Hey Bob, Awesome write up and spot on here. Wait till you see them live next time they play in Los Angeles. They will blow you away. All 8 members of the band are so dynamic, and Paul is pure, non-stop entertainment!! I just heard the live version of ‘Sushi and Coca-Cola’ and they took this under 3-minute song and created a 7-minute live anthem that will make you get up and dance by yourself. You can’t stop moving! They are as authentic as it gets in music, and this song is going to move them to the next level and beyond. It does not fit a format or a DSP playlist, it is simply great music that is going to bleed into the mainstream and not leave, because the song and band has “it”. We all want “it”, and “it” is hard to find and get. St Paul and the Broken Bones will be around for many more decades, and you will love it when you see them every time live! 

Warren Christensen

Q Prime

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Thanks, BOB… Now you’ve created an earworm for me!  Not the greatest song I’ve ever heard, but certainly one with a nice groove. I’m not sure that Saint Paul is better than The Commitments, but Paul’s voice is really slick, and you don’t hardly ever hear any horn bands around anymore today, which I really miss! Bottom line is, this song should definitely have more traction than it currently does. As a former Head of promotion for several labels, I believe I could’ve gotten this played… Just sayin’…

Michael Abramson

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Hey Bob – your timing on this is so great.  I just saw St Paul & the Broken Bones this past Saturday at a free show in Marina del Rey as part of their summer concert series.  It was such a fun show, and as you mention below, everyone was up and moving for “Sushi and Coca-Cola.”  There’s no denying that he has a great voice, puts on a good show, AND they had the horns with them.  Keep spreading the word about real music!

All the best – Mary Jurey

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loved it song of summer 25…no lie…good vibe

Chris Rodinis

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I love the groove and his voice, that is one of the oddest videos I have seen but I like it!!

Doug Gillis

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Good shout on St Paul and the Broken Bones.

We saw them at the Ryman in Nashville many years ago. It was one of the greatest show I have seen. He looks like the guy other guys picked on in High School but he performs like James Brown only weirder. At one point he randomly rolled himself in the stage rug and hid under the drum riser. It was strange and fabulous. And he is a great singer.

Best

Michael Ross

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Saw them this summer at The Capitol Groove festival – a very cool midsize fest in downtown Hartford – where they blew the place out.  Was pretty inspiring and amazing to hear how many people – young kids – talking about their set even on Day 2.

Dave Rubin

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Been into them since their first album…..seen them many times live always a good time.

Michael Rosenblatt

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Simple? Yes.

Derivative? Yes.

Infectious? HELL YEAHHH!!

Nice find, Bob.

DG

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Thanks Bob, love this tune.

Louis Lindstrom

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Thank you, Bob!!!  This is great.  It is just where my head is right now.  Just sounds good.  Groove!  Give me an authentic band where people are playing real instruments. The horn section is killer.  The dude can sing, too!  The drummer plays just behind the beat, and it sounds like VINYL! This made me feel like I was a kid again, listening to Al Green or Billy Paul on my Zenith shelf-style radio (badass speaker, by the way!) in my bedroom .. singing along with an invisible microphone, while moving around the room like I was on “In Concert” or “Midnight Special!”

I hope to see this band LIVE. I was hooked at first listen!  Great group!

🙂

Beki Brindle-Scala

Woodstock, NY

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Terrific song.

Would feel at home on Stax.

Thanks,

Ernie Canadeo

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Al Green would’ve killed with this song..

I like it

Jeff Laufer

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I put these guys in the Muscle Shoals Sound category, classic style that, as you say, forces you to get up and move.  I’ve seen them live (in a smaller venue) and the show was great, they love their jobs and it comes across on the stage.

Jeff Bray

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This is crazy good.

You can’t possibly oversell it.

How is this not the song of the summer of 2025?!?!??!

I’ve never run into this band before.. Going off to research.

Thanks for this.!!!

It is exactly what I needed.

Karen Gordon

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Love this! And the video.

John Parikhal

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St. Paul and the BB, Sushi and Coca Cola is very good. Paul Janeway and his cape wardrobe and stunning voice range is simply masterful. I’ve been a fan since I first heard Apollo.

Thanks Bobby!

Thank you,

Gary Hunter, CCIM

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Me thinks one of your better picks. It’s a killin’  track for all your stated reasons.  I saw them live about 6 years ago and found them, meh. After listening to this tune, I might give em another chance live.

