Dance with the Discography of Thee Sacred Souls on August 30

Get ready to descend into a new kind of smooth groove at the Santa Barbara Bowl. Thee Sacred Souls are cruising into town later this month with a soul-fused show under the stars for their Constellation Tour. Joining them are friends LA LOM, another soul-bending trio from California, as well as The Womack Sisters, who are continuing on the legacy of Sam Cooke, Womack & Womack, and Bobby Womack (their grandfather, parents, and uncle, respectively). These three trios will light up our stage on Sunday, August 30.

Whether you’re a longtime fan like myself or this show is serving as your first introduction to the group, you’re in for a night of unforgettable vocals and effusive storytelling. Thee Sacred Souls emerged from San Diego in 2020 with the label Daptone Records helping to bring their sonic sounds to life. Their music is fused with undertones of R&B, delta blues, reggae, Jamaican rocksteady, girl-group pop, and more — but, as drummer Alex Garcia puts it, “it all ends up sounding somewhat like soul music.”

But this is no cover-esque band creating oldies. Thee Sacred Souls offer up a completely unique and new sound and feel with their music — something that lives and breathes in today’s space and speaks to the listener’s soul. “I feel the thing you create becomes your own voice and becomes unique when you can kind of tune out of everything and find the way you write songs,” Garcia said, speaking with me on the phone before one of his shows. “It’s not so much trying to copy or fit into a certain sound or genre.”

And for this tour, Garcia —whose core bandmates include bassist Sal Samano, and singer Josh Lane — says they’re going all out with a full band accompanying them. Adding to this impactful sound sweeping the stage, they pour a beautiful blend of imagination, personal stories and emotions, and truthful accounts from today into every song. Each performance is an exploration of their discography, using the audience to “play looser and just feed off the energy,” so at times Garcia ends up “surprising [himself] and trying new things on stage.” For Garcia and bandmates Sal Samano (guitar) and Josh Lane (vocals), there is a constant creative flow of music, even on tour.

“Even right now, I have a guitar with me and I’m still finalizing tunes and trying to work out new stuff,” Garcia said. Having been on the road and fitting in performances since 2022, a lot of their recent music has been shaped and crafted between shows and short breaks. But Garcia mentioned that this tour isn’t just about honing their craft, it’s about enjoying their experience. 

For Thee Sacred Souls, getting to listen to and enjoy their opening acts before a show has made the experience that much better. “It makes it more interesting, especially for us to actually enjoy watching the people that open,” Garcia explained. “Every show’s been great being able to watch our friends play live. It kind of makes you play better.”

One opener, The Womack Sisters (BG, Zeimani, and Kucha), descend from soul music royalty. The three grew up on tour with their parents Cecil and Linda, and this lifelong study of music has gifted them their own unique sound and talents. They sing the soul of today, pulling on real life experiences and modern-day struggles to build the experience of their music, making their rich harmonies that much sweeter. This trio shares the label Daptone Records with Thee Sacred Souls and crafts their music in the signature sonic sound given to the label’s artists. 

The other trio on the bill, LA LOM, consists of Los Angeles natives Zac Sokolow (guitar), Jake Faulkner (bass), and Nicholas Baker (drums/percussion), whose instrumental music will transport you to the heart of L.A. Since 2022, this trio has refined their sound to mix Mexican, Cuban, and Peruvian music traditions with elements of soul, jazz, and rock to rumble listeners into a distinct California groove and sound. 

It’s an all-night soul-filled fest you won’t want to miss. As Thee Sacred Souls continue their trail to Santa Barbara with this stellar soul lineup, Garcia reflected on all the traveling they had done. “It’s something to be grateful for, being able to see the world and play music and meet different people from different cultures,” Garcia said. “It just makes it surreal to see people around the world singing songs that you made in your garage.” 

Thee Sacred Souls performs at the Santa Barbara Bowl (1122 N. Milpas St.) Sunday, August 30, 6 p.m. Tickets are still available at sbbowl.com.