Royal Bliss
Encyclopedia
Royal Bliss is an American rock
band formed in 1997 in Salt Lake City, Utah
. They are currently signed to Capitol Records
and have released eight studio albums.
, Royal Bliss regularly played to sold-out venues in Salt Lake City, Provo
, Ogden
, and Park City
. They also played to sold-out crowds in a number of cities in California
, Nevada
, Idaho
, Montana
, Wyoming
, Oregon
, Washington, Illinois
, and Texas
. In September, 2002 they played to a sold-out crowd at the Key Club in Hollywood and subsequently have been requested to come back to play. In March 2003, they headlined the Roxy Theatre and the show proved to be extremely successful.
In June 2007, Royal Bliss signed with Jason Flom CEO of Capitol Music Group. In August and September 2007, the band recorded a new CD at The Commune, a recording studio in Oregon, produced by Rob Daiker and Matt Winegar.
The band went through a period of time that included Neal falling about 35 feet from a balcony in Southern California.[3] After nearly dying and being told that he will never walk again, Neal rehabilitated himself from almost complete paralysis of the lower half of his body and has even been seen playing soccer now and again, being a long time player of the sport. The other members also were busy around the same time including, Jake becoming a father, Chris puncturing his face in a skiing accident and having to have reconstructive surgery, and Taylor breaking his foot, not to mention totaled cars, lawsuits, failed recording sessions and broken relationships.
“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 8 or 10 years. That was our college, playing in a band.”.
The band had started production of the CD in a million-dollar California studio, but after all that happened they ended up finishing it almost two years later in a home studio located in Salt Lake City. “It’s the first CD that all of us collectively agree 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. “For the first time, we’ve hired a radio promoter and we’ve hired a publicist and ended up signing a distribution deal” that will get After the Chaos II into stores nationwide, while giving Royal Bliss control of all the music.
Royal Bliss had opportunities to leave Salt Lake City for greener pastures, but “it’s always been our goal to come from Salt Lake City, because we believe the talent in Salt Lake deserves to be noticed.” And with the Internet, it’s even easier for bands to make an impact without leaving their hometowns.
Royal Bliss plans on touring and pushing After the Chaos II as far as it can. And with their recent travails now in the rearview mirror, band members are optimistic.
“It’s actually starting to feel better than it’s ever been before,” Middleton said. “We’re all feeling good and we’re all healthy. I still don’t have all the feeling back in my leg, but it doesn’t bother me.”. After the Chaos II is distributed under the The Control Group
label.
Their single "Devils and Angels" featured on "After The Chaos II" received heavy rotation on KHTB/SLC, KZDX/Idaho, KCVI/Idaho, KOMP/Las Vegas, WIIL/Chicago, and KEYJ/Abilene, TX reaching a peak of 36 on the mediabase active rock charts. Having sold almost 30,000 copies of After the Chaos II, in June 2007, Royal Bliss signed with Jason Flom while CEO of Capitol Music Group.
. Life In-Between
was released 13 January 2009 as a joint collaboration between Merovingian Music
and Caroline Records
under the exclusive license to Capitol Records
. Showing strong first week sales, Life In Between debuted at number 151 on The Billboard 200 (Top 200 albums in retail sales) and number 4 on Billboard Top Heatseekers (The best-selling albums by new and developing acts, defined as those who have never appeared in the top 100 of The Billboard 200).
The album's first single, Save Me
, was released 15 July 2008. It is currently available for sale digitally at all major online retailers (iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, etc.). The song impacted radio only one day earlier on the 14th with a total of 11 adds at radio and climbing to 25 within a few days. Merovingian Music
(abrv MRV) has released two web sites to accompany and promote the new single Save Me
. The first is an interactive e-card which provides to anyone that maybe unfamiliar, an excellent introduction to the band. The second is a media packed web tools site for those who want to take action and promote, this site provides to the public a plethora of marketing tools and the necessary knowledge to use them effectively.
In October 2008 the band's label released the first video single for the song, Save Me
. The video features a protagonist puppet used to explore the band's tormented psyche and shows the devolution and decline of the human condition when all hope is lost. A masked man in stop-motion symbolizes the character in a state of emotional decay and turmoil as he morphs into an actual puppet who is void of feeling, emotion and life itself. Thus symbolizing the fight is over and a lost of all resemblance of former self and has now become completely dehumanized. Here is a recent 2009 interview with the band: http://app.synclive.com?show/29552.
In November 2009 the band released an acoustic EP entitled from a performance at the legendary Studio A. They also release a Christmas
single which included the b-side "Music Man", a fan favorite.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band formed in 1997 in Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. They are currently signed to Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
and have released eight studio albums.
Background
Formed in 1997 in Salt Lake City, UtahUtah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, Royal Bliss regularly played to sold-out venues in Salt Lake City, Provo
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
, Ogden
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
, and Park City
Park City, Utah
Park City is a town in Summit and Wasatch counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City's east edge of Sugar House along Interstate 80. The population was 7,558 at the 2010 census...
