Who: Royal Bliss and Jeremy Buck & the Bang kick off the Great American Dine Out in Pocatello, ID
What: An awareness and benefit concert for Share Our Strength Where: Bannock County Fairgrounds, Pocatello, Idaho - map When: Saturday, September 19, 2009. Gates 6:00 p.m., Concert 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. Why: 1 in 6 kids in America are hungry. Share Our Strength is a leading national organization that works with local agencies to end childhood hunger. The Great American Dine Out is a week-long, national effort to raise awareness and funds for Share Our Strength. Royal Bliss kicks off the Great American Dine Out in Pocatello, Idaho. Dine at the Benton Street Bar & Grill from September 20 to September 26, 2009, and 5% of your purchase will go towards feeding hungry kids.
*click image to enlarge*
Online ticket sales are now closed. Please visit CD World, Budget Tapes & Records or the Benton Street Bar & Grill for your tickets. Or see you at the gate!
Royal Bliss has been on the road almost constantly since the release of their debut major-label release, "Life In-Between." They've played in 37 states and put over 40,000 miles on their motor home, touring with Candlebox, Buckcherry and more.
Here's a video from TuneLab Music’s interview with Royal Bliss at Rock on the Range in May, 2009.
Back home for a few weeks before heading off again, Royal Bliss made quite an impression on all of us headlining at Viva Salt Lake, an all day festival held at the Gallivan Center, Salt Lake City, Utah on June 6, 2009. The band seemed glad to be home, glad to be in front of their home fans and family members, and it showed in their performance. That night's rendition of "Devils and Angels" was the most inspired I've ever heard from them live. Boys, you were on point.
And the crowd was on point too. I've never heard an audience sing along so loudly - not just for the popular radio releases, but for the majority of songs on the set list that night. Neal Middleton even commented that he hadn't heard an audience sing "We Did Nothing Wrong" as loudly as we did that evening. So much so, that we woke up the guests of neighboring Marriot Hotel! They enjoyed the show watching from their windows.
From Sara's Blog: Cailin is now 9, and for her birthday Josh and I took her to the Viva Salt Lake show downtown at the Gallivan center. She had a blast and got to meet most of the Royal Bliss band members, which is awesome cuz they are are favorite band.
And from terrible-taya's blog: ... and finally, the only reason I went, the headliner, straight out of Salt Lake City, about to release their new album in Japan, (and if you can pull that off, you know you're great!) Royal Bliss. I can't even begin to describe how awesomely, amazingly, fantastically, pleasant they are! Every one got so excited, and I went with a bunch of little girls that couldn't handle it, so we had to go stand in the back where it wasn't so crowed. They are so great live! I love it! I really wish I was there now, singing along to "Devils and Angels" or "I Was Drunk." It was so much fun. I can't even believe.
And finally from the Larson Family blog: We were able to see Veer Union, Pop Evil, Ten Years and Royal Bliss. I hope some of you have heard of these groups, but especially ROYAL BLISS....why you ask. Royal Bliss is a local band going big in the music industry. They are amazing...really they are a rock band that knows how to rock but the lead singers Neil's voice is very soothing to me...it sounds weird but oh well! I encourage anyone and everyone to check them out.
I love the officially unreleased (or is it unofficially released?) single, "I Was Drunk." It seems to be everyone's favorite song from Royal Bliss, certainly the most memorable and arguably the most-requested song on Bliss' live set list. Here, Texas Musketeers and their Ladies, at the 2009 Scarborough Faire to the tune of Royal Bliss' "I Was Drunk". From darthecp.
There are a host of such fan-made Royal Bliss videos; as I come across them, I'll post 'em up.
I caught up with Royal Bliss at the Last Day Saloon in Santa Rosa, CA on Thursday night, June 11, 2009. We visited for a bit in the motor home, introduced them to my sister and brother-in-law and watched the show. The crowd gets bigger and bigger each time they play there - the local radio station, 101.7 The Fox, gives them real support.
Coming back from Santa Rosa, Royal Bliss played in Reno and in Jerome, Idaho.
On June 14, a young family member of Neal Middleton's, Cameron Eby, was tragically killed in a car accident. The band attended a post-funeral party in the young man's honor. Here they are.
