did that, you know, it was it was you know, I get that it's you know, maybe a little closer to something we would do. But I was just like, it just doesn't make any sense to me, uh, from from the
kind of the story of the record. And so I kind of that song was written in much like a place I am right now in a hotel room on a hotel uh you know, notepad, and I was just missing, missing home, you know, missing, and you know, and like I love that song because it it the course is kind of a cliche j and I referenced that in the song, like I'm not as smart as you think I am. So let me just say another you know, let me just tell you another cliche. Man, I thought,
I always like that. I like that. I like that song for that reason a lot. How did some of the more sort of surreal visions take shape for you? I mean, I know there's, um, you know, there's the one song that's inspired by the painting. Uh st Michael triumphs over the Devil. Uh How does that take shape for you? Do you have the music and then it reminds you of this kind of really terrifying painting or do you see you did you see a picture of
the painting and kind of thing? Oh my god, that that sense of fear that it fills in with really stuck with me. I want to write a song about that. I saw the painting when I was in London and it, um, that's kind of what I do, like either frequent and art museum or a record store, and that's basically what I do when I'm on the road. Um. But I remember seeing the painting and the devil and it is
is horrifying. It's a horrifying demon, you know, like this crazy with like red eyes and sharp teeth, and you know, it's kind of metallic looking like a like some sort of like you know, Industrial Revolution kind of machinery that was made. UM. And I that was always kind of
a nightmare kind of character. And so when I was writing the record, UM, you know, I had a night in UM, I had an emergency appdecte on me and I had a night like with a with a morphine drip, and uh, it was kind of a crazy kind of night. And I think, yeah, I think about that. UM before I we wrote this record, I kind of had that experience and I was like, oh, this is kind of this fever dream. And my wife was actually in UM. She was actually in Ireland for work, and so I
had nobody kind of there. Um, eventually my my my mom had come. So it was a weird night. You know, you're like on morphine and so it's kind of this nightmare and you're like you're not sure where you're at. UM. So I that character always kind of popped his popped his face at at times. Wow. I mean that's jeez, that's absolutely that that Okay, that that's a real life horror to go with the artistic horror. Good Lord, you mentioned your wife. She's a professor and I believe as
a master's in literature. I mean does she uh, As I said earlier, I mean there's so many, just such an incredible array of influences on this record. Did any of those come through her? I mean through um, you know books, she might have turned you onto her stuff like that. Um. It definitely like she you know, um, what's spend a like a like three weeks in Rome
and Florence. Um, and I would obviously go see those paintings, you know, go see like the Carvaggios and the Berninese and and all this amazing you know, our sculpture and architecture and so long. So definitely that I Um, it's at times I'm scared to show her stuff because she is, uh, you know, a lot smarter than I am. So I get you know, I'm like gout and she's relentless, like
she will tell me. UM. So we kind of have an agreement, you know, uh that, but I would say not on this particular thing like she Definitely we definitely were in the same place as though, you know, like we saw the same thing and it reached me in that way, I guess. I mean, it's definitely this record seems to have a much broader pallative sounds and musical influences. I mean there's synths and hip hop beats and samples in addition to kind of more of the gospel background stuff.
What led you to branch out like this was that the goal all along? Or was was it sort of having you know, just sort of because I knew you recorded near your home in in Birmingham, was it easier to just sort of keep going back to the studio and playing around and experimenting, or a little bit of both.
I think we had time, you know, I think we had time, and we when we started getting so we basically have like a drop box that we it's like a band drop box that just has demos, right, and we just put demo after demo after demo in there. And I knew when I started hearing the demos that I was like, Okay, this is going in a different direction. This is going this is going to be a little different.
So I knew it was like, we need time in the studio to work this, flesh this out so that it is not too metallic sounding, that it has some organic feel to it. Because the demos were very like electronic, very you know, electronic, and we even use parts of the demo in the songs um and in the song's final final version. Wow, I did realized that. I mean, is that like sort of the the uh, the bedrock of it and then kind of embroidering. Yeah, some of them,
sure is. Some of them we've rebuilt from the ground up. And then some of them were like when that that was a really good sound, so we need to kind of we can't. We can't reproduce it. And that's kind of what happens sometimes you make a sound and you're like, there's no reproducing it. You captured that particular in that moment, so, um, that's what. So we had to put it in the
final track. And you mentioned having the band dropbox. I mean, did you do a lot of stuff in the room together to I mean, I'm thinking of something like Minotaur, which just feels like it has something that just it does feel so like you're bouncing off each other in a room together, you would think, but no, that is not the case. I know. No. Um, we we That one was a mutilation of a demo, is what that was.