Thanks, Bob.

Dave McNair

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Check out St Paul and the Broken Bones’ performance on NPR’s Tiny Desk. Great stuff!

 

Love your letters!

 

Thanks!

 

Pete Thompson

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i like the sushi song!

Jeff Lorber

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LOVE IT!!

Tom Gillam

New BraunfelsTX

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Thanks for the tip, Bob.

Their latest, “Fall Moon” has it going on too.

Rusty

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Great pick, thank you.

Kind regards,
Rob Whittaker

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The difference between a guitar + keyboards pop rock band vs. the same band with a well-charted  horn section blended in is like the difference between a plain scoop of ice cream vs. a hot fudge sundae.

Paul Lanning

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As a mid-60ish music fan, I couldn’t agree with you more. It’s increasingly hard to find worthy tunes to spin in this era and when you run across a working band that brings some soul/funk and horns to the mix, like St. Paul & The Broken Bones, you will have my ears. I submit the finest example of this genre is Tedeschi Trucks Band. The “wall of sound” they emit as a 12-piece ensemble is magnificent! Certainly, the economics of touring with such a lineup are daunting, and I admire them even more for placing the auditory experience of their fans above simply maximizing the bottom line.

Taylor Josey

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You like this ’cause it’s a REAL song.  The lyrics work against the music in a terrific way.  It’s kind of everyday/every life, sweetly sad.  Tough day…nothin’ fancy, just another tricky, lucky day.

AND…Paul Janeway’s vocal is damned good. That kind of tight, focussed, nasal, soulful intelligence is pretty rare at the moment…(he reminds me a bit of Frazee Ford).

Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

gPresto

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Sorry, pass.

You want horns, listen to Tedeschi Trucks Band

Larry Mollin

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Thanks for bringing some love to songs like this, and more importantly, this fantastic band – especially live in concert.  I’ve seen them live many times over the last few years, including twice this year already. (They were touring with the Wood Brothers this summer, another non-mainstream band that is very good in concert).  At every show, Paul and the band play with real emotion and energy. There is no pretentious BS at their shows. They are all better musicians than you’d expect, and their lead guitarist can really rock. But you’re right, it’s the horns and Paul himself that kill it song after song.

I grew up in So. Cal and have been going to shows since my older sister took me to see Black Sabbath at the Long Beach Arena in 1976. Ater a long career in the event and sports marketing business, which included 30+ years of travel and the opportunity to see concerts all over the country, I recently retired.  And my passion now is seeing good bands in smaller venues.  I’m up to 26 shows this year, with another 10 already booked for the fall/winter.  I’m on a Rock n’ Roll retirement plan!

I don’t go to festivals, stadiums or big arena shows anymore.  I don’t want to see screens, videos, massive light shows or pyrotechnics.  I want to see and hear a band deliver a show to a crowd.  Some bands are good musicians.  Some bands are good entertainers.  But when a band can deliver both, that is a special night.  I live for those nights.   St. Paul and the Broken Bones is one of those bands.

At some point in every show, they play a very long version of the song Sanctify.  Paul usually goes out into the audience and finds a place he can get a little elevated.  He gets creative at times.  At the show I saw in Ft. Wayne, IN, last month, he climbed up a 20″ ladder and continued to sing!  When he’s in that robe (like he’s wearing in the video you sent), and he’s singing that song, the venue becomes a church, and he is testifying!!  The place is electric! To quote the late, great Jim Ladd, “Lord may mercy”!

Go see St. Paul and the Broken Bones live. They will fill your heart and soul with nothing but great music.

Cheers Bob!

Bill O’Neil

The story of their new book “Buzz Me In: Inside the Record Plant Studios.”

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/david-goggin-martin-porter/id1316200737?i=1000722936461

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/b340b055-312e-4b9a-abbc-00beb2fffa88/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-david-goggin-martin-porter

This is what made me write the “Fandom” post.

Newsom’s been all over my social media feeds giving it back to Trump and the Republicans, but in the mainstream media…crickets.

Until today.

Today the “Times,” Politico, Yahoo and more got on board.

