Welcome the New Dynasty

Is it true that one has to be born into royalty to be considered an heir to the throne? The members of U.S. Royalty, who do not come with blue blood pedigrees, are quickly establishing a new rule that is spreading well beyond DC’s borders. The band offers listeners a wonderfully delicious blend of pulsating instrumentals, memorable harmonies and rich vocals reminiscent of songs from Passion Pit and Wolf Parade. U.S. Royalty—currently on tour and working on new songs—took a night to perform for their most loyal subjects at The Velvet Lounge on October 28.

The audience eagerly awaited the band’s appearance on stage. Lead singer, John Thornley broke the silence with a harmonica solo, and the band—Paul Thornley on guitar, Jacob Michael on bass and Luke Adams keeping tempo on drums—proceeded to rock out with an immediate intensity that instantly charged the room. Highlights from the evening included their performance of the catchy and endearing song “Raincoats,” with Jacob peppering in rumbling bass lines and John using the lyrics to beckon the crowd to “come on, come on, come on over.” Their performance of the song “Old Man Thompson” also illustrated the band’s strength in balancing lyrics and instrumentals. The end result was a gospel-infused melody complete with an instrumental interlude led by Paul and Luke. The song invoked the lords of rock and was powerful enough to get the audience on their feet and dancing before the last chorus had ended.

The evening’s set also included a few songs from their EP titled Midsommar. The band’s recording was released earlier this year and features five songs that are well-crafted and will satiate even the most voracious audiophile. It was clear by the audience’s response that these songs were crowd favorites and classics in the making. U.S. Royalty’s performance of “Keep it Cool,” which is featured on the EP, was particularly effective performed live. During the tune, the band employed more traditional rock stylings paired with haunting vocals that could found you no matter where you were in the room.

The members of U.S. Royalty are known not only for their music, but also for their use of music videos to enhance their songs and create another touch point with listeners. John notes that, “The process has been different for each one.” The band has several videos that showcase them in a variety of settings—each helps to bring their songs to life. One of their most popular videos is for the song “Every Summer,” which was shot in DC last June. A favorite of John’s, the band worked with producer Jake Davis. Jake originally went to the band with an idea and then they worked together to make it happen. The result is a polished and creative look at the band that captures the visual beauty ever present in the original song.

Following the release of Midsommar earlier this year and live performances at popular venues and shows, the response from critics and fans alike has been overwhelmingly positive. In response to questions probing their feelings on early successes, John comments that, “I think it’s too early for us to be really concerned with whatever success we’ve had so far. Right now we are really focused on putting on great live shows and, coming up this next month, demoing out a lot of new ideas for a full-length.” That is certainly good news for fans of U.S. Royalty who want to see this musical procession continue.

If you missed their performance at The Velvet Lounge, fear not. The band will be performing several shows with The Shaky Hands on the East coast and you can catch their videos online anytime of the day. They also are currently writing and recording new material to put together a new album that will surely be a proclamation worth waiting for.

Pay homage to U.S. Royalty by visiting their Web site at: www.myspace.com/usroyalty.