That was one that our guitar player put the demo in and then Jesse, the bass players like, hey, I think I'm gonna mess with this, and so it definitely, uh was a a remix, I guess, and so we were like, but we just liked the way to feel. And then once you get in the room and you play it like you feel, you know there there was a field there and the band I think really captured it,
which was great. Um, but only there's only a couple of songs that were like sad, you know, like Burmehell and the Devil was definitely a song that was created at a sound check. Um. It was one little like little phrase and it was like, Okay, that's right, that's the right thing that did. Um. I'm trying to think what else. Um. Red Roof I think was as well, but yeah, it was. It was an interesting process for sure.
I think I read that the first album you ever bought was Otis Sings the Blues, which is just so much just infinitely cooler than like pretty much any first album I ever bought. Story that I've never heard. Who were some people that that made you passionate about about music growing up? Um? Talking about artists or or or
people in my life? Oh either, Um, I mean artists, I mean, obviously you do have some of my code of spreading or that there was a seventies group called the Stylistics that you know, I really loved Sam Cook, Marvin Gaye, all those folks. But um, you know, at the same time, like my mom, you know, played piano and and and she played piano. I mean she plays piano now, and you know, singing in church and things like that. Definitely, I don't it's weird, Like, I don't know,
I was necessarily passionate about that. I just really really really liked it. And then as I got older, you know, into my later teens, then I got passionate about it. Then I really started to kind of trying to devour everything I wanted to. Was there a tipping point for you or was it just realizing that you have this fantastic instrument that that was your own, that really is so unique and special and made you want to develop
it more. I don't know if I've arrived quite there where I feel like the fantastic thing, but it's I can typically do all right in most situations. Um, I don't know. I don't definitely feel like I've arrived or anything. But there was a moment when I did some open mic nights in Birmingham and I was doing original songs and it was getting a reaction. So I was like, okay, well that's that feels good right, you know. And so and then someone told me like, look, you're not a
great guitar player. Which I'm not a great guitar player. I can I can get around around around while. But they were like, you're you know, you're a pretty decent singer. You should really pursue this. And I had a few friends that were really encouraging and I was like, okay, you know, like and so I gave it a shot, you know. And I met Jesse, who was the bass player in this band, and he he was the kind of guy that had been in several different bands and try you know what I mean, Like his dream was
to be a musician. That's all he ever wanted to be. And for me, I was just kind of like, I just want friends and people to hang out with and hopefully, you know, they won't kick me out of the band because I sound bad, right, And so that relationship really blossomed. And that was if it weren't for Jesse, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing. And this is a question that's going to give away the fact that I've I've
never written the song of my life. I'm always curious when I speak to people who are are blessed with the ability to write music kind of what compels them to do So is it a desire to connect with other people or is it to get something out of yourself? And if you were on a desert island, you'd be writing just as much because you just need to get this out of you. Or is it a combination of both. I think it's a combination of both. I think it's
a combination of both. I think for me, there are times where you feel like you just have to get it out. There's some sort of creative input or output that you need to do, you really need to need to do, and you have it is kind of like a therapeutic thing too, you know, like, UM, for me, there is a therapy element too, for sure, UM. And I think just trying to figure that out and go through that. UM. But at the same time, yeah, it
is about connecting with people. And I mean I have learned that you don't you can't be trying to write songs to please people at first you have to please yourself, because what ends up happening is if you try, if you're trying to please people, you could write a song that you don't like but that people do, and you end up hating you know, you end up hating playing that song. So the hope is is that you write a song that you like and that God willing someone
else is gonna like it, because of course you want that, right. Um, But I think there's certain there are certain things I certain songs or albums I would have written whether I was you know, if I was if I was you know, a mailman or you know what I mean, like something like that. Like there are there are albums like that, and then there are the ones that's like how creative can we get and how creative? How far can we go and stretch stretch the limits of what we do?