607 Magazine had this to say about Royal Bliss' set, opening for Buckcherry at Broome County Arena, Binghamton, NY:
The show started off with some ambient-ish music followed by strangers to New York State, Royal Bliss. They opened up with a patriotic number called "Brave" which lead singer Neal Middleton (who from a distance looked like Weasel from VH1's "Daisy of Love") dedicated to "all the people who have laid down their lives." At this point the crowd was pretty small and seemed to basically just be feeling the Bliss boys out. Their second song "We Did Nothing Wrong" included a super sweet drum duet with Middleton and dummer Jake Smith. Way impressive to say the least. They followed it up with "Devils and Angels" and "Finally Figured Out", then ended their set with "I Was Drunk". All in all it seemed the crowd wasn't very familiar with the band, or maybe they were just saving energy for Buckcherry?
Video below from Rock on the Range in Columbus, OH, "I Was Drunk," May 17th 2009.
"We Did Nothing Wrong" is still holding strong at #30 on Billboard's Charts after 9 weeks, so the tour is working, boys. The tour is working. A little bird (named Taylor) told me that feelers have gone out to release "Devils and Angels," officially. When? Soon, fans. Soon. Keep an eye and an ear out for it.
Royal Bliss has been on the road solidly since the release of "Life In-Between" mid-January of this year with only a few scattered and brief breaks at home. They'll be back in Utah / Idaho for the following dates in June, and they plan to take a much-needed and well-deserved break from August 2nd through August 20th.
A few weeks ago, Royal Bliss was interviewed by Linda East Brady for the Standard-Examiner. Here it is, in entirety.
Few people fall three stories and live to tell about it.
Neal Middleton, frontman and powerhouse vocalist of Salt Lake City-based Royal Bliss, not only lived to tell about it, he lived to rock about it.
Middleton admits to being intoxicated when he took that terrible tumble off a balcony, a fall that tore his pelvis in two and caused numerous other grievous injuries.
"It was horrible, devastating," said Middleton. "We kind of said our goodbyes the night it happened, because they were telling my girlfriend I might not make it through the night, and if I did pull through, I would be paralyzed."
Middleton was still defying those odds, even as he spoke on his cell phone for this interview, strolling briskly around a Modesto, Calif., tour stop.
The band returns to Utah from a triumphant stretch of road time in support of its latest release, "Life In-Between," including a show Saturday at Teazers in Ogden.
"It is awesome to be coming home to Utah," Middleton said. "We always wanted to stay in Utah. We love it and we are proud of being from there.
"Everyone tried to talk us into going to L.A. or New York, but no, we did not want to leave our fans and friends. The whole state, it's like they signed on with us. They are just really proud of us, and we are proud of them, and (of) being from them. We feel they made it along with us, so to come back and see them is amazing."
Meet cute
Middleton first met guitarist Chris Harding in Salt Lake City in the mid-'90s.
"We ran into each other at some store's Slurpee machine. He was telling me how some dude had punched his sister and all that, and I was like, 'Let's go take care of this dude!' " Middleton laughed. "I had no idea who he was, but we went to this house to get that dude."
The two kept crossing paths through school events and mutual friends. Finally came the fateful night when Harding happened to hear Middleton performing solo acoustic at Gepetto's Pizza.
At the time, Middleton was attending Salt Lake City Community College, three semesters in with a 4.0 grade-average average in communications. Harding, Taylor Richards (lead guitar) and Jake Smith (drums) already had a band going.
"They liked what they heard," Middleton said. "I went to their house when I finished. We wrote things that night, and the next day, I dropped out of school. I told Chris, 'I want to be a rock star.' I took the opportunity when it came up. But it took a little longer than I expected."
The band played locally and regionally for the next few years, building a fan base and selling more than 8,000 of its self-made demo CDs.
"I spent all my money building a studio in Chris' backyard, and we got serious about it."
After the fall
By 2004, the band had drawn the attention of several major labels. Then came Middleton's fall from a balcony in Southern California, which was only the start of troubled times.
"I was still in ICU and the drummer called and said his ex-girlfriend was pregnant, and then all these other things happened. Our manager, it turned out, he was taking money, and we didn't want to work with him. And then he sued us, and that got really messy.
"And then Chris put a ski through his face and sliced it in half, had to have his jaw wired shut while we were in the studio. Then Taylor broke his leg, and Jake rolled his car five times after leaving the studio one night. This was all within six months."
But the band stuck together, and moved forward, in large part because Middleton was determined to make it happen. The band released the aptly named indie full-length "After the Chaos II," and Middleton got back on his feet.
