It was a Saturday night with a little bit of blues, a little bit of soul, a little bit of glitter, and a whole lot of fun.
“Aren’t we lucky to all be here tonight. Wow,” said soulful singer Oliver Wood, the long-haired guitarist from The Wood Brothers, as he gestured around the beautiful setting.
I was still buzzing from the ebullient creativity of the Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Parade, as I settled into my perch for a warm and lovely evening of music at the Bowl. Opening their set with the “Can’t Look Away” from the 2018 album One Drop of Truth, I certainly didn’t want to look away from the talented trio, which also features Oliver’s actual brother Chris Wood on upright bass and vocals, and multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix, who primarily played percussion in an evening that included songs from all over their 20-plus-year musical library.
The Wood Brothers, Santa Barbara Bowl, June 21, 2025 | Photo: Carl Perry 
The Wood Brothers, Santa Barbara Bowl, June 21, 2025 | Photo: Carl Perry 
The Wood Brothers, Santa Barbara Bowl, June 21, 2025 | Photo: Carl Perry 
Oliver Wood, The Wood Brothers, Santa Barbara Bowl, June 21, 2025 | Photo: Carl Perry 
Oliver Wood, The Wood Brothers, Santa Barbara Bowl, June 21, 2025 | Photo: Carl Perry 
Jano Rix, The Wood Brothers, Santa Barbara Bowl, June 21, 2025 | Photo: Carl Perry 
Oliver Wood, The Wood Brothers, Santa Barbara Bowl, June 21, 2025 | Photo: Carl Perry 
Chris Wood, The Wood Brothers, Santa Barbara Bowl, June 21, 2025 | Photo: Carl Perry 
The Wood Brothers, Santa Barbara Bowl, June 21, 2025 | Photo: Carl Perry 
Chris Wood, The Wood Brothers, Santa Barbara Bowl, June 21, 2025 | Photo: Carl Perry 
Jano Rix, The Wood Brothers, Santa Barbara Bowl, June 21, 2025 | Photo: Carl Perry 
Oliver Wood, The Wood Brothers, Santa Barbara Bowl, June 21, 2025 | Photo: Carl Perry 
Jano Rix, The Wood Brothers, Santa Barbara Bowl, June 21, 2025 | Photo: Carl Perry
“Sky High” (with the poignant lyrics “There’s something ’bout the bass / below the melody / There’s something ’bout the lows / Tells the highs how to be”), “Far from Alone,” and “A Little Bit Sweet,” about the loss of their father last spring, were among the highlights.
It’s a big sound from just three band members and despite some of the sadder tunes, it was an uplifting bluesy, Americana show.
“Who wouldn’t be happy in this beautiful spot? You could be watching reruns of The Golden Girls and you’d be psyched,” quipped Oliver Wood. He wasn’t wrong — at least on that night.
With The Wood Brothers co-headling alongside St. Paul & the Broken Bones, the second part of the evening was equally delightful but with a completely different, way more frenetic vibe. It took a minute for me to transition from the intimacy of The Wood Brothers music to the high theatrics of St. Paul.
St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Santa Barbara Bowl, June 21, 2025 | Photo: Carl Perry 
Paul Janeway, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Santa Barbara Bowl, June 21, 2025 | Photo: Carl Perry 
Paul Janeway, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Santa Barbara Bowl, June 21, 2025 | Photo: Carl Perry 
St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Santa Barbara Bowl, June 21, 2025 | Photo: Carl Perry 
Paul Janeway, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Santa Barbara Bowl, June 21, 2025 | Photo: Carl Perry 
St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Santa Barbara Bowl, June 21, 2025 | Photo: Carl Perry 
St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Santa Barbara Bowl, June 21, 2025 | Photo: Carl Perry 
Paul Janeway, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Santa Barbara Bowl, June 21, 2025 | Photo: Carl Perry
As soon as the eight-piece Birmingham, Alabama–based soul revival band took the stage, all the memories of flashy sassy lead singer Paul Janeway strutting up and down the aisles of the Arlington back in 2018 (in a UCSB Arts & Lectures show) flooded back to me.
The band stirred up the crowd with guitars, horns, brass, and a get-on-up-and-dance-style energy that’s every bit as infectious and fun as the Solstice Parade.
Lead singer Paul Janeway is amazing, with a gorgeous voice and dynamite range that reminds me of young Patti LuPone or Bernadette Peters. Get this guy on Broadway, stat!
The band, all dressed in black suits but still managing to maintain their individual styles — featuring Jesse Phillips (bass), Browan Lollar (guitar), Kevin Leon (drums), Al Gamble (keyboards), Allen Branstetter (trumpet), Chad Fisher (trombone), and Amari Ansari (saxophone) — is also pretty fabulous. They opened with “Flow with It (You Got Me Feeling Like)” from their 2016 album Sea of Noise, and between Janeway’s incredible pipes and charming dance moves and poses (the late Chris Farley could have done this guy proud), the good vibes flowed from start to finish.
“Wolf in Rabbit Clothes,” (from 2023’s Angels in Science Fiction), “Sushi and Coca Cola,” and “GotItBad” (from 2018’s Young Sick Camelia) were among the set’s highlights. So was a cover of The Band’s song “Ophelia,” with The Wood Brothers joining in.
All in all, St. Paul & the Broken Bones are terrific. The only thing I didn’t love was how many times Janeway left the stage and the band indulged in long, long, long jam sessions over and over again, while Janeway presumably caught his breath. I know some people love that, but personally it’s, uh, not really my jam. That being said, I couldn’t ask for a stronger, more theatrical finale than when Janeway emerged in a glittery choir robe toward the end, parting the seas of the audience as he serenaded us with a long walk all the way up to the tippy-top of the Bowl and back down again. It was a shimmery way to end a beautifully entertaining evening.