. They also played to sold-out crowds in a number of cities in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, Washington, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. In September, 2002 they played to a sold-out crowd at the Key Club in Hollywood and subsequently have been requested to come back to play. In March 2003, they headlined the Roxy Theatre and the show proved to be extremely successful.
In June 2007, Royal Bliss signed with Jason Flom CEO of Capitol Music Group. In August and September 2007, the band recorded a new CD at The Commune, a recording studio in Oregon, produced by Rob Daiker and Matt Winegar.
“Unluckiest Band in Rock”
The band members have had their share of bad luck.The band went through a period of time that included Neal falling about 35 feet from a balcony in Southern California.[3] After nearly dying and being told that he will never walk again, Neal rehabilitated himself from almost complete paralysis of the lower half of his body and has even been seen playing soccer now and again, being a long time player of the sport. The other members also were busy around the same time including, Jake becoming a father, Chris puncturing his face in a skiing accident and having to have reconstructive surgery, and Taylor breaking his foot, not to mention totaled cars, lawsuits, failed recording sessions and broken relationships.
“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 8 or 10 years. That was our college, playing in a band.”.
Free Again (1998)
This appears to be the first CD that the band recorded in 1998 which had (7) seven songs. It included some long time fans favorites such as “Love Song”, and “Morning After”. A heavy metal effort also made the cut on this first one titled “Blah”Old’s Cool (2001)
This CD was a compilation of the bands first two CD's, Free Again and Gimme A Little Bliss. It Also included two bonus live songs, "No Surprises" and a rough version of the bands current hit “Devils and Angels”Gimmie a Little Bliss (1999)
This CD is considered their debut EP and with a new type of rock incorporated with a strong Reggae vibe made the CDs sell quickly. They quickly sold out of about 3,500 units and had orders for more.King Size (2001)
Their next CD titled King Size (2001) met with similar success. At the time of release, 5,000 copies were distributed to Media Play, Sam Goody, Warehouse Music and Gray Whale stores. This CD also quickly sold out and stores had to put in subsequent orders to accommodate the demand. Many stores have had to struggle to keep this hot disc on the shelves since its release. Some of the more notable songs on this disc include “Now She’s Leaving”, “Drink and Smoke”, and the much requested fan favorites “Fine Wine” and “Roll One”.After the Chaos (2005) & After the Chaos II (2006)
The aptly named Sixth CD After the Chaos is a reference to how after all the pain and suffering that they went through to record it. The record After the Chaos II has been described as "Royal Bliss at its best".The band had started production of the CD in a million-dollar California studio, but after all that happened they ended up finishing it almost two years later in a home studio located in Salt Lake City. “It’s the first CD that all of us collectively agree 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. “For the first time, we’ve hired a radio promoter and we’ve hired a publicist and ended up signing a distribution deal” that will get After the Chaos II into stores nationwide, while giving Royal Bliss control of all the music.
Royal Bliss had opportunities to leave Salt Lake City for greener pastures, but “it’s always been our goal to come from Salt Lake City, because we believe the talent in Salt Lake deserves to be noticed.” And with the Internet, it’s even easier for bands to make an impact without leaving their hometowns.
Royal Bliss plans on touring and pushing After the Chaos II as far as it can. And with their recent travails now in the rearview mirror, band members are optimistic.
“It’s actually starting to feel better than it’s ever been before,” Middleton said. “We’re all feeling good and we’re all healthy. I still don’t have all the feeling back in my leg, but it doesn’t bother me.”. After the Chaos II is distributed under the The Control Group
The Control Group
The Control Group is a relatively small record label, founded by Nabil Ayers. Notable artists to have albums released by this label include Kings of Leon and The Killers.-Bands Signed with TCG :*Alien Crime Syndicate*El Perro Del Mar*Figurines...
label.
Their single "Devils and Angels" featured on "After The Chaos II" received heavy rotation on KHTB/SLC, KZDX/Idaho, KCVI/Idaho, KOMP/Las Vegas, WIIL/Chicago, and KEYJ/Abilene, TX reaching a peak of 36 on the mediabase active rock charts. Having sold almost 30,000 copies of After the Chaos II, in June 2007, Royal Bliss signed with Jason Flom while CEO of Capitol Music Group.
Life In-Between (2008)
Royal Bliss's new album marks the next chapter in the ongoing saga of Royal Bliss, as their first major label release under Capitol RecordsCapitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. Life In-Between
Life In-Between
Life In-Between is the debut album by rock band Royal Bliss. It was released January 13, 2009 as a joint collaboration between Merovingian Music and Caroline Records under the exclusive license to Capitol Records. The album's first single, "Save Me", was released July 15, 2008. It is currently...
was released 13 January 2009 as a joint collaboration between Merovingian Music
Merovingian Music
Merovingian Music also abbreviated as MRV or MRV Music, is a non-genre specific record label based out of Red Bank, New Jersey. The label was founded by industry veteran Jack Ponti who currently serves as CEO of the company...
and Caroline Records
Caroline Records
Caroline Records started out as a subsidiary of Richard Branson's Virgin Records label during the early to mid 1970s. The label originally specialized in putting out budget price LPs by mainly progressive rock and jazz artists generally not considered to have a great deal of 'mainstream' or...
under the exclusive license to Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. Showing strong first week sales, Life In Between debuted at number 151 on The Billboard 200 (Top 200 albums in retail sales) and number 4 on Billboard Top Heatseekers (The best-selling albums by new and developing acts, defined as those who have never appeared in the top 100 of The Billboard 200).
