Rockin' soul kings of Athens celebrate 10th
2005-07-21
By Mary Beth Gillam
Athens NEWS Writer

So you haven't found a band that makes you shake your booty? You haven't heard a local group really put the soul back into soul? Well, I guess you haven't seen the Royales.

The best soul band around has been rocking Athens for 10 years, and a perfect celebration of that anniversary will occur at Nelsonville's Art and Music Festival this Saturday on Public Square. The Royales are opening for the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Bandleader Pat Brown says playing with the world-renowned Dirty Dozen will be an honor. Indeed.

Also appearing at the festival, a fund-raiser for Stuart's Opera House, will be the Derailers, from Austin, Texas, and the Carpenter Ants, from Charleston, W.Va. The music starts with local band Slaughter Drive at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25 at the door.

The Royales have the perfect front man (Brown), and they boast some of the finest musicians around. Original members were Pat Brown (bass and vocals), Jonathan "Jayno" Hunt (keyboards), John Sullivan (drums) and John Spataro (guitar).

Today the band consists of Brown, Hunt, Spataro, Chris Aubell on drums, Roman Warmke on bass, John Borchard on guitar, Eric "Junebug" Leighton on trombone, and Ted Harris on saxophone. Each of the members has an obvious respect for the talent of his band mates. All of them are more than proficient at their instruments, and this fact is never more obvious than when watching them improvise and solo.

Borchard is a technical wizard on guitar, and the grizzled veteran of the Athens music scene "never makes mistakes" according to the rest of the band. Spataro says Borchard sets the bar for the caliber of his own playing, which is closer to the edge, but no less enjoyable to witness. Their playing balances together perfectly. If there were a superhero who saved the world playing guitar, he would be called "Borcharo."

Warmke is simply the best bass player in Athens, and whether or not he's wearing his shoes, watching his fingers do their magic is an experience not to be missed.

The Royales is one of "five or six" bands that enjoy Aubell's brilliant drumming, and Leighton is also a "jack of all bands." In addition to co-leading Open Stage at the Blue Gator on Tuesdays, Junebug plays a myriad of instruments masterfully.

Hunt tickles the ivories of his keyboards with Joplin-esque perfection, and Harris' sax brings out the true soul of the music.

Who knows which is better - seeing the incredible style and presence Mr. Brown brings to the stage, or listening to his voice. He has the ability to bring an audience into a joyful frenzy with his signature phrases (e.g. "People, people"). Last weekend, when the band headlined Athens' own music festival, Boogie on the Bricks, "I love you, Pat Brown" could be heard coming from the audience more than several times.

The Royales are the premiere dance band in the region, and all you need to do is witness the unadulterated boogying of the crowds at their shows, and you'll understand why. If you have an ailment, and the cure is a night of dancing, just go see the Royales, and you'll be well in no time.

The original concept of the band was not necessarily what the Royales have become today. When they started, all of their tunes were originals with more of a traditional four-piece rock-band sound. Brown's idea for the band eventually evolved into more of a bluesy-soul band, reminiscent of the popular black music of the 1960s and '70s. Today they still play originals, but also many cover songs, from the theme to "The Jeffersons" to Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone."

All the members agree that Otis Redding is one of the main influences on the music of the Royales. Another soul legend that inspired the sound and look of the Royales is James Brown (Leighton says you could think of Brown as a "distant cousin" of James).

The Royales have been playing about once a month for a decade. So how has the band stayed together for so long? The band unanimously says it's the crowd that brings them back for more. As Leighton puts it, "When everybody's smiling, and everyone's dancing, from the 7-year-old in the front to the 70-year-old in the back," how could you not want to keep playing? Of course, the reason for such consistent loyalty from the audience is the joy that the band delivers every show. Lucky for us, a studio recording is "in the works," according to Spataro.

The Royales are the "funkin' kings of rock and soul," and Pat Brown brings the gospel to the choir. They're slated to appear at 6 p.m., between the Carpenter Ants and the Derailers, during the Nelsonville festival, which runs from 3-11 p.m.

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