"I almost felt like it was my fault," Middleton said of the hard times. "I started everything. And our only form of income was the band. No one had finished college, no fallback plan. I told them, 'I am going to get back up there, I am! Please, you guys, just trust me.' And it was so hard, but a few months later, I booked a show,
and went up there with my cane, hopping around on one leg. Everyone at that point was, 'OK, he's back.' ... That horrible experience made us a better band, a tighter unit -- and gave us some pretty good lyrics, too."
Write all day
Middleton is the band's main lyricist.
"I can write all day long. I absolutely love it. I have walked up to the guy on the street corner begging for change, and I'll just start singing with him."
Middleton's songwriting and powerful baritone attracted national attention. The Control Group, an independent label out of Seattle, picked up "After the Chaos II." It received significant airplay, and was at one point No. 1 by a long shot at the Graywhale chain.
The band was signed by Capitol Music Group in 2007. "Life In-Between" was released in 2008, with sharp, personal lyrics, crunchy rock licks and Middleton's stronger-than-ever vocals.
"I've never really taken any vocal lessons, but I am always wanting to get better. I am always writing new songs and trying new things with my vocal range. I want to be the best singer I can possibly be, and never be satisfied with where I am at."
Middleton admits not always taking care of his voice or himself.
"The last tour I did, before Halloween, I actually ended up with a hematoma on my vocal chords -- really scary. I had to be still for about a month. Now I finally am doing good warm-ups before shows. Used to, it was 'Give me a glass of something good, and I am ready to go.'
"But I am more cognizant now of how my vocals feel and do warm-ups in the morning, warm-ups in the evening, and before the show -- no yelling and going crazy and then partying after. And this is my ninth day in a row, with afternoon shows, and evening shows."
Wrestling demons
Middleton sings about the demons he wrestles with in such songs as "Save Me" and "Angels and Devils."
"I am down to my last crutch, which is drinking," Middleton admitted. "Many of these songs on this album were in a sense asking for help. 'Save Me' came out of a night with a half-gallon of moonshine. I won't go into the sordid details, but the fact is, it gets difficult out on the road."
He said the hardest thing is turning down a fan who wants to buy him a drink.
"I mean even here in Modesto, I am walking down the street and there are three guys having their beer on the patio and they recognized me. I start talking to them, and we were just sitting there, back and forth. They're like, 'Let me buy you a beer.' And I told them, 'No, I don't want to start drinking this early.' But one of them ran in and bought me a beer.
"I don't want to hurt someone, turn them down and hurt feelings, because now these guys can tell their friends, 'I had a beer with the singer.' It means a lot to them, and that means a lot to me. The fans got us where we are."
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Royal Bliss has added a few southern dates to their current tour: Apr 26 @ Charleston, South Carolina Apr 28 @ Houma, Louisiana Apr 30 @ Baton Rouge, Louisiana May 2 @ Jackson, Mississippi May 3 @ Springfield, Missouri May 5 @ Atlanta, Georgia May 8 @ Charlotte, North Carolina May 9 @ Montgomery, Alabama
Royal Bliss was back in Utah for a week-long break in touring. They had four Northern Utah shows in Ogden, Murray, Tooele and Salt Lake.
Linda East Brady of the Standard-Examiner previewed the Teazer's show in Ogden with a very nice interview. Great quotes, and the interview tells a full story of Royal Bliss' background and current position in the music industry.
Mark Hardcore of The Local Landing reviewed Royal Bliss' performance at Track's Brewing in Tooele. I'll take exception with a couple of his statements -
"This hard-rockin’ grunge-metal band may be touring across the country, but they made it quite clear last Friday that they haven’t forgotten where they came from when they rocked Tooele’s Tracks Brewing Company."
My Response: Royal Bliss is hardly a grunge-metal band. But yes, they haven't forgotten where they come from.
"The band also interacted very well with the crowd and put on a great stage show, and at least acted as if it cared deeply about its hometown fans."
My Response: At least acted?!? Uh, hello?!? Naw, the Utah / Idaho / Reno, NV based grass-roots effort is the Second reason why Royal Bliss has made it as far as they have. The first reason is that the band writes solid songs with accessible lyrics and has an energetic live performance with a charismatic lead guitarist and frontman / vocalist. And Royal Bliss knows that.
"While the band’s somewhat arrogant and sexist rock-star attitude showed that success seems to have gone to the band’s heads, the band is still very solid musically."
My Response: When you're a rock star, a rock star attitude is to be expected. The audience expects that and wants it. No one wants Neal Middleton to stand on stage with any apologies for how far they've come.
