We’re Gonna Lay Her Down In The Sands Of Time

U.S. Royalty. July 29th. 9:30 Club.

John Thornley appears onstage, glinting in the dark lighting, in his sequined top, mink stole and trademark snakeskin boots. He commands attention, he dominates any stage. All eyes are on him and he’s completely at ease. He is about to blow the roof off the club and the crowd knows it. A Jesus of sorts, John has arrived to chant with his people and shut out the less-vibrant outside world for a good hour.

The dull throb of cheers and the buzz of excitement are disorienting as the band members silently get situated and figuratively load their weapons. And…sha.

To the right, Paul, on lead guitar confidently screams into Hollywood Hollows and the audience certainly can comiserate with long, hot nights in the heat of the summer. This 100+-degree day in late July snugly tucked away in America’s capital city is the perfect setting for this show; for these hometown boys.

U.S. Royalty tear through songs off their debut full-length album, Mirrors, and nod to previous tunes like an old favorite Every Summer; the melody seemingly committed to Paul’s muscle memory and their favorite cover, Stevie Nicks’ Wild Heart. The performance of Vacation Vacation is a rest from the violent, thrashing dominant tracks, one within which everyone feels transported to a distant starlit canyon.

Which brings us to the most powerful track on Mirrors. John knew this song needed a special performance and that is exactly what he gave. Heightening the excitement and amusement to a whole new level of sensation, the band broke into a 10-minute-long dramatic stage performance of The Desert Won’t Save You. We were all there, stranded in the desert. The guitar was wailing, taunting us, and the bass was thrumming until we could feel it in our toes. The rolling rhythm of Luke’s drums made our hearts race. John’s slow croon made our skin crawl. Blood was dripping through our hands. Vultures were circling the dead and we could see our fate from the third person. We would be next. There was no redemption in the sweltering, judgemental desert. The desert won’t save you.

The show ended on the high note of jangly, upbeat Equestrian, reminding us that it’s high time we reached our shore; our place of peace, serenity, and reprieve. This song has the ability to bring everyone together in the simple arrangement of five notes, which happen to be bellowed from the rafters. Those four walls held us in, seperating us from a hot night, just a bunch of cool kids living like the good times never end, with our faithful leader, as he collapsed on the stage floor, overcome by the fierce nature of the desert.

Mimi

Smoke and MIRRORS

The D.C.-based band U.S. Royalty has been a love of mine for a while now. I first saw them perform two years ago and was captivated. Their stage presence is unparallelled and their energy is the strongest thing in the room. These guys aren’t just like every other band. They bring more to the table; these mysterious music chops that might take your average mainstream band decades to perfect.

Led by “young American soul” John Thornley, in a poncho and snakeskin boots and wearing a medallion around his neck, U.S. Royalty are far from average. But their throw-caution-to-the-wind, fiercely different, beardy, hippie ways may be just the thing to claim and keep audiences’ attention.

Since that first show, I had been listening to my seemingly basement-made U.S. Royalty CDs and wondering how no one could have heard of them. The tracks were so energized; with long guitar riffs, impressive harmonica lead-ins, and a toe-tapping beat led by drummer Luke Adams.

And then they came out with a real album, Mirrors, released January of 2011. Everything led up to this, everything relied on this. And it blew my socks off.

They presented a sensual mix of the kind of songs that remind you that U.S. Royalty is not your average band. Guitarist Paul Thornley really got a workout on this one and evidently put a lot of himself into these chord progressions. Everything came together perfectly; literally the definition of the word harmonizing. 

Hollywood Hollows starts off this musical orgy, exploding through your speakers and demanding props, exclaiming,

 “Hot nights couldn’t get that much longer / bare bones in the heat of the summer / red light flashes out of the window / like alley cats we soak it up, we mix and we mingle / mmm.”

Next come songs like Monte Carlo and Equestrian, both of which could easily be played on mainstream radio, or at least college radio. Next, glistens and chirps the first notes of Vacation Vacation. Anytime I hear this song, it doesn’t matter what mood I’m in, I’m suddenly calm, in some field of gold on a summer day. That’s how powerful this stuff is. Track after track and another couple steps down this wooded path of folk/pop/rock mix they’re leading us, the excellence doesn’t let up. And then suddenly we’re in the desert.

The Desert Won’t Save You is seven minutes of passion, a humming bassline, thoughtful noise; a song that John demands the lights be dimmed for. It is only proper to snap your fingers along to the beat; you don’t know where you are in the desert but you’re pretty sure you’re about to be hit with a headbanging guitar riff. Crashing symbols join the relentless bass, let up for soft cooing, then artfully burst back note by note. We don’t mind the vultures, we’re riding the upbeat, and we’ve decided we don’t want to find our way out. The Desert Won’t Save You is honestly one of the most impressive songs that has ever graced my ears.

I was lucky enough to see U.S. Royalty perform their set from this album, in the basement of a club and a foot away from the band only a few weeks after the release and they were more polished and badass than ever before.

After recently being featured on SPIN.com, during an episode of One Tree Hill, in an ad for GANT Rugger clothing, and performing with countless other greats at SXSW, their anonymity may have dropped, but not substantially. I have a feeling their upcoming tour, where they are opening for Third Eye Blind, announced in the past 24 hours, might help that. 

Someday soon, U.S. Royalty will not only have a cult following in the D.C. area but that strong desert wind will blow across the rest of the country because they provide a sound with which each of us can connect.

“We’re just cool kids living like the good times never end.”

http://usroyaltymusic.com/music/

-Mimi