Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
The band takes a lot of cues from the whole Wilco/Uncle Tupelo/Jayhawks school--melding punk energy with country flavors and melodies. No question, heartland rockers like "Empty" and "Brighter Day" will help fire-your next hoe-down or barbeque. - Pete Prown
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- front royale
with some catchy tunes, instrumental skills, and enough pop sound to catch the average listener, Front Royale's got what it takes to last. - Chris Muther
Discography
Disappointed--Single summer/fall 1998, song earned FR local band spotlight on WFNX 101.7.
Justine--Single summer/fall 2001, single received light to heavy rotation on over 70 college stations and 12 commercial alt. stations. Top 5 most requested song on radioboston.com for 10 weeks. Top 5 requested song on WEQX 102.7 for three weeks July/August 2001. Top 10 request WKPE 104.7 Cheap Seats August 2001
Velvet Transmission Jacket--Six-song EP released August 1998
Your Everything Outfit--Ten-song LP released June 2001
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Through various address as well as line up changes one thing has remained true about Front Royale. One, singer/songwriter Greg Grant still doesn't have a story about where the name of the band came from and two, the only thing Grant cares about is writing catchy power-pop tunes filled with chunky guitars, melodic vocals and plenty of sexual tension. A genre Grant and his cohorts have aptly named "Big Dumb Rock."
After releasing Your Everything Outfit (2001) The trio garnered the attention of critics who have compared FR to Cheap Trick, Wilco, Buffalo Tom, the Foo Fighters, and old U2 to name a few. Songs Justine and Getaway received solid airplay at over 100 college and commercial alternative radio stations throughout the Northeast. Unfortunately, the band suffered the surprising departure of it bass player less than a week before it was to set out on the road in support of Your Everything Outfit. It was shortly after this setback that long time drummer Jay Renda decided to depart, leaving Front Royale a party of one.
Grant spent the winter of 2002 picking up the pieces until he met bass player Mike Tagg. Besides Tagg's low-end capabilities he had something no-other FR bass player did?a good voice! "Finally, the live vocals weren't completely dependant on me," says Grant. "Besides by the time Mike joined FR, I needed sort of a spiritual cheer leader to keep me from throwing in the towel." After a couple months playing gigs with a few different drummers, Mike suggested his friend Pat come down and play with the band. That possibly may have been the best suggestion Tagg has ever made.
At 6' 5" Pat Cleland just looks like he can break a drumhead by breathing on it. Cleland who has toured and played with a number of bands including the quintessential Van Halen tribute band Diver Down, joined Front Royale in July of 2002 and has proceeded completely adrenalize the bands live performance and songwriting. "I can honestly say this is the best FR line up I have ever played with," says Grant. "Everybody in the band now has the exact same vision on where we want to go and what we want to do. Which is simply play Big Dumb Rock."
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