"Royal Bliss is rarely in town these days with their touring schedule, so take any opportunity you get to catch them live."
My Response: Totally agree with ya there, my bloggin' buddy.
And Poor Randy W. writes in her blog that she expected to go to Track's Brewing without having bought advance tickets. The show was sold out and she was turned from the door. Randy, maybe you need to keep up on what's happening with our little local band, Royal Bliss.
Positive and Negative (negative = ignorant) Reviews aside, the grass roots effort supporting Our Bliss Boys needs to continue if we want to see them as headliners in major national venues.
"We Did Nothing Wrong," Royal Bliss' most recent single release from "Life In-Between," scooted up another five places last week to reach #35 on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. Gang, that's 34 places below where it needs to be.
-Buy Royal Bliss music online and at local record stores -If local record stores don't have a Royal Bliss CD, request one -Call local radio stations to request Royal Bliss songs -Tell your friends to do the same
For a great audio interview of vocalist Neal Middleton, check out The Breakdown, based out of Illinois.
And word in the blog-o-sphere is that the one-and-only Ron Jeremy was on hand at The Roxy in Los Angeles, CA, night before last (April 1) to introduce Candlebox to the stage - confirmed by guitarist Taylor Richards (by text message)! [I'm laughing my freakin' arse off -SLG] Tay said Jeremy may be the ugliest person ever, but he had two hot girls on his arm. So Jeremy at least had that goin' for him.
I'm a huge Ron Jeremy fan, so I think it's awesome they had a chance to meet. In fact, small twist of fate - I met Jeremy just a few nights before the first concert I promoted / produced for Royal Bliss. I remember hanging out with the band the night before the show just bubbling over with Ron Jeremy excitement. Over meeting him ... not ... well ... you know. So ... umm ... let's move on ....
The Western States' tour seems to be doing its job. Royal Bliss' second release We Did Nothing Wrong (from Life In-between) is #40 on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks after two weeks. Good news, good news indeed.
Buckcherry and Royal Bliss have announced two new shows to their East Coast tour, in addition to those already announced: May 15 The Fillmore NY @ Irving Plaza, New York City, New York (benefit concert for Childhelp) May 20 Broome County Arena, Binghampton, New York
More locally, Royal Bliss has shows announced in Utah week after next: Apr 10 Track’s Brewing Co., Tooele, Utah Apr 11 Teazers, Ogden, Utah Apr 14 Huka Bar & Grill (acoustic set), Murray, Utah Apr 17 Liquid Joe’s, Salt Lake City, Utah
It'll be great to have them home for a bit. More later ....
California rockers Buckcherry have announced a new campaign aimed at fighting child abuse. This effort will coincide with the month-long awareness activities of April's National Child Abuse Prevention Month culminating with a benefit show on May 15 at The Fillmore NY at Irving Plaza to benefit Childhelp, a leading national non-profit organization dedicated to helping child abuse victims.
Joining Buckcherry that evening are Pop Evil and Royal Bliss. Tickets go on sale on Friday morning and can be purchased at LiveNation.com. This benefit offers fans a unique opportunity to see the bands in a small setting for a special cause.
Todd says Childhelp is "the best web site I've found as far as helping kids that have been through" abuse and adds that in addition to awareness he and his bandmates "just hope that maybe people will donate money and help the people who are helping out these kids ... so they have a shot at a good life."
The band will build awareness for the cause and for available help for victims through interviews with the media and at their shows via on-stage announcements and printed literature from Childhelp.
"If we can reach and save just one child or even their abuser from joining the terrible cycle of violence and abuse, then I will do whatever I can to support them. As a father, I can't bear to think of children being abused, and knowing that we will help point them in a direction where they can get help is very important to us," says Buckcherry's Josh Todd.
Adds Keith Nelson, "We hope that by standing up and saying 'This is not ok; there is help out there,' we can make an impact. April will take on a new meaning for me and the band, knowing that it brings attention to child abuse prevention."
Buckcherry has recorded an acoustic version of Rescue Me as a Public Service Announcement for child abuse prevention, available at their website and www.iheartmusic.com. The PSA also promotes the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at (800) 422-4453.
Rescue Me and A Child Called "It," from the CD Black Butterfly, were inspired by Dave Pelzer's book A Child Called "It", one of three young-readers memoirs he wrote about his experience with child abuse. "We were on vacation and my oldest daughter (then 13) was reading (the book)," Buckcherry frontman Josh Todd tells Billboard.com. "I was really, really inspired by this guy's perseverance to get through all that and have somewhat of a normal life. I just wanted to do the book justice and draw some attention to it."