And God willing connect with people. I know that connecting with people in the last two years has been kind of a challenge. Has there been a silver lining at all of this? This kind of enforced home period for you? For me? Yeah, I mean my my wife and I or you know, she had the child. Um, I've just cheerly. Um, you know, she had we had our first child in September,
and so thank you. And it was this beautiful thing obviously, and I got to I got to you know, if I'd have been touring, I would not have been able to be there for that. It was weird going through
that through covid um it made for a very unique experience. Um. It's like when I see people complaining about wearing a mask and I saw my wife in laboring for four hours with a mask on, I'm like, shut up, you know what I mean, Like, I'm pretty sure that's and so uh so, but that that really did And I've I've gotten to be able to be there with Marigold and and my wife and that has been a beautiful thing. Um. That's that. That is definitely the biggest silver lining you
could have. I feel like, oh, absolutely, I know you had your your grandfather's voice on your last album. Uh would you ever include Marigold's voice on upcoming songs that continueum going? Who knows? I mean right, it was not. It was one of those things where yeah, it's it's interesting, but who knows, but it is it is it Definitely you definitely can draw some inspiration for from it. There's no two ways about that. Oh yeah, I was gonna say it is that has that becoming a father cropped
up in in your music at all? And you're in some of the more news not Yeah. I mean, you know, because this record was written before she was she I mean this record was written. It was pretty much written before I knew she was she was going to be a thing. And uh, and so it definitely definitely can you know, inspire inspires you and and uh and so on. You know, it sounds like the record was was done
right when lockdown and everything started. But um, has uh the last year and a half been a musically productive time for you? Have you been writing a lot just sort of while you've been kind of at home or I mean, this has been a very fruit I know some artists had a really hard time with it, and I get it, like you do kind of have to live life to to write music, and when you can't
live life, it's hard to music. Um. I'm very fortunate because I'm surrounded by a lot of really creative people and so if maybe I'm not feeling something, there's someone else who's pushing the pushing me or pushing you know. I like to be busy, right, and and so it was. It was difficult though, because I did hit a wall where I was like, Okay, what am I What am I gonna write about now? Like, what's what's inspiring me,
what's moving me? And it's it just there wasn't much going on, so you do you do hit a wall. I think I definitely had a wall. There's only so many TV shows you're gonna watch, and you know, it's like what you can read. I did think I was gonna read a lot more, and I did not read as much as I thought. I was like, oh, yeah, I'm gonna read so much there, and I I'm usually pretty good, you know, I go in my I'm very
cyclical in my reading habits. I'll be like ferocious and then I'll be like I'll struggle with you know, one book or something, you know, as a month or something. So it's, uh, it's a weird thing. But I definitely thought I was going to read away more during cold Quarantine than I did. What You are extremely high on the list of people that I am dying to know what you've been listening to recently because I watched the great video of you. I forget who it was with,
but it was you. Uh. I think it was called on the record going to a record store and uh, watching you pick out your you know something to buy it a vinyl store. I forget where it was, but I'd love to know what what you've been listening to recently? Oh man, what have I been listening to recently? Um? Besides myself? Um, but I uh, I was trying to think, what have I been listening to? I mean, I have to look at it. I've been listening to so much
stuff that, like, it's kind of ridiculous at this point. Um, I've listened to actually recently got it got more like I love them the Neville Brothers, So I started listening to like Yellow Moon things like that. Um. There's this great record um by Ernest Hood. It's called Neighborhoods and it's basically this recording and this is I guess it's from the seventies, and it's this recording of him, like
recording like things in his neighborhood. And it's kind of like, um, kind of minimalist kind of music accompanying like these sounds of children playing in the neighborhood. Things like that. It's really interesting, really cool, Um, I like that. That one's I've been really into. So, um, that's a good one. That's a good one. Oh, I got Ernest Hood. You said Ernestthood. Oh, I gotta check that out. I'm embarrassed even asked you if you've heard this, because of course
you have. But I've been playing um like a ship pastor tel Barrett lately. Yeah, that's a great so much. That's so good. And I know there's a new one out lately. I've actually haven't heard it yet, but I've heard it's really good. Yeah, I that's that's some good stuff for sure. Oh that's so good. Yeah, it's been
funny too. I feel like a lot of people I know myself included, during uh you know, this sort of unsettled time to put up mildly, I have been turning back into listening to stuff that I haven't listened to since high school, just way throw like musical comfort food in a way. I don't know if you've been feeling
that way. Yeah, you're right. There is a little bit of that, Like there is a little bit of of going back a little bit and finding what conference Shoot, um, I it's weird, Like I can always listen to like great gospel music because you know, you know, I grew up around it and um, like anything about a storm or anything like that, I'm always a sucker for whether it's it's well with my soul. I've been in the
