Royal City
Encyclopedia
Royal City were an indie rock
band from Guelph
, Ontario
, Canada
.
Ontario
. The band was fronted by Aaron Riches
, well known in the local all ages punk scene for having booked and opening up for Fugazi, his releases on DROG Records, and for being the subject of a Robert Munsch
book as a child.
Originally called The Royal City All Stars, the band had moved to Toronto
after signing with Three Gut Records
. At Three Gut, Royal City joined label mates Cuff the Duke
and The Constantines
in Toronto's early 2000s music scene. While working with many collaborators, the core of Royal City consisted of Aaron Riches
, Lonnie James, Simon Osborne and Jim Guthrie. James replaced original drummer Nathan Lawr
in 2002.
During their time as a band, Royal City toured across Canada, playing places such as Whitehorse
, Yukon
, and opening for such musicians as Sarah Harmer
. In 2002, a then-unknown Arcade Fire opened for the band on a series of tour dates, and in 2003 the band played in Sufjan Stevens
' living room as their first show in New York City.
The band was also host to a number of notable collaborations, including Leslie Feist
, Sufjan Stevens
, Final Fantasy
, Gentleman Reg
and Bob Wiseman
.
After disbanding in 2004, Aaron Riches
went on to study Radical Orthodoxy
under John Milbank
at the University of Nottingham
. Nathan Lawr
continues to release music as a solo artist, and Jim Guthrie is an active member in Human Highway
, and as a touring member of Islands
.
In early 2009, Sufjan Stevens
' Asthmatic Kitty
records released "A Belly Was Made for Wine", a song from the band's upcoming b-sides
release Royal City.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band from Guelph
Guelph
Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
History
Royal City were formed in 1999 at Jim Guthrie's house in downtown GuelphGuelph
Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...
Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. The band was fronted by Aaron Riches
Aaron Riches
Aaron Riches is a Canadian singer-songwriter. He used to be in the bands Left Hand Red, Fiddle Footed, Burn 51 and Minnow. Afterwards he released two solo-albums, and toured with the Royal City All-Stars, which eventually became the band Royal City, which has also since disbanded.-In Royal City:*...
, well known in the local all ages punk scene for having booked and opening up for Fugazi, his releases on DROG Records, and for being the subject of a Robert Munsch
Robert Munsch
Robert Norman Munsch, CM is an American-born Canadian children's author.-Personal life and career:Robert Munsch was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
book as a child.
Originally called The Royal City All Stars, the band had moved to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
after signing with Three Gut Records
Three Gut Records
Three Gut Records was a Guelph, Ontario, Canada based independent record label. It was founded in 1999 by Lisa Moran and Tyler Clarke Burke as a vehicle for releasing albums by their friends; it became an influential player in Canadian music with the breakout success of the Constantines'...
. At Three Gut, Royal City joined label mates Cuff the Duke
Cuff the Duke
Cuff the Duke is a Canadian band from Oshawa, Ontario. They play a blend of traditional country and folk music with indie rock influences, and can be categorized as an alt-country group.-History:...
and The Constantines
The Constantines
-History:The band was formed by Steve Lambke, Bryan Webb, Doug MacGregor, and Dallas Wehrle in 1999, following the break-up of Webb and MacGregor's emotional hardcore band Shoulder...
in Toronto's early 2000s music scene. While working with many collaborators, the core of Royal City consisted of Aaron Riches
Aaron Riches
Aaron Riches is a Canadian singer-songwriter. He used to be in the bands Left Hand Red, Fiddle Footed, Burn 51 and Minnow. Afterwards he released two solo-albums, and toured with the Royal City All-Stars, which eventually became the band Royal City, which has also since disbanded.-In Royal City:*...
, Lonnie James, Simon Osborne and Jim Guthrie. James replaced original drummer Nathan Lawr
Nathan Lawr
Nathan Lawr is a Canadian singer-songwriter, currently fronting the band Minotaurs.The original drummer for Royal City, Lawr left the band in 2002 to pursue a solo career...
in 2002.
During their time as a band, Royal City toured across Canada, playing places such as Whitehorse
Whitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse is Yukon's capital and largest city . It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1476 on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in...
, Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
, and opening for such musicians as Sarah Harmer
Sarah Harmer
Sarah Harmer is a Canadian singer-songwriter and activist.-Biography:Born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, Harmer gained her first exposure to the musician's lifestyle as a teenager, when her older sister Mary started taking her to concerts by the well-known Tragically Hip. At the age of 17, she...
. In 2002, a then-unknown Arcade Fire opened for the band on a series of tour dates, and in 2003 the band played in Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
' living room as their first show in New York City.
The band was also host to a number of notable collaborations, including Leslie Feist
Leslie Feist
Leslie Feist , known professionally as simply Feist, is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, both as a solo artist and as a member of the indie rock group Broken Social Scene....
, Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
, Final Fantasy
Owen Pallett
Michael James Owen Pallett is a Canadian composer, violinist, keyboardist, and vocalist from Toronto, Ontario. He won the 2006 Polaris Music Prize for the album He Poos Clouds....
, Gentleman Reg
Gentleman Reg
Reg Vermue is a Canadian indie rock singer from Guelph, Ontario. Born in Trenton, Ontario, he records as Gentleman Reg. His musical style has been compared to Elliott Smith, Aimee Mann, The Smiths and Cat Power...
and Bob Wiseman
Bob Wiseman
Bob Wiseman is a Juno winning Canadian musician, filmmaker, singer-songwriter, and actor. Wiseman was an original member of Blue Rodeo.-Career:Wiseman was raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He studied piano at York University...
.
After disbanding in 2004, Aaron Riches
Aaron Riches
Aaron Riches is a Canadian singer-songwriter. He used to be in the bands Left Hand Red, Fiddle Footed, Burn 51 and Minnow. Afterwards he released two solo-albums, and toured with the Royal City All-Stars, which eventually became the band Royal City, which has also since disbanded.-In Royal City:*...
went on to study Radical Orthodoxy
Radical orthodoxy
Radical Orthodoxy is Christian theological and philosophical school of thought which makes use of postmodern philosophy to reject the paradigm of modernity...
under John Milbank
John Milbank
Alasdair John Milbank is a Christian theologian and the Professor of Religion, Politics and Ethics at the University of Nottingham where he also directs the Centre of Theology and Philosophy. Milbank previously taught at the University of Virginia and before that at the University of Cambridge...
at the University of Nottingham
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
. Nathan Lawr
Nathan Lawr
Nathan Lawr is a Canadian singer-songwriter, currently fronting the band Minotaurs.The original drummer for Royal City, Lawr left the band in 2002 to pursue a solo career...
continues to release music as a solo artist, and Jim Guthrie is an active member in Human Highway
Human Highway (band)
Human Highway is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 2008 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The band's name is a reference to the Neil Young song "Human Highway" as suggested by founding member Nicholas Thorburn after attending a Neil Young concert.-History:...
, and as a touring member of Islands
Islands (band)
Islands is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 2005 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and currently based in Brooklyn, New York.-Return to the Sea:In mid-2005 Islands recorded a debut album titled Return to the Sea, which was released in April 2006...
.
In early 2009, Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
' Asthmatic Kitty
Asthmatic Kitty
Asthmatic Kitty is an American independent record label founded in 1999 by a community of musicians from Holland, Michigan led by musician Sufjan Stevens and his stepfather Lowell Brams. Some were Holland natives, and others had come to attend local colleges and universities...
records released "A Belly Was Made for Wine", a song from the band's upcoming b-sides
B-Sides
B-Sides is an iTunes-exclusive album from the Coventry Trio The Enemy, consisting of ten songs that were B-sides to the single releases from their debut album We'll Live and Die in These Towns.-Track list:#Fear Killed the Youth of Our Nation...
release Royal City.
Members
- Aaron RichesAaron RichesAaron Riches is a Canadian singer-songwriter. He used to be in the bands Left Hand Red, Fiddle Footed, Burn 51 and Minnow. Afterwards he released two solo-albums, and toured with the Royal City All-Stars, which eventually became the band Royal City, which has also since disbanded.-In Royal City:*...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocals - Jim Guthrie – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocals - Simon Osborne – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Nathan LawrNathan LawrNathan Lawr is a Canadian singer-songwriter, currently fronting the band Minotaurs.The original drummer for Royal City, Lawr left the band in 2002 to pursue a solo career...
- drums (1999–2002) - Lonnie James - drums (2002–2004)
Collaborators
- Leslie FeistLeslie FeistLeslie Feist , known professionally as simply Feist, is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, both as a solo artist and as a member of the indie rock group Broken Social Scene....
- Guitar - Sufjan StevensSufjan StevensSufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
- Glockenspiel, Production - Owen PallettOwen PallettMichael James Owen Pallett is a Canadian composer, violinist, keyboardist, and vocalist from Toronto, Ontario. He won the 2006 Polaris Music Prize for the album He Poos Clouds....
- Violin - Gentleman RegGentleman RegReg Vermue is a Canadian indie rock singer from Guelph, Ontario. Born in Trenton, Ontario, he records as Gentleman Reg. His musical style has been compared to Elliott Smith, Aimee Mann, The Smiths and Cat Power...
- Guitar - Bob WisemanBob WisemanBob Wiseman is a Juno winning Canadian musician, filmmaker, singer-songwriter, and actor. Wiseman was an original member of Blue Rodeo.-Career:Wiseman was raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He studied piano at York University...