But the account he’s posting from still only has 430,000 X(Twitter) followers. But I don’t blame Newsom, I BLAME THE DEMOCRATS! Who’ve demonized social media to the point where it’s a crime to be on it. Whereas voters eat this stuff up. Young voters. But the Democratic party is controlled by oldsters who can’t be attacked, for if you do so it’s AGEISM! Forget that Biden was losing his marbles, HE WAS TOO DAMN OLD! Nobody wants a president who’s 86…it’s unfathomable.

But whenever I wrote that my inbox went wild with self-righteous lefties who thought they knew better. It’s like a Bob Dylan song come to life…except this time the times have already changed, will you please get out of the way?

If the Democrats even play online it’s sanitized, for fear of pissing someone off. That’s the Democratic party, you’ve got to shut up because someone somewhere might take offense. Boy have the Republicans won on this issue… I mean let people speak! And tell me once again why trans females should be playing in women’s sports? Forget that there aren’t that many, does every minority group have the right to do everything?

No, and this never will be. We are all prisoners of our limitations. Face them and do your best.

But the funny thing is the people defending these supposedly marginal groups almost always aren’t members of them! Whenever I’m accused of sexism it comes from men. Same deal if you mention something about Latinos or native Americans or Blacks. These minorities are sick and tired of middle class whitey hijacking their cause while saying they know better. THIS is one of the main reasons why minority groups shifted to Trump in greater numbers, never mind the fact that the Democrats say a lot and do little for these factions.

I can see my inbox right now, HERESY! Why are you attacking the Democrats, you must be loyal to the TEAM! A team almost everyone has abandoned? That is out of touch with the populace? Can’t anybody look at themselves and change?

Rogan and Von win because they are regular guys. Where are the regular guys on the left who young men can relate to? On the left everybody is highbrow, and the Democrats who dip their toes into podcasts are so damn media-trained that no one thinks they’re honest. Today you must speak your mind and let the cards fall where they may. Stop APOLOGIZING! How did that start in America. Everybody’s always apologizing, as if this lets them off the hook, and oftentimes they should have stood their ground, but once again, they’re fearful of offending someone.

I’d be stunned if Gavin Newsom can win the presidency. Because the right has spent years labeling California a hellhole. Not a week goes by without a major story about companies or people moving to Texas or Oklahoma… California is a passé state with too many regulations, even Ezra Klein came down on it.

I don’t agree, but I don’t want to argue with perception, perception is EVERYTHING!

So Newsom is giving the Republicans a taste of their own medicine. For a few weeks Newsom’s tweets have been so outrageous you almost believed someone was posting from a parody account. Normally Democrats post sans humor, which is why they have no virality. They don’t mash up images, use AI…it’s so dry you’re about to die.

Want to do something? Turn off MSNBC, stop listening to left wing talk radio and start following @GovPressOffice immediately. Download X(Twitter) if you don’t already have the app. Yes, break your cardinal rule against social media, USE IT! Then you’ll have a clue what the young ‘uns now in control of our country truly think.

And while you’re at it download TikTok and follow @cagovernor

Or go directly to Newsom’s posts here: https://www.tiktok.com/@cagovernor?lang=en

Why am I telling you to do this? BECAUSE IT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD! You will smile. Trump and the Republicans are vulnerable, but all the elected Democratic officials do is sit on their rear ends and say their hands are tied. BUT NOT NEWSOM!

And you know why? Gavin Newsom is a product of California, he was born in San Francisco.

In California it doesn’t matter what college you went to, who your parents are, all that east coast crap you’re inundated with at the Ivys and in Manhattan and D.C. No, everybody starts from the same line and you make it up as you go. And the whole state is based on the long shot. Taking big risks. It’s an ethos that has not flourished anywhere else in the nation. In California the sky’s the limit, in the rest of the country you’re taught to know your place. Don’t agree? THEN YOU DON’T LIVE HERE!

Everybody is so pissed off. Everybody thinks things must go their way. The new is abhorred. Nobody is taking a risk, they don’t want to put a single dollar in jeopardy. But since they went to a good school they’re self-satisfied and believe they’re better than the rest. And, unfortunately, THESE SAME DAMN PEOPLE ARE IN CONTROL OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY!

It’s time to do your part, can the pessimism and embrace a bit of optimism.

If I hear one more Democrat talk about 2028… Do you truly think there’s going to be a free and fair election then? It will be too late! We already saw Texas gerrymandering today. And Trump’s minions want all the voting rolls. And no mail-in voting… You know, the Democrats too busy to wait in line at the polls because they’re above it…

HAVE I PISSED YOU OFF YET?

