Rising San Diego-based soul act Thee Sacred Souls — founding members and multi-instrumentalists Alex Garcia and Sal Samano, along with Josh Lane (vocals) — can trace some of their origins back to simpatico that Garcia and Samano felt while cutting bedroom recorded demos of rhythm tracks that weaved elements of Chicano, Philly, Chicago, Detroit and even Panama soul, which the pair grew up listening to and loved.
When Garcia and Samano connected with Lane, the newly constituted trio quickly settled upon their sound: Lane’s tender falsetto ethereally floating over Garcia’s and Samano’s old-school, two-step inducing rhythms.
Their first live set caught the attention of bassist and Daptone Records co-founder and producer Gabriel Roth, who was so impressed by what he had seen that he invited the band to stop by his Riverside, CA-based studio, Penrose Recorders, where they started putting their first notes on tape. Back in 2020, Daptone Records imprint Penrose Records released the San Diego soul outfit’s debut single “Can I Call You Rose?”/”Weak For Your Love,” a single which caught attention across both the national and international soul scenes.
Building upon a growing profile, Thee Sacred Souls released “Give Us Justice,” a song written in response to George Floyd’s murder. “Give Us Justice,” caught the attention of multi-Grammy Award-nominated JOVM mainstay act The Black Pumas, who mentioned the song as their “The song that will define 2020 for me” in Rolling Stone. Proceeds from the track were donated to organizations that promote and advocate for the freedoms, rights and well-being of Black people, beginning with the Movement for Black Lives.
Last year, the band released “It’s Our Love,” a slow-burning and swooning, old school-like ballad, featuring soaring organ chords, glistening guitar, shuffling rhythms paired with Lane’s achingly tender falsetto and an enormous hook. The song talks about love in sweetly old-school terms: the deep bond and affection between a romantic couple that’s in it for the long haul. Lucky and rare are those to find it.
Thee Sacred Souls will be releasing their highly-anticipated Gabriel Roth-produced self-titled, full-length debut through Daptone Records on August 26, 2022. The album reportedly sees the San Diego-based soul outfit proudly continuing in the tradition of beloved Daptone Records artists like Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley — both on album and live.
The self-titled album’s latest single, the slow-burning, sun dappled ballad, “Easier Said Than Done” will further cement the act’s growing reputation for effortlessly putting down tight grooves paired with glistening guitar licks, Lane’s achingly plaintive vocals and their unerring knack for infectious hooks. Lyrically, the song captures the fact that love is difficult and requires constant work — both individually and as a couple.
Directed and cinematically shot by Casey Liu, the accompanying video for “Easier Said Than Done” is equally sun dappled, as it follows the trio and their live band through some gorgeous Southern California scenery.
Thee Sacred Souls are currently on the road touring. The tour includes two NYC area stops: June 22, 2022 at Brooklyn Made and July 20 at Central Park SummerStage. Check out the rest of the tour dates below.
Summer/Fall 2022 Tour Dates
Jun-22 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Made
Jun-23 – Washington, DC – Black Cat
Jun-24 – Mt. Solon, VA – Red Wing Roots Music Fest
Jul-15 – San Diego, CA – Corazón Del Barrio
Jul-16 – Salinas, CA – Fox Theater
Jul-20 – New York, NY – Central Park SummerStage
Jul-22 – Carnation, WA – Timber! Festival
Jul-23 – Calgary, ALB – Calgary Folk Music Festival
Jul-24 – Calgary, ALB – Calgary Folk Music Festival
Jul-30 – Pomona, CA – Pomona Fairplex – Derby Room
Aug-6 – Happy Valley, OR – Pickathon
Aug-7 – Happy Valley, OR – Pickathon
Aug-10 – Santa Cruz, CA – Rio Theater
Aug-12 – San Luis Obispo, CA – SLO Brew
Aug-13 – Los Angeles, CA – Levitt Pavilion at MacArthur Park
Aug-18 – Santa Ana, CA – La Santa
Aug-28 – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
Aug-30 – Petaluma, CA – Lagunitas Amphitheater
Sep-1 – Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s
Sep-2 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
Sep-3 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
Sep-18 – Telluride, CO – Telluride Blues & Brews Festival
Oct-8 – San Bernardino, CA – Glen Helen Amphitheater (The Art Laboe Show)
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