The Humble Life of the Ascot Royals
From somewhere in southwestern Ontario there are rumblings of a band so outrageous, whose live shows are so lively, that they can only be referred to as royalty. But on this evening at Lucky’s Wings in Kitchener, after their sound check is over, all the Ascot Royals have on their minds is food.
The musical quintet called The Ascot Royals is made up of the Brothers Chauveau, Ben and Jimmy, who moved to Canada from a town southeast of London in 2004. They met up with Joey Vinegar and Scott Cunninham at McMaster where they all played for different bands. Eventually they all came together as their own outfit and Jesse Gilroy joined them a few months later. And for the past eight months, The Royals have been keeping up a hectic pace of touring as they try to make a name for themselves in a crowded music field.
“It’s been really, really busy and we’ve had some help from some great bookers and agents,” says Ben who plays keyboard. “Plus, Scotty still drives from Barrie for every practice and every show. He’s one of the most dedicated people I know.”
Cunningham plays drums for the band, and says that he does plan to move closer to The Royals home base in Brantford this spring to cut down on his commute. But it’s a good example of how diverse this group is both geographically and musically. Vinegar, the band’s guitarist, was classically trained in several post-secondary programs. Gilroy, the bassist, also received some classical training.
“I really enjoy the fact that we haven’t had to categorize ourselves as one sound, and I’m sure every band says that,” says Ben of their musical genre of choice. “I think with the North American influences with Jesse and Joey and with me and Jimmy coming over here, being raised on the Brit rock scene, I don’t I think it’s just a combination [of sounds].”
“I think it’s a collaboration of the British indie and the things that [Ben and Jimmy] used to do, and I listen to a lot of punk and I really like Motown stuff,” explains Vinegar who does the lion’s share of the songwriting with Jimmy, the band’s vocalist. “So I think that’s the combination and everybody else brings their own flare till we get our sound.”
“The way it actually works is we’ll come up with the main idea, and then it really does become a song with the rest of the band,” says Jimmy of their songwriting process.
“We do all the arranging, and have all the parts and a lot of times they’ll come up with the hook, or I won’t have an idea for drums and Scotty will just click in,” continues Vinegar.
The band says that they’re currently in the process of building their songbook. Their live shows now a combination of original tunes and covers, but the band’s next goal is to put out an album. This spring they’ll be going into Catherine North Studios in Hamilton under the direction of producer Mike Marconi to start making a 6 song EP to be released by the end of summer.
“We really want to select the tracks and we want a big variety to choose from,” says Jimmy of their album writing aspirations.
“We’d rather have 30 songs and pick our 10 most suitable, then have our first 11 songs written and then rush into the studio to record them,” adds Ben.
This very practical, music first approach to managing themselves seems to serve the band well. Even their ambitions are small and uncomplicated.
“I can’t speak for everyone else, but we just want to have fun and say that we tried it and see where we take because basically the five of us, and playing music [together], it’d be pretty awesome if we could make money doing it,” says Gilroy.
“If we could ever make enough money to survive off of this, I think we’d be the happiest people alive,” agrees Jimmy. “That’s the dream.”
“I’d just like to be known as a good live band too, I think that’s what we all got into it for: putting on a good show and having a good time,” adds Vinegar. “I think we want to dedicate the next five years of our lives to it, and if we can dedicate the next 50, we’d be the happiest guys in the world.”
In the meantime though, Ben’s words seem to best sum up the current vibe of the band, and where their greatest strength lies: getting the basics done right. “We’re here to have fun, and hope that people have listening, dancing or enjoying our music,” he says.
“And if [you] hate us, please feel free to tell us why,” adds Gilroy
Fortunately on this Saturday night at Lucky’s, there’s nothing but love.
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