If so, either change or get out of the way. How come you can’t question your precepts, how come you need to believe you’re better than everybody else?

Every party needs a leader. And right now the Democrats have a vacuum. It’s like a hot potato, no one wants to stick their neck out.

Don’t you get it, THE REPUBLICANS ARE VULNERABLE!

Ultimately it’s about hearts and minds, didn’t we learn that in Vietnam?

But all we’ve got is defeated poobahs with horrific loss records saying to follow them. NO!

Let’s jump into the fray and get our hands dirty.

But no, the Democrats are like France…they believe their language and culture are superior but then they capitulate whenever challenged, they don’t even put up a good fight.

Where is the ATTITUDE on the left?

With Gavin Newsom and nobody else.

Newsom runs the largest state in the nation, one that keeps the red states alive with its taxes. Yet the perception is the state is a pariah.

Innovation? It was supposed to come from Florida…what a joke. Ditto Texas. As for New York? You’ve got to be rich to live there and the tech scene has always been anemic.

California is the fourth largest economy in the world. Why is everybody apologizing for it? Not Newsom, he’s embracing the power and flaunting it. Let him be a beacon to those on the left.

Newsom represents hope. And isn’t that what Obama won on, even if he didn’t do so much in office?

Newsom has real power, and he’s wielding it. KUDOS!

Re: Spotify Global Weekly Top Songs Chart

Bob,

This letter made me chuckle, because you ain’t wrong. And what Spotify shows for last week unwittingly aligns with what we sell as PHYSICAL copies in an indie record store in St. Louis (Euclid Records).

When it comes to sales of FMac Rumours, they should just issue that album to every child at birth!

And that Goo Goo Dolls ranking is not surprising to us.

Here’s a snapshot of our top sellers for 2024. The totals are a combination of new and used vinyl & CDs:

DESCRIPTION NAME SALESLAST365

1. Aerovons “Resurrection” 330

2. Chappell Roan “The Rise and Fall 184

of a Midwest Princess”

3. Taylor Swift “The Tortured Poets 172

Department”

4. Fleetwood Mac “Rumours” 95

5. Goo Goo Dolls “Greatest Hits Vol. 1” 75

6. Charli XCX “Brat” 65

7. Vince Guaraldi “Charlie Brown 60

Xmas”

8. Taylor Swift “Midnights” 58

9. Taylor Swift “1989 T.’s Version” 57

10. Miles Davis “Kind of Blue” 52

11. Billie Eilish “Hit Me Hard and 52

Soft”

12. MF DOOM “Mm…Food” 52

13. Vampire Weekend “Only God Was 52

Above Us”

14. Led Zeppelin “IV (ZOSO)” 51

15. Pink Floud “Dark Side of the 47

Moon”

16. Beatles “White Album” 46

17. Jack White No Name 46

18. The Cure “Songs of a Lost 44

World”

19. Kendrick Lamar “Good Kid 43

M.A.A.D. City”

20. Sturgill Simpson/ “Passage Du Desir” 43

Johnny Blue Skies

21. Weezer Blue Album 43

22. Beatles “Revolver” 42

23. Noah Kahan “Stick Season” 42

24. Hozier Hozier 39

25. Beyoncé “Cowboy Carter” 38

26. Olivia Rodrigo “Guts” 38

27. Smile “Wall of Eyes” 37

We sold 30 copies of Arctic Monkeys AM in 2024. And this year, it remains a title we can’t get enough of to keep in regular stock.

And we are continually astounded at how much Journey (and Kansas!) gets scooped up. It’s used vinyl, because the labels haven’t re-issued them yet. Meaning, we can only sell what used copies come in the door, so their sales are limited by inventory.

It’s intriguing to see Spotify numbers translating to when people of all ages decide it’s time to have a physical copy of it.

And side bar to a previous letter topic:

We need a music streaming service on our iPad to play sealed new releases in the store to generate in-store interest and sales (labels just don’t send promo copies like they used to).

We recently canceled our Spotify subscription and hooked up with Tidal.

The sound quality is noticeably better.

And many of our popular sellers (like King Gizz) are no longer on Spotify. We need a streamer that HAS the artists whose new titles we’re trying to sell.

Thanks for another intriguing letter,

Toby Weiss