The album's first single, Save Me
Save Me (Royal Bliss song)
Life In-Between's first single, "Save Me", was released July 15, 2008. It is currently available for sale digitally at all major online retailers . The song impacted radio only one day earlier on the 14th with a total of 11 adds at radio and climbing to 25 within a few days...
, was released 15 July 2008. It is currently available for sale digitally at all major online retailers (iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, etc.). The song impacted radio only one day earlier on the 14th with a total of 11 adds at radio and climbing to 25 within a few days. Merovingian Music
Merovingian Music
Merovingian Music also abbreviated as MRV or MRV Music, is a non-genre specific record label based out of Red Bank, New Jersey. The label was founded by industry veteran Jack Ponti who currently serves as CEO of the company...
(abrv MRV) has released two web sites to accompany and promote the new single Save Me
Save Me (Royal Bliss song)
Life In-Between's first single, "Save Me", was released July 15, 2008. It is currently available for sale digitally at all major online retailers . The song impacted radio only one day earlier on the 14th with a total of 11 adds at radio and climbing to 25 within a few days...
. The first is an interactive e-card which provides to anyone that maybe unfamiliar, an excellent introduction to the band. The second is a media packed web tools site for those who want to take action and promote, this site provides to the public a plethora of marketing tools and the necessary knowledge to use them effectively.
In October 2008 the band's label released the first video single for the song, Save Me
Save Me (Royal Bliss song)
Life In-Between's first single, "Save Me", was released July 15, 2008. It is currently available for sale digitally at all major online retailers . The song impacted radio only one day earlier on the 14th with a total of 11 adds at radio and climbing to 25 within a few days...
. The video features a protagonist puppet used to explore the band's tormented psyche and shows the devolution and decline of the human condition when all hope is lost. A masked man in stop-motion symbolizes the character in a state of emotional decay and turmoil as he morphs into an actual puppet who is void of feeling, emotion and life itself. Thus symbolizing the fight is over and a lost of all resemblance of former self and has now become completely dehumanized. Here is a recent 2009 interview with the band: http://app.synclive.com?show/29552.
In November 2009 the band released an acoustic EP entitled from a performance at the legendary Studio A. They also release a Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
single which included the b-side "Music Man", a fan favorite.
Waiting Out The Storm (2010)
The band has said that in February 2010 they will start recording a new album. It will be released Summer 2011 and titled "Waiting Out The Storm," as confirmed by the band.Current members
- Neal Middleton—lead vocals, guitar
- Taylor Richards—guitar
- Chris Harding—guitar
- Jake Smith—drums
- Dwayne Crawford—bass guitar (2010–present)
Studio albums
- 1998: Free Again
- 1999: Gimmie a Little Bliss
- 2001: Old’s Cool
- 2001: King Size
- 2005: After the Chaos
- 2006: After the Chaos II
- 2009: Life In-Between
- 2011: Waiting Out The Storm
EPs
- 2009: Live and Acoustic in Studio A
- 2009: I Just Want You (For Christmas)
| Year | Album Title | Chart peak positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 |
U.S. Comprehensive Albums |
U.S. Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
U.S. Tastemakers |
U.S. Top Heatseekers (mountain) |
||
| 2009 | Life In-Between Life In-Between Life In-Between is the debut album by rock band Royal Bliss. It was released January 13, 2009 as a joint collaboration between Merovingian Music and Caroline Records under the exclusive license to Capitol Records. The album's first single, "Save Me", was released July 15, 2008. It is currently... |
151 | 184 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart peak positions |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Main. | U.S. Alt. | |||
| 2008 | "Save Me Save Me (Royal Bliss song) Life In-Between's first single, "Save Me", was released July 15, 2008. It is currently available for sale digitally at all major online retailers . The song impacted radio only one day earlier on the 14th with a total of 11 adds at radio and climbing to 25 within a few days... " |
25 | — | Life In-Between Life In-Between Life In-Between is the debut album by rock band Royal Bliss. It was released January 13, 2009 as a joint collaboration between Merovingian Music and Caroline Records under the exclusive license to Capitol Records. The album's first single, "Save Me", was released July 15, 2008. It is currently... |
| "I Was Drunk" | — | — | ||
| 2009 | "We Did Nothing Wrong" | 28 | — | |
| 2011 | "I Got This" | — | — | Waiting Out The Storm |
| "Crazy" | — | — |