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GroundSounds caught up with Royal Band front-man Peter Daily to discuss the formation of the band, their upcoming album, and more! Stream “Colour of Sound” below and be sure to head over to RoyalBandMusic.com and check out their music.
For those new to Royal Band, give us a little background on your story and how you got together.
I started the band with my good friend Darius Minaee. We’re both drummers and met while on tour with indie hip-hop artists Pigeon John & Lyrics Born. We shared a common bond of musical styles and when he moved from SF to LA we started jamming a bit and things started to develop. We had been demoing out some tunes and decided to make an album. We eventually brought in our friend Adam MacDougall (Black Crowes) to produce the album and later on we would add Mike Matias (bass) and Jeff Trastek (guitar) to the band.
You’re preparing your debut album for release in May. It’s an excellent album with the musicianship of a band that’s been around a long time. What do you attribute this maturity to?
We’ve been playing music for a long time and simply the style of our music is a mature sound.
The album features many talented musicians. Describe the experience of working with these artists and their overall contributions to the album.
The experience was grand really. We holed up in a studio in Hollywood and a sort of nostalgic spirit seemed to sweep through the sessions, especially since the studio had been around since the ’70s. We were real blessed to work with some
musicians we liked and it turned out to be a perfect musical marriage.
You’re releasing the song “Colour of Sound” on April 22nd. What’s the inspiration behind this track?
Musical sounds, vibrations, there is something there that can affect your mood and how you feel. Music can be a bit therapeutic and inspiring so we tried to capture that feeling in the song.
“Colour of Sound” features an infectious chorus and memorable guitar-work. What was your writing process like on this track and how long did it take to get from the earliest inception to the final product?
I wrote this song a while back and had always wanted to do something with it but nothing ever worked out. When we started the process of choosing what songs we wanted to record I showed this song to our producer and he liked it. I believe there was only one demo version of this prior to the album version. This one didn’t get too crazy of a makeover, but, we sped it up a little bit and did some rearranging here and there.
“Seven More Days” features Brian Ray on guitar and has been circulating online for a while now. It’s a prime example of the way you blend classic rock and pop with a modern feel. How did you arrive at this sound? Also, what was it like working with Brian Ray?
This tune was sort of an accident and made the album last minute. I was waiting for our producer to show up for a session and I sat down at the piano and wrote it in about 15 minutes. When Adam (our producer) arrived I showed him the tune
and he was like “we gotta put this on the album.” Working with Brian was great. He’s a really talented artist/musician and someone I’ve admired for years with the work he did with Etta James, Smokey Robinson and of course Paul McCartney. I felt like he would really round out this tune and he did. By the way, his new band the Bayonets have a new song out called
“Sucker for Love.” Great tune, check it out.
When you listen to the album, you can hear the influences of many classic musicians. If you could share the stage with three musicians/bands from any era, who would you choose?
Paul McCartney, Harry Nilsson, Billy Preston.
The album art is eye-catching and thought provoking. Where did the idea for the artwork come from and who designed it?
A fellow called Timo Ceniceros designed the cover. I knew Timo for several years but had fallen out of touch when he moved away. We had kicked around some ideas for the cover but nothing really stuck. Then one day out of the blue Timo
reached out to me on Facebook. I got him a copy of the album and he came up with exactly what we had envisioned.
What are your plans once the album is released and where can readers go to stay updated with your music and live shows?
We’re in rehearsals now for our live show and we’re excited to get out and play. There will be an album release show in LA and we’re finalizing shows in San Diego and the Bay Area for the coming months. For all things RB visit our website (royalbandmusic.com).
It’s been a pleasure chatting.
Peace & Love.
PD
Royal Band – “Colour of Sound”