- Keyboards
Albums
- At Rush Hour the CarsAt Rush Hour the CarsAt Rush Hour the Cars is the debut album by Canadian indie rock band Royal City, released in 2000 on Three Gut Records.-Track listing:# "O You With Flowers" – 3:20# "At Rush Hour the Cars" – 5:00# "I'm Taking the Train" – 2:10...
(2000) - Alone at the MicrophoneAlone at the MicrophoneAlone at the Microphone is Royal City's second album.-Track listing:# "Bad Luck" – 3:27# "Under a Hallow Tree" – 1:49# "My Brother is the Meatman" – 3:08# "Spacy Basement" - 4:35# "Dank Is the Air of Death and Loathing" – 3:28# "Don't You" – 3:33...
(2001) - Little Heart's EaseLittle Heart's Ease-Track listing:# "Bring My Father a Gift" – 3:02# "Jerusalem" – 3:48# "She Will Come" – 2:37# "Count the Days" – 3:36# "Can't You" – 4:09# "Cabbage Rolls" – 2:53# "My Body Is Numbered" – 5:10# "O Beauty" - 3:45# "Ain't That the Way" – 2:53...
(2004) - Royal CityRoyal City (album)Royal City is a B-side compilation by Royal City, released on June 23, 2009, on Asthmatic Kitty.-Track listing:# "Here Comes Success"# "Can't You Hear Me Calling"# "Postcards"# "A Belly Was Made for Wine"# "Dog Song"# "O You With Your Shirt"...
(2009)
Singles
- "Small Singles Club" (EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
) (2001) - "I Called" - City of Music compilationCompilation albumA compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
(2002) - "That My Head were A Spring" - Comes With a Smile issue 13 (2003)
- "Is This It" - Stop Me If you Think you've Heard This One Before - Various Artists Rough TradeRough Trade RecordsRough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
(2004) - "Tarry - "Comes with a smile" issue 16 (2004)
Covered by
- The ConstantinesThe Constantines-History:The band was formed by Steve Lambke, Bryan Webb, Doug MacGregor, and Dallas Wehrle in 1999, following the break-up of Webb and MacGregor's emotional hardcore band Shoulder...
- "Raw Youth" - Young Lions EP (2004) - The Wooden SkyThe Wooden SkyThe Wooden Sky are a Canadian indie rock band based in Toronto, Ontario. They formed in 2003 as Friday Morning's Regret, but changed their name in 2007. They are currently signed to Black Box Recordings who has released their last two records....
- "I Am A Raw Youth" - Bedrooms + Backstreets EP (2009)
External links
- Review and samples on EpitonicEpitonicFirst launched in 1999, Epitonic is a source for independent music across multiple genres from both signed and unsigned artists. Featuring free and legal MP3 downloads, radio streams, and many full album streams, at its peak it amassed content from more than 400 independent labels and represented a...
- "Royal City and the Beauty of the B-Side"; CBC Radio 3CBC Radio 3CBC Radio 3 is a radio station that consists of two parts devoted to Canadian arts and music: a radio service which is available on Sirius Satellite Radio and streaming audio, and several daily and weekly podcasts from the CBC Radio 3 website...
story by Vish Khanna - "Lost Classics: Royal City “Alone At The Microphone”" MagnetMagnetA magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, and attracts or repels other magnets.A permanent magnet is an object...
magazine. - "The Secret's Out: Royal City's Surprising Success" CBC Radio 3CBC Radio 3CBC Radio 3 is a radio station that consists of two parts devoted to Canadian arts and music: a radio service which is available on Sirius Satellite Radio and streaming audio, and several daily and weekly podcasts from the CBC Radio 3 website...
Session; story by Michael Barclay - "Asthmatic Kitty Records Royal City: S/T" Asthmatic Kitty Records; story by Vish Khanna
- "Guelph Quartet's Country Crack-up" ; story by Matt GallowayMatt GallowayMatt Galloway is a Canadian radio personality, who is host of Metro Morning at CBLA-FM in Toronto. Galloway succeeded Andy Barrie as host of Metro Morning effective March 1, 2010....
- "Interview with Aaron Riches; by !earshot
- "Remembering Three Gut Records" by Stuart McLeanStuart McLeanAndrew Stuart McLean is a Canadian radio broadcaster, humourist and author, best known as the host of the CBC Radio programme The Vinyl Cafe. He is often described as a "story-telling comic", though he has written many serious stories...
on CBC RadioCBC RadioCBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
's Vinyl Cafe - "An Oral History of Three Gut Records" story by Michael Barclay
- Royal Treatment" story by Dylan Young
- "Questionnaire with Aaron Riches"
- "Bad Luck" music video at Bravo!FACT