storm too long. Like, anything like that always gets me for people who maybe don't know as much about gospel as as they would like to. And I probably would count myself in that category too. Who are some great people to start with to go check out that? Are? You know, a lot of live is probably a crucial component of it. But people that are on record, at least on record, I mean you have there's a lot of like, um uh James James Cleveland is is an
old school record guy. Um there is Callie. That's just such a such a loaded question. Um like uh uh, there's to me like Clay Evans, There's Room at the Cross for You is a great one. Um. You know, there's actually been a lot of great uh compilations um that Like I know, Um, Light in the Attic I think had a really great compilation. Numeroal groups had a
really great UM compilation. Um. Yeah, so there's there's some there's some great there's some great like there's some like gospel funk things too that are flown out, and there's also um a great one of my like there was a gospel label in um Nashville called Nashborough Records, and a lot of those records are really really, really good. Um, I would definitely check those out. Oh man, thank you. I I definitely will be doing that, and hopefully people
listening will too. Oh man, I you know, I mean hopefully the last year and a half is giving you time to, you know, reflect on what an amazing, you know, musical journey you've been on, with so many incredible moments. I mean, I imagine touring with the Stones, being on stage with Elton John. I mean I think you were, if I recall correctly, the first musical guest on on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Is there anything in
particular you have that really stands out for you? It's just like a really special moment that that you really treasure above above all else. Mm hmmm, Um, I mean those are all pretty amazing, right. UM. I do think definitely in this whole the whole pandemic has definitely made you a little more reflective and how fortunate you actually are. You know when you're in it, and people don't know this when you're touring as much as you are, Like it's hard to it's hard to stop and smell of roses,
you know, like you're you're going. You're hustling, whether it's interviews, whether it's recorded music or whatever it might be, You're you're going. And so, um, it's a it's a complicated thing. Um, but for me, that first time that we ever Um sold out Bottle Tree Cafe in Birmingham, Alabama, that was the goal. That's what we wanted to do. That's the moment to me that like I'll always remember and never will forget. Everything else is gravy. That was everything when
it when that was the goal, it really was. That was the goal, Like that was the goal. And then when that happened, it was like okay, now what And so obviously you never imagine that you're gonna you know, play play you know, open for the Stones or without you know. For me, like I work security at Botery and so that one was a really big deal because I just never thought a thousand years I would play on the stage where I did security. Um, that one
was amazing. Things like that you just kind of you grateful for and it, but I'm definitely trying to move. I'm always just a perpetual motion motion person. So I'm like, all right, what's the next thing? What's the next what? What's what's what are we doing? You know that kind of thing. Well, you're on the move a ton this year. I think you got what to tours, right, you're uh your solo tour or with the group, and then later on this summer you're without going out with fits in
the tantrums. You're I think something like fifty days something like that, quite a few. Yeah, I mean that's gonna feel good after, you know, being a bit more stationary for a while. God willing, Yeah, right, No I should not, God willing. Yeah. I mean we've we've it's you know, we haven't played much, you know, as far as touring goes, well, I don't think we've done it like I do. Think at some point this year we did like a little tin day run um and that's the longest we've toured
in two years. Um, So this this is going to be It's I think we're all really excited. We're all really excited to finally you know, it looks like and and and and the good thing is it looks like things are slowing down, you know. And I think we're I think we're hopefully um but um, God knows that we all need it, you know how. So I'm optimistic for the first time and probably a year and a half, I'm pretty optimistic. Oh, I am too. I'm really hoping we're seeing the light at the uh the end of
the tunnel with this. I gotta say, I gotta shout out your amazing stage where from from those suits to the James Brown Cape's good Lord, it looks so you look so good. It's amazing. Thank you. Um. Yeah, someone else designs all that, so it's certainly not me. Um, but I definitely am like, hey, I'm thinking this, what do you think? And they're like, Okay, that's pretty crazy, but well we'll make it happen. So so far it's worked out well. Oh man, Well, thank you so much
for your music and your time today. Can't wait to see you out there soon. God willing. I'm really thinking that it's it's it's gonna work. I I'm optimistic we're getting there were I'm We're gonna it's gonna happen. You know, we're kind of like, if this March tour doesn't happen, I might start thinking about Uber eats or something, maybe an Uber driver or something man singing telegrams or something
sings whatever. They will be playing on the backyard and invite the neighbors over and then put money in a jar. It's about where we're headed. If that that doesn't happen, well, it's gonna be a very full jar if it comes to that. I'll tell that much. Oh man, thank you so much. It's been such a joy talking to you, and your music is absolutely incredible and it moves me so much. I just thank you, thank you for having me. We hope you enjoyed this episode of Inside the Studio,
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