Original image of Joey Quiñones and Thee Sinseers by There Stands the Glass.
The Music Explosion’s version of “Little Bit O’ Soul” was my mantra on the sweltering evening of Sunday, September 3. Paraphrasing the lyrics to the inspirational 1967 hit, I was in a mess and I felt like crying. A little bit of soul put me right, at least for a couple hours.
Forking over $25 at Lemonade Park temporarily deepened my despair. The tepid response Alanna Royale received from the approximately 300 people inside the venue and about 150 looky-loos outside the gates didn’t help matters.
The salty patter of the Nashville based artist and the finesse of her four piece backing band distracted me, but I didn’t feel much better at the conclusion of her 50-minute set. Shazaming a couple rare 45s selected by Boss Hooligan Sound System at the break brightened my mood.
The undiluted joy on the faces of about three dozen women who huddled at the front of the stage during The Altons’ 50-minute performance raised my spirits further. The Los Angeles band adds hints of psychedelic garage rock to its pleasing blend of vintage soul and Latin oldies.
Contributions from Joey Quiñones of Los Angeles’ Thee Sinseers compensated for the absence of vocalist Adriana Flores. Bryan Ponce of the Altons returned the favor by augmenting the Sinseers’ hour-long headlining set featuring nine musicians.
Assessing Quiñones for the first time was the primary purpose of dragging myself to the West Bottoms. Putting my money where my mouth is also factored into the outing.
Quiñones’ voice put me in mind of Sugar Pie DeSanto. He’s just as charismatic as the soul legend. Quiñones’ singular talent transcended my general indifference to soul revivalists. He possesses a whole lot of curative soul.