Streak of bad luck won't keep Royal Bliss from playing Tucson By: Becca Lesser for the Wildcat in Arizona
There isn't much that will keep Royal Bliss from rockin', but that's not to say the band hasn't experienced their fair share of misfortune.
First, there was lead singer Neal Middleton's fall from a 35-foot balcony. Then, drummer Jake Smith flipped his car, and guitarist Chris Harding was left with his face split open and jaw wired shut after a skiing accident.
At the point when most bands would have called it quits, Royal Bliss soldiered on.
"We just kept playing through all that, and we were in the studio. We just kept dealing with the pain and pushing through it," said Middleton. When Royal Bliss takes the stage at the Rialto Theater on Monday night, fans can expect to hear the influence of these hardships in the band's newer songs.
"For us, all those things just made us stronger, made us a better band, and gave us more material," said Middleton. "In the beginning, when we started off, we were all eighteen or nineteen -high schoolers - just having fun. Partying, girls, sex, drugs, and rock and roll. It was all just about having a good time. As you get a little bit older and hit more serious things, you change your whole vibe and mentality," he said. "We went from being a bar band to just more serious (music). Music helped us relax. It was like our therapy. We never really sat down and focused or thought about a direction or a sound that we wanted to sound like. It was kind of just an evolution over the time of each record."
For Royal Bliss, that meant a little less of the hardcore rock they have become known for. Instead, the band's most recent album, Life In-Between, boasts a bit more variety.
"We have those hard rockin' songs on the album, and then you also have the acoustics that are kind of mellow, like 'By & By' and 'I Don't Mind,' which almost have, like, a love-song feel to it," said Middleton.
These mellowed out songs are what allow Royal Bliss to mesh so well with their fellow bands on tour, Jet Black Stare and Candlebox.
"Candlebox is a band that … can play any one of our songs," said Middleton. "Jet Black Stare has the mellower stuff, and the melodic rock and roll. We've played with them three times and I think every show we've gotten the comment that 'Wow, you guys fit perfect together.'"
The band, which has toured with Maroon 5, Kid Rock and Buckcherry, promises a strong set for concert-goers on Monday night.
"They're gonna see a good rock show! A lot of bands get up there and pretend, and go through the motions. A lot of bands can't even play their instruments because they rely on computers. With us, we just absolutely love it. You can tell we are having a good time up there. Same with Candlebox and Jet Black Stare - you can just tell that there is a passion and we absolutely love the audience."
Buckcherry and Royal Bliss announce Midwest and East Coast concert dates: May 12 Eagles Ballroom, Milwaukee, Wisconsin May 13 State Theater, Detroit, Michigan May 17 ROCK ON THE RANGE, Columbus, Ohio May 19 Stabler Arena, Bethlemhem, Pennsylvania May 22 Mid Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, New York May 23 House Of Blues, Atlantic City, New Jersey
The Summit County weekend in music gave a nice write-up on Royal Bliss last week, by Kimberly Nicoletti posted on Thursday, February 19, 2009. The Summit Daily News is based in Colorado. RB played at Shag, in Frisco, CO on February 25, 2009.
Royal Bliss’ latest album, “Life In-Between,” is sculpted out of life’s hard lessons.
It starts with “Save Me,” inspired by lead singer Neal Middleton’s own struggle with alcohol, drugs and his transition into adulthood, he said. Filled with beefy riffs and melodies that repeat in your mind, the album is honest and personal.
“One morning, I was eating my bowl of alphabits cereal and contemplating a band name. The answer came, in the form of tiny pieces of cereal that spelled ‘bloyal riss.’ I switched the letters around and came up with ‘Royal Bliss.’” he said.
Royal Bliss’ first album led to radio success with the single “Devils and Angels.” Its second album caught the attention of Jason Flom, the then Virgin Records president. He signed the band to his new Capitol Music Group label in May 2007.
Middleton describes the band’s sound as “modern rock with equal parts beauty and tragedy” and said there’s a song for every mood — a result of intense life journeys of the musicians, “where every emotion is valid and every emotion is needed.”
“We love what we do, and it shows in our shows — this is our life, and there is no other option,” he said. “We don’t rehearse what we will say, or what the set list will be. It has to be spontaneous.”
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Royal Bliss played a free show at the Knitting Factory on February 27, 2009. I think it's incredibly cool that Danny Reeves of the Boise Nightlife Examiner referred to Royal Bliss as a "big name band."
