SoulPatch has been playing country rock music around not only the Treasure Valley but a good portion of Idaho for several years now. Part family and part friends, SoulPatch will be making their first appearance at Boise’s Sapphire Room in the Riverside Hotel on February 4th and 5th. Their unique mix of tunes by groups such as the Doobie Brothers, Miranda Lambert, The Eagles, Zac Brown, Little Big Town and many other groups sets them apart with their mix of rock, pop and country.
The musicians that make up SoulPatch include Diane Johnson on vocals and acoustic guitar; Shelli Rowling on vocals; Maribeth Lair on vocals and fiddle; Kiel Johnson on vocals, acoustic and electric guitar; Jeff Morgan on bass; Merrick Gulker on drums; and Jeff Johnson on keys. The instrumentation and vocal harmonies allow them to cover songs that other groups just can’t attempt. The Boise Beat sat down recently with Diane Johnson and Kiel Johnson to talk about SoulPatch and their upcoming Sapphire Room shows.
SoulPatch started out not just on a call board for musicians but from a desire to create something with friends and family. Diane explained, We all met at church; we used to do church music together. I think a lot of musicians started out that way, but we wanted to be something fun and get out in the community and just have some good times together. We started out with a song by Little Big Town and it went from there. For Kiel, it seemed natural to join the band also. He said, I know for me, I grew up with very musical parents. In fact, both of my parents are in the band with me. The kind of paved the way for me personally to pick it up; and it always seemed like so much fun. It’s been really amazing to do that with my parents.
All the band members bring varied talents and backgrounds to SoulPatch. Diane has recorded in Nashville, singing background vocals on Runaround with Denae Gardner as well as going on a Midwest tour. She has also performed locally at the Knitting Factory, the Sandbar, Sapphire Room, God and Country, the Western Idaho Fair and many other venues. Shelli is one of the other founding members of Soul Patch and shares up-front vocal duties, bringing a background in musical theatre including roles in shows such as 42nd Street, Man of La Mancha and Little Shop of Horrors. Adding to that, she is experienced in singing styles from gospel to jazz and country. Shelli has played keyboards and sang in many successful bands over the years.
Maribeth adds vocals, creating great harmonies for the band. She also adds a country touch with her fiddle to several of the band’s tunes. An Idaho native, she’s right at home here, writing her own music when she’s not performing with SoulPatch. `Kiel has been in the band since 2016, playing acoustic guitar, electric guitar and even the distinctive dobro guitar. He’s also a Graphic Designer, creating all the artwork for SoulPatch.
Anchoring the group are Jeff, a talented bass player who has backed other well known local and national artists. He’s also spent over 10 years as owner, head engineer and producer at Frozen Lake Studios in Alaska. Merrick has been contributing his drumming skills for several bands, playing several genres including classic rock, Christian, alternative and country. Rounding out the band (and the family) is Jeff Johnson, playing a wide variety of keyboards. He’s recorded with several different artists, performed with Denae Gardner at the WOW 104.3 Concert for the Troops; and played at other shows including the Boise Music Festival and the Malheur County Fair.
Together, the band has played some really nice gigs across Idaho. Some, like the Grilled Cheese Festival in Boise, might not have attracted a crowd that were there strictly for the music. Other gigs however were much more music based. Diane said, I think our highest profile gig was being selected to do the Mountain Home Country Music Festival two years ago. That was exciting, being chosen for that! One of our other favorite gigs that we’ve had a really good time at was at Roseberry, where we were just playing out in a field with people and surrounded by the mountains. It was just an amazing time to enjoy Idaho, enjoy music and enjoy people.
Playing in the Sapphire Room for the first time, a sign of the popularity of SoulPatch is that the Friday, February 5th show is already sold out. Tickets are still available for the Thursday, February 4th show and it should be an opening night not to miss. Diane said, We are super-excited about this opportunity! The Sapphire Room has a great reputation in Boise and the Treasure Valley as taking on great musicians locally and major groups so we’re just very honored to be in that lineup with other people. Kiel added, the majority of our gigs have been a little bit lower profile so it’s fairly exciting to see something a bit more “official” (laughs), come to us. It’s really exciting.
The musical mix that SoulPatch has chosen covers several genres and styles. Kiel noted that, Given that we’re a cover band, I think people that we cover tend to be our influences, but Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, the Eagles, Zac Brown, those four probably fit us well. Diane is passionate about the songs they play and when asked about some favorite tunes, said This is like trying to choose your favorite child! We obviously pick songs that we feel connected to. They’re all really great. The Doobie Brothers, is a favorite of mine because it has the fiddle and the harmonies, I just think it showcases the band really well. She did mention that some of the songs that will definitely be played both nights will include Black Water by the Doobie Brothers, Mama’s Broken Heart by Miranda Lambert, Tennessee Whiskey by Chris Stapleton and Seven Bridges Road by the Eagles.
Kiel felt that he had a lot of “favorites”, but he believes that I think something that differentiates us from other bands is that we have a lot of individual talent. We feature different lead singers on a lot of different songs. To me, I have a favorite song for one Maribeth sings, I have a favorite song for one Shelli sings and my mom Diane. I even get to be featured on a few of them! It’s really a fun variance kind of show; there’s a lot going on. One of the fun things that we’re starting to do is livestream little snippets of our practices. I definitely want to keep pursuing that. Everybody, with the pandemic, quarantine and everything—it would be fun to bring our shows onto Facebook for people to enjoy, so I think it’s something that we’re going to try and do in the future.
Diane summed things up for the upcoming shows by saying, I just think that one of the things that makes us unique is that we’re friends in the band and outside of the band, so that chemistry that we have together, the high level of trust and a high level of fun—that allows us to enjoy each other and allows us to enjoy the audience together. We just feel really blessed to be able to bring that to the Sapphire Room.
SoulPatch
Thursday, February 4, 2021
7pm (doors open at 6pm)
Friday, February 5, 2021
7pm (doors open at 6pm)
Sapphire Room
The Riverside Hotel
2900 Chinden Blvd.
Boise, ID 83714
Friday Ticket page (currently sold out but it is always worth calling the Sapphire Room to ask)
(208) 343-1871
Sapphire Room has a complete list of current COVID-19 precautions and requirements on their website
SoulPatch Facebook Page
