Boise loves SoulPatch, that is certain. They’ve also become a fixture at the Riverside Hotel, appearing in numerous shows at both the Sandbar and the Sapphire Room. On February 4, SoulPatch makes their 2023 debut at the Sapphire Room. The group is certainly no strangers to the readers of The Boise Beat, either. Recently, Diane, Shelli and Maribeth, the three talented ladies that form the front line of SoulPatch, sat down with The Boise Beat to have a talk about where they’ve been as well as where SoulPatch is going in the New Year.
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; Ian Updike on drums; and Jeff Johnson on keys. The band’s country and country-rock shows always are a popular place to be for great music and a fun time. It’s obvious that Boise loves SoulPatch and the upcoming Sapphire Room show will prove it again.
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Your three-part harmonies are wonderful. Was the goal when you started the band to build upon those harmonies?
A) Diane: For the three-part harmonies being a goal for the band, the thing that I always remember was the very first song we practiced was Boondocks, by Little Big Town. That has a lot of harmonies in it; and I remember the first time that we ran through that song, it was almost perfect. So from that point on, we knew that harmonies had to be front and center in our songs. Even if the song doesn’t already have harmonies in it, we will opt to add them, just because we feel it makes it better.
Shelli: I would also just like to add that we have known, since harmonies are the foundation, and it’s kind of funny that the back row musicians will often joke that their main job is to stay out of the way of the vocals (laughs).
Maribeth: I’m one of the newer members of the band. When I started with the band, that is what impressed me the most is the solid harmonies. Once I started doing vocals as well, it’s something that I thoroughly enjoy being a part of.
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Do all of you pick the songs that you perform?
A) Diane: We collaborate in this band on our song selections. Shelli’s actually in charge of the list. She keeps track of the songs when people suggest them to us at gigs, but usually once a year—well, maybe more than once a year now—we submit our favorites to her and she organizes them; and we as a group decide what is the best fit for our band. I think that is what keeps our set list unique and ends up appealing to a wide range of audiences.
Shelli: I would say that we just see how it goes at practice and how easy it comes together; and then we just get a feel from there whether we keep the song or not.
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Maribeth, playing your fiddle certainly adds a nice dimension to the songs. Have you played it a long time?
A: Maribeth: I have. I started with the lessons when I was four years old, which I am not sure how my mother survived those very screechy first years of learning, but I continued along with both fiddle and vocal lessons until I graduated high school. Throughout those years, I also gained a lot of experience performing. My fiddle teacher first started a group with all of her students called the Virginia Jammers; and we would perform all over the Treasure Valley, so that’s really where my love for performing really developed. Every good fiddle player has their own unique spin on the way they add that to a song, and it’s really interesting to listen to other fiddle players.
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Diane, as a founding member, was your goal when you started SoulPatch to have these wonderful female harmonies as a foundation for the band’s music?
A: Diane: As a founding member starting SoulPatch, the female harmonies—we actually came into it because their was another vocalist in our band who was diagnosed with throat cancer. That obviously impacted his ability to sing; and he hadn’t performed in over a year. We shifted towards the female vocals and—just like with everything else—it was a pleasant surprise; and something we really enjoyed bringing to our performances. Now that Jeff is back, we have so much more versatility, which is almost impossible to think for us, because we were already quite versatile. The female vocals have just been a super fun addition for us. We just added Just Like a Woman by Shania Twain, so we’re really looking forward to performing that at the Sapphire Room. It will add just a little extra spice in there!
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Shelli, you have a background in musical theatre, jazz, gospel snd country. Is there a common thread that binds these styles to together in SoulPatch’s music?
A: Shelli: For me, I would say that the common thread is ‘music that speaks to my soul’. When music speaks to my soul, I know that I just can’t help but dance. And I’m definitely dancing a lot there up on the stage! It’s super fun for me! I have always been eclectic; and I have just a great appreciation for all kinds of music, so it brings joy to me to be a part of this special band.
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I know you like performing at the Sapphire Room. What makes that venue special?
A: Diane: I would say that we we enjoy a good and special relationship with the Riverside Hotel. Regularly during the summer we play the Sandbar; and the Sapphire Room is just one of those nights that we get to dressed up and pull out some new material. It’s basically the debut of our music for 2023. It also gives us a chance to have a fun, intimate evening with our fans, because the venue just lends itself to that. So it’s just special in every way!
Maribeth: I’d like to add that that’s very true and that the intimacy of the Sapphire Room is just awesome. The Sapphire Room is just sexy; and it just provides this relaxing, intimate vibe that is not only really fun and special for us as performers, but as attendees as well—you can’t just help but enjoy yourself when you’re listening to music there, and vice versa as performers, it’s just a lovely place to play music at. Plus, the acoustics are really great there as well.
Shelli: I just want to add to the wonderful atmosphere, very classy, but also has great food too! And it’s super fun!
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What do you have as far as plans for special things in 2023?
A: Diane: I do want to let people know that we are working on a documentary of our band, to detail our journey together, our various experiences with music; and we’re actually going to be filming the gig at the Sapphire Room on the 4th of February. We’re really looking forward to capturing that special connection we have with our fans, with each other; and how music can really bring a community together. We’re hoping to have a full house and just have a party on the 4th.
8) What is your feeling about the way the band works together?
Maribeth: The camaraderie between us on a personal level is really special. Not only just on a personal level, when we’re getting together for practices, but onstage it’s just a hoot! It’s just so fun—the facial expressions that we can make with each other, the eye contact that we can make with each other and know exactly what we’re thinking in response to whatever is going on in the crowd, or whatever is going on with the songs, it’s just a blast!
Shelli: Absolutely! I agree with that. We’ll see how it is with our new drummer. I’m sure the audience doesn’t hear it, but he is awfully cocky during songs. He tries to make us laugh and he’s been a really fun addition for us this year.
9) Any messages for all your fans out there?
A) Diane: We just want to thank our fans for showing up and having fun with us, and just their support of us means a lot to the band. We do have a few tickets left for the show. There’s not many left, we just really want to pack the house, so if they’re in town and want to have a good fun time, we just want to pack the house and have a party. We hope to see people there.
Maribeth: I just want to add that we thank our fans for making it fun for us. Beyond our passion for music and playing music, the reason that we do what we do is because of how fun our fans they get. That’s important for them to know.
Shelli: I agree with that too! We love to see and perform for all of them. And this time there’s no COVID restrictions. Dancing is allowed!
It is obvious that Boise loves SoulPatch; and SoulPatch loves Boise. In fact, it really should be all of Idaho loves SoulPatch, since they’ve had positive reports from places as far as concerts in Cour d’Alene, Rathdrum, Emmett and Rupert. Ste. Chapelle Winery, the Snake River Stampede Rodeo and Meridian’s Dairy Days are other places that love SoulPatch and their shows. But make sure you go to see SoulPatch at the Sapphire Room and the excited fans will show you how Boise loves SoulPatch.
Boise Loves SoulPatch
Saturday, February 4, 2023
7pm-10pm (doors open at 6pm)
Sapphire Room
The Riverside Hotel
2900 Chinden Blvd.
Boise, ID 83714
Phone (208) 343-1871
SoulPatch Facebook Page
Top photo courtesy of SoulPatch. Other photos taken by Ed Simon
