The Blacklist Royals (Interview Juli 2010)

Hey Guys, please be so kind and give us and our readers a short description of THE BLACKLIST ROYALS.

Blacklist Royals is a punk rock and roll band out of Nashville, TN. We’ve been together since 2006 and our first record just came out on Gunner/Paper And Plastick. I’m usually really horrible at describing our band but I’d say it’d like a mix between old Tom Petty and The Ramones.

Your new record “Semper Liberi” came out a couple of weeks ago. What can you tell us about the reactions so far?

We’ve been getting a really good response so far, it’s our first actual label release so it’s amazing to have it getting out for so many people to hear.

What is your intention with the title “Semper Liberi”?

“Semper Liberi” means “always free” in Latin and is in the state motto of West Virginia, which is where Rob and I are from. We thought that it kind of summed up the attitude of the band and basically the point of being a musician in the first place, and I think it really embodies the whole feel of the album as well.

You are a part of the young label “Paper + Plastic” of Vinnie from LESS THAN JAKE. How did you get in contact with him and how could you convince him to release your record?

We actually had a couple friends who are close to the LTJ camp routing for us from the beginning and just kept sending Vinnie demos until he agreed to put the album out, we probably annoyed the shit out of him for a few months but it worked out for us great!

As I know was Matt Drastic your producer. How comfortable was it for you to have such an experienced person in the studio?

Working with Matt was awesome, we’ve actually become really good friends over the last few years and he’s heard our band develop from day one, so he definitely knew what we were going for with this record and helped us accomplish it.

In which way he had an influence on the sound of “Semper Liberi”?

Well, he was on drugs the majority of the time, so I think that may have had some influence, he was coming up with some pretty out-there ideas.

In the last years a kind of Southern/Blues Punkrock-style infected many bands. What do you think is the reason of that development and the success of bands like AGAINSTE ME! or THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM?

I think the reason is that there’s been so much bullshit coming out over the last few years people are just sick of it and want something more authentic and real.

We’ve been kind of going for the same “sound” since day-one and were getting turned down by labels because they didn’t know what to do with us, and now it’s very in-vogue, which can be frustrating. But bands like Gaslight and AM! are great and hopefully their success just makes people more open to giving us a chance.

What are your all-time-favourites of musicians and which persons had the most influence on you as a person and as a musician?

Me personally I would say Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Everclear, Hank Williams, The Misfits, The Ramones, Face To Face, and The Descendents.

What can you tell us about your writing processes? Where do you find inspiration and influences for your music and lyrics?

Well for “Semper Liber” we were kind of trying to do a throw back to early 60’s pop music, sort of like The Ramones used to do, not that I would ever compare ourselves to them, but it was the same basic idea. We just wanted to make this record catchy, relatable, and easy for someone to grasp and get into.

What are your plans for this summer and the rest of the year?

Touring!

Do you have any plans to come to Europe, especially to Germany?

Working those details out right now, expect us in the fall!

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The Blacklist Royals (Interview Juli 2010)