Thee Sacred Souls

 Mckenzie McGuire

“Love is one of the most important ingredients to a good life”

Josh Lane (Lead Singer of Thee Scared Souls)

If any artist truly has the power to romanticize your life, it is without a doubt, Thee Sacred souls. Sounds of love filled the air this past Thursday night at Mohawk in Austin as the group took us on a harmonious Journey. Not only is love infused in their sound, but it translated to everyone in the venue. Couples could be seen moved by their romantic influence embracing each other everywhere you looked. I was thrilled to get the chance to see the group live considering they have been one of my comfort artists for a while. That, along with the fact that they are gaining a huge following and making a name in the smooth modern soul genre.

Opening act, Thee Sinseers, had no trouble warming up the crowd. The band of nine members put on an interactive set that made everyone groove. They had the perfect audience to work with considering their sound was similar to Thee Sacred Souls, a charming mixture of nostalgic soul and Rhythm and Blues. Aside from the similar sound wooing the crowd, the talent of this group was impeccable. The lead singer, Joey Quiñones, who was also on the keys, had a silky, powerhouse voice with a gritty vibrato melting over the set. He was not afraid to engage with the crowd, adding a level of interaction between artist and audience as he instructed the audience to sing along. At points, he could even be found in the crowd singing alongside the audience. There were three other amazing vocalists and three horns that all seemed to be harmonizing together. In my opinion the bassist, Christopher Manjarrez, pulled the set together by rounding out the soul sound. Immediately after the show I watched their Tiny desk Concert, and although it wasn’t close to their live magic, I highly recommend watching it.

As Thee Scared Souls came on, they carried on the same energy as the opener with a little extra sprinkle of love. Their modern soul sound does not shy away from its roots. Stemming from late 60s, and early 70s sounds that I would compare to a contemporary spin on artists like, The Temptations, and Marvin Gaye. Their set consisted of an array of these sounds including, lighthearted ballads, Groovy rhythm heavy songs, and at one point, things got a little steamy with more of a sensual soul. My favorite part of the group’s sound is the Light playful guitar riffs and chords paired with the depper driving base, creating dynamic embellishments. Another thing that I loved was that the three singers played a primary role in setting the rhythms using unique melodic patterns. The group officially consists of three members. The drummer, Alex Garcia, bassist, Sal Samano, and Lead singer, Josh Lane. It seems that they are on tour with four other members, as well as worked with them to record their debut album that came out this past August.

The parts of the night that stood out the most, were when both Thee Sinseers and Thee Sacred souls interacted with the crowd. Both of the lead singers in both sets at one point came down into the crowd and sang to individuals. The groups really wanted to connect with the crowd and make them feel loved, just as the music does. This, along with the smaller venue, made the night feel very intimate and special.