And a commenter said, "AMAZING SHOW!!! This newspaper needs to do a review or something on this band! Royal Bliss rocks! For anyone unfamiliar you can check out some of their new album here."
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On Tuesday, Mar. 03, 2009, Scott Kiefer of bnd.com serving the southwestern Illinois and St. Louis region had this to say:
Rock band Royal Bliss is one of those groups who you may not have heard of yet, but that’s not their fault. They have been together for about 11 years now, and have tirelessly worked to make it in the business of rock and roll.
“We’d like to be the biggest band in the world, sure,” said lead singer Neal Middleton, “but first, we want to make a decent living doing what we love.”
“My father worked for the Missouri-Pacific Railroad when I was a kid,” said Middleton. “When that changed to Union Pacific, he was relocated to Utah. That’s where my formative teenage years were spent.”
Middleton and guitarists Taylor Richards and Chris Harding, drummer Jake Smith and bassist Brent Bruschke formed the group in 1997 in Salt Lake, and have had the epitome of a soap opera rock band. Tommy Gunn has been the bass player since 2006.
“We’ve always told each other, as long as we keep moving steps forward, we’ll never give up, we’ll never quit,” Middleton said. “As long as each year we advance as musicians and we advance as people, then we’ll never give up. It’s kind of like going to school to become a doctor for eight or 10 years. That was our college, playing in a band.”
The aptly named Sixth CD "After the Chaos II" is a reference to how after all the pain and suffering that they went through to record it.
“It [was] the first CD that all of us collectively agreed that this is the one we need to go out and shop to labels and tour on and really push as heavily as we possibly can,” Middleton said.
Middleton is proud of the groups effort in promoting themselves and working the rock and roll industry the old fashioned way.
“It really has been a grass roots thing for us,” said Middleton. “We have gone out there on the road and really worked hard. Not just playing music, but doing advance appearances, or just showing up at a place we were supposed to play a few days ahead. That’s how we know how to do it.”
On a recent Sunday, the band was traveling through and stopped at Pop’s in Sauget — site of their gig Wednesday.
“We had a day off in between while we were in the area and decided that we’d stop at Pop’s and hang out for a while,” said Middleton. “Kind of get to know the staff, have a couple beers, and promote the show a bit. Besides, we played there once before, and enjoyed it. They were really good to us...and KSHE radio out of St. Louis has helped us a lot too. So, we thought ‘why not hang here for a day.’”
The second single from their current CD, “Life In-Between,” is about to be released, titled “We Did Nothing Wrong.”
“It’s already been picked up by a load of radio stations,” said Middleton, "and pickup week has even started yet. We’re pretty excited about that.”
The band is on a solo tour headlining clubs, but will be going out with veterans Candlebox at the end on March.
“We’ll tour with them for about three or four months, and see where the single and album is at, as to what we’ll do then,” Middleton said. “Things may be completely turned around by then, who knows. Hopefully, we’ll get back to St. Louis this summer-- either on our own or on a big tour.”
In the meantime, you can use what may be your last chance to see Royal Bliss in an intimate venue at Pop’s.
“I hope everybody comes to see us, because we love the small venues,” said Middleton. “We’ve played big arenas with other groups, and it would be cool to have 20,000 people singing your songs. But for now, we are enjoying playing where we are close to the people and rockin’ out.”
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The iStockAnalyst reported on Thursday, March 5, 2009.
Royal Bliss Makes Strong Debut With 'In-Between'
Royal Bliss, life has been more like a royal pain. But because of that, the Salt Lake City hard rockers have pumped plenty of heart into their major-label debut, "Life In-Between." Just about everything that could go wrong did go wrong for three of the four bandmates in 2004.
No wonder their songs are filled with tales of anguish, inner demons, booze, loneliness and things going wrong. But what elevates this material are really good songwriting and poetic lyrics, not just tales of woe. Some of the songs are angry; others are beautiful.
"Save Me" launches the album with crunching guitar and percussion, softened by Middleton's fine tenor vocals that slide into a primal headbanging scream. The song ends midstream before continuing the hard drive of "Here They Come," which ends with an ethereal wash of sound before shifting to a mellow acoustic mode with "Devils and Angels," before layering in the other instruments.
The album is a fine mix of moods and styles, even as it tackles tough life themes.
They've learned their lessons the hard way. Now it's time for them to shine on the concert circuit. This is a band to watch.
*click image to enlarge*
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