St. Paul and The Broken Bones @ The Electric Factory.

Text and images by Jumah Chaguan.

The microphone took a beating Saturday night as St. Paul and The Broken Bones took to the Electric Factory stage. Lead singer Paul Janeway belted his vocal chords and soul away.

Janeway, who once mowed lawns and came close to completing an accounting degree, sang his blue-eyed soul with such passion and pain while flashing his teeth to the crowd. His accountant-like appearance is a paradox on stage. He balances on one foot and then gyrates, only to succumb to his knees like a preacher taken by the spirit.

“James Brown!” yelled a concertgoer.

St. Paul and the Broken Bones are far removed from singing the sexy songs by James Brown. Instead, the band’s lyrics are lessons in how to live with the downs of love loss. Their album Half the City is composed for one kind of audience: the unrequited souls in need of more time.

Those who are hungry for catharsis don’t need to look any further. St. Paul and The Broken Bones deliver with soulful fidelity. Being in pain never sounded so good. The band has struck the right chord. Their show tomorrow in Boston is already sold out.