St. Paul and the Broken Bones, the Rolling Stones and a new pair of shoes

Band returns to Chattanooga for show at Track 29

St. Paul and the Broken Bones
St. Paul and the Broken Bones
photo St. Paul and the Broken Bones

If you go

› What: St. Paul and the Broken Bones featuring Cicada Rhythm.› When: 9 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14.› Where: Track 29, 1400 Market St.› Admission: $25 in advance, $28 day of.› Phone: 423-521-2929.› Website: www.track29.co.

So what do you do when your band is asked to open for the Rolling Stones?

You say "Yes," of course, but then you get some new shoes, right?

That's what Paul Janeway, lead singer and frontman for St. Paul and the Broken Bones, did. Janeway is known for his big stage presence and bigger voice, along with his dapper suits and patent leather shoes in black or white.

But for the Stones gigs in 2015, he went even showier, sporting a pair that looked like someone went crazy with a BeDazzler.

"The wife made me some new shoes," he says with a laugh.

"I'm not really a shoe person, but apparently the onstage persona is. We opened for the Stones, so she said we've got to step up the shoes."

The shoes and the Stones show are just a couple of the milestones the band can tick off since their appearance here at Rhythm & Brews in 2013. They played Riverbend in 2015 and they'll be at Track 29 on Wednesday, Dec. 14.

Just four years ago, Janeway was a bank teller who thought he could sing, but he wasn't certain he could make a living at it. Today, he is a touring and recording veteran with a resume that includes playing all the major festivals, touring the world and an epic introduction from the man himself on "Late Night With David Letterman."

In introducing the band for one of his final episodes, Letterman went on at length, challenging Janeway and the band to show the audience what made theirs such a great live show. The band is known for a soulful R&B sound that seems to channel the likes of Al Green, Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye.

"That was pretty epic for us," Janeway says of the Letterman gig. "What's funny is we were really trying to slow things down and take a break, but that really propelled us even more, so we couldn't stop touring."

He says Letterman staff had told them beforehand that the host might request an encore.

"We weren't sure, and I thought they would edit out the intro," he says. "I've never seen him do that, and when he did, it was such an honor. That was the pinnacle. And, of course, then the Stones."

Janeway says he was approached by "a guy in cargo shorts" at Coachella who asked if they'd be interested in opening for the Rolling Stones.

"I laughed and told him tell them, 'Sure.' I told the guys later on the bus, and we all laughed."

Turns out the guy was legit.

Fully realizing the audiences at the shows were there to see Mick and the boys, Janeway says he took it as a challenge to make them St. Paul fans as well.

"I don't like it when someone tells me that I can't do something. I said I don't care if I have to set myself on fire, but we will win them over. It was easier in the South, but in Buffalo it took a little bit. Keith [Richards] suggested doing 'Try a Little Tenderness.' That got them. I was more proud of that than anything.

"To think that any fan of the Rolling Stones is a fan of ours is pretty incredible."

Janeway, a native of Chelsea, Ala., says he's reached one other milestone in the last couple of years, and it's a big one for him.

"I've been able to make mortgage payments on a house. That's the big thing."

Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.

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