In the early '60s a new fusion of blues, R&B and country western music made teenagers' ears perk up while their parents tried to shut out the confounded racket. Performers dressed in suits for gigs and audiences responded in kind, gussying themselves up for a night of frolicsome delight and dancing.
It is this spirit The Royales embody every night they perform.
Some bands are emo
some bands have a political agenda said bassist Roman Warmke. There are no agendas here. We're a bar band.
The bar band disposition has carried The Royales a long way, performing in Athens since 1995. The group has gone through its share of lineup changes, as one might expect of a seven-piece band. Its current lineup includes John Borchard on guitar, Jonathan Hunt on keyboard, Pat Brown on vocals, Chris Aubell on drums, Ted Harris on sax and Eric Junebug Leighton on trombone.
The Royales' concert tomorrow will double as a CD release party for the band's first recording, Those Funkin' Kings of Rock and Soul.
The disc is surprisingly representative of the band's stimulating live performances, Warmke said. It features four original songs and seven covers that run the gamut from Sam Cooke to Henry Mancini. The entire disc, he said, is quite cohesive and, most importantly, it all sounds like The Royales.
Even though they perform in what some consider a college town, The Royales don't look at it that way at all. The band, which is composed mostly of thirtysomethings, said they feel that there is an Athens that only the long-term residents and those who are born here really get to know, a place where the university is only an afterthought, Warmke said.
Even so, The Royales' music seems to appeal to both students and townies alike, Borchard said.
The music either speaks for itself or it doesn't he said. This band has a wide appeal
whether you're 10 or 110.
Known as workhorses in the Athens music community, The Royales are known for playing longer concerts, usually with one or no other bands on the bill.
Borchard said it's no good to play a show for 50 minutes and then leave the stage, as that is often when audiences are really getting into the music. To establish that connection and then leave is not what The Royales like to do. Longer concerts also mean more stage experience, which is always a plus.
The Royales choose not to play every single week, as it is easy to overplay in a small town like Athens. This workhorse is bred for distance rather than sprints.
We could play forever
Warmke said.
With the experience and cohesiveness that comes with playing together for over 10 years, performing well is nearly automatic, Brown said.
It's like riding a bicycle
he said.
In that vein, Warmke said performing is almost therapeutic.
Some guys go golfing
some have extra-marital affairs and we play rock and roll
he said.
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