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Show www.dailyutahchronicle.com 5 ARTS Tuesday April 15, 2014 St. Paul and the Broken Bones bring back soul COURTESY OF ST. PAUL AND THE BROKEN BONES St. Paul and the Broken Bones will be performing at Kilby Court on Wednesday. Shawna Meyer STAFF WRITER From the late 'dos to the early '9os, soul music lost its grit as artists polished its affective sounds, making them perfectly smooth. Wanting to take the genre back to its Southern roots, the band St. Paul and the Broken Bones is revisiting soul's imperfections, honesty and passion. Hailing from Alabama, St. Paul and the Broken Bones consists of seven people: lead vocalist Paul Janeway, bassist Jesse Phillips, guitarist Browan Lollar, trumpet player Allen Branstetter, drummer Andrew Lee, trombone and tuba player Ben Griner and keyboardist Al Gamble. With so many artists, it's difficult to believe that individuals are heard. However, this cohesive group stresses collaboration and understands that each individual brings authenticity to the table. St. Paul and the Broken Bones' music is influenced by undeniable soul powerhouses such as Curtis Mayfield, Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett. Nonetheless, its eclectic list of influences doesn't only stem from one genre — it also include names such as Big Star, Radiohead and even The Beatles. "I guess for me personally, I try to approach music simplistically. Like, it's all about the song and not necessarily about the effects," Lollar said. "It's really about what you can do with your fingers, a guitar and an amp." This simple approach results in bona fide music that has soul roots but also ties in R&B and Motown. Each track on their debut album "Half the City" swells with horns, steady rhythms, emotional depth and intense vocals by Janeway. "When I first met Paul, he definitely went along with the 'never judge a book by its cover' thing," Lollar said. "I think it shocks most everybody when that kind of voice comes out of someone who look likes an accountant, but after getting to know Paul, it's so much a part of who he is that now it is natural." Although St. Paul and the Broken Bones doesn't embody the traditional soul band look, its energetic live shows are certainly reminiscent of performers such as Al Green and James Brown. Their shows have created a lot of hype, and the group feeds off this excitement. When it came to recording "Half the City," every member agreed it was important to retain a live aspect in the studio. The posse recorded each track in the live setting of the renowned Nutthouse in Muscle Shoals, Ala. Recording the album live enabled St. Paul and the Broken Bones to retain the honesty and integrity of their music. "We wanted to capture a live band. We wanted to see if we could do that because a lot of our favorite bands and recordings were basically live performances ... Hopefully, it made it sound a little bit more honest," Lollar said. "We wanted it to be rough around the edges because we feel like soul music lost that edge." Stand-out tracks on the LP include "Broken Bones and Pocket Change" and "Call Me." "Broken Bones and Pocket Change" has a bluesy feel to it. "Call Me" begins with a funky guitar riff and a short blast of horns. It crescendos to an upbeat rhythmic section showcasing the band's instrumental prowess. St. Paul and the Broken Bones will perform at Kilby Court on Wednesday, April i6 at 7 p.m. s.meyer@chronicle.utah.edu Repertory Dance Theatre: 'Each sound, image and step was powerful' Enoabasi Etokidem STAFF WRITER As the lights dimmed, on the stage stood a line of dancers, still and dramatic. Scenic music began to radiate from the speakers. In unison, the dancers pranced across the stage in calculated movements, creating various shapes. Repertory Dance Theatre's latest production, "Land," hit the stage last weekend. Inspired by Western landscapes, "Desert Sea," choreographed by Molissa Fenley, opened the modern dance performance. Like the sands of the Colorado Plateau, this piece's background shone a subtle red. The gentle yet precise nature of the dancers' steps evoked the delicate designs of the blankets that American Indians make. In a similar fashion, the performers told stories using their bodies. The following piece, "Erosion," was choreographed by Zvi Gotheiner and utilized a similar fashion of revealing Western geography. "The pieces become alive through our personal imagery of what they represent," said Alyssa Thompson, a dancer from the Repertory Dance Theatre. From harsh desert topography to the meditative element of forests, Ze'eva Cohen's "Rainwood" introduced a soothing element. Accompanied by rainforest animal sounds such as frogs and insects, "Rainwood's" scenery transported the audience to a vast wilderness. The dancers wore colorful barklike costumes, and with spontaneous and animalistic motion, they mimicked the sights of the forest. By twitching in unexpected ways and sporadically flapping their arms to replicate the movements of a bird, they captivated viewers' attention. Throughout "Land," the lack of inhibitions the dancers displayed was odd in an appropriate sense, given they wanted to precisely mirror the actions of various animals. "We try to feel every single piece. We've been preparing mentally and physically for months, and the result of this preparation is what you see on stage," said Justin Bass, a dancer from the Repertory Dance Theatre. The final piece, Shapiro & Smith's "Turf," separated from the theme of "Land." It did not focus on geology — rather, it was a satirical piece designed to leave an impression about perseverance, work ethic and favorable competition. In essence, the piece centered on the dancers' competition. Every performer wanted to take the spotlight on a piece of carpet. Eventually, they decided to dance on the carpet together. The ending of "Turf" was both touching and funny, as a PHOTO COURTESY OF REPERTORY DANCE THEATRE Dancers from the Repertory Dance Theatre perform "Land:' female dancer absentmindedly pranced across stage. With each move she made, a male character was there to ensure the carpet was always beneath her feet. All in all, "Land" offered thought-provoking themes of humor and environmentalism. By mirroring landscapes, animals and other objects, "Land" turned into an amusing representation of modern dance. The most striking aspect of the performance was its ability to invoke powerful emotions. From serenity to glee, each sound, image and step was powerful. This relay of emotions was what Bass hoped the audience would derive from the performance. "I want my audience to feel a type of emotion because our job as artists is to change minds and influence people," he said. e.etokidem@chronicle.utah.edu |