The Royal Court of China--Still Rockin' More Than 20 Years Later!

Every time I hear my friend Joe Blanton sing, I fall a little bit in love with him. Yes, yes, I'm happily married (and so is he), and our spouses are friends, blah blah blah. I'm talking about music, people. Rock and roll, to be more specific. At the risk of stealing Joan Jett's line, I love rock and roll. I loved it way back when my Dad took me to see Tanya Tucker at the Dade County Youth Fair in the early 1970s, I loved it in high school in the 80s when Ratt and Motley Crue posters covered my walls, and I still love it today, whether it's Nickelback or Carrie Underwood or Katy Perry. Music that moves you, in a general sense, is all rock and roll--I don't discriminate between country and R&B or metal and pop. I love it, and seeing it live literally and figuratively rocks my world.

A few years back--okay, it was probably more like 21 years, give or take a few months--I was an intern at the A&M Records promotion office in Miami, FL. A&M had signed a band called the Royal Court of China and they were coming out with their second album, Geared and Primed. I listened to it all the way through just once and decided I was in love with this band, especially the lead singer. His voice moved me. It sucked me in the first time I heard it in 1988, and listening to it 21 years later, it still makes my stomach do one of those little flip-flops... you know the kind, like when you're first falling in love? It's trippy, and frankly, I'd rather have great music than drugs or alcohol any day.

The first time I saw RCC live was in Tampa in either late 1988 or early 1989. I'd memorized the words to all the songs on both of their albums, and hearing them live blew me away. As we partied before and after the show with friends and record company executives, I remember thinking that this band epitomized rock and roll; they were talented, accessible and genuinely grateful for their success. 21 years later, while a lot of things have changed, the basics have not: They're still incredibly talented, they're still accessible, and they still get a charge out of playing for their fans.

Walking into the Exit/In in Nashville on a Friday night in July was like stepping through a time machine in some ways. Rock and roll venues just haven't changed that much over the years. They're still dark and dank, with not enough chairs and somewhat spartan decor. Despite the ban in smoking these days, the room still looked and smelled a bit musty, the ghosts of rockers past lurking in the shadows like sentinels overseeing the continuance of tradition. Downright eerie, but in a good way!

First up was another band that had me dancing by the stage once upon a time, the Rock City Angels. This is one of many bands that was, in my humble and unsolicited opinion, signed by a major record label (Geffen) and then used as a tax write-off. These guys had it going on, and their lack of major distinction is both questionable and unforgivable. Say what you want, but after 20 years, a new line-up, and a new album, I was impressed with how good they sounded. And trust me when I tell you that the Exit/In is not a mecca for sound engineers; between too much bass and not enough guitar, a lesser band might not have even been capable of melody, much less a hard rockin', gritty, energetic set!

Lead singer Bobby Durango is older, but in a lot of ways, I think he's better. His voice was rich, his body language sensual yet energetic, and his interaction with the fans was unmistakable; they liked him and he liked them. What more can you ask for?

Even newcomer Adam G (bass) brought something tangible to the table with both his stage presence and his background vocals. I enjoyed their entire set, but it was their finale that sent it home for me: I still knew most of the words to "Deep Inside My Heart" and hearing it after so many years brought me back to a small, smokey club in L.A... but I digress.

By the time RCC took the stage, I was pretty geared and primed myself, moving down to the floor to cheer them on, despite the ache beginning in my feet, since they are no longer accustomed to spending more than a few minutes in four-inch heels. Yet the moment they broke into "It's All Changed," my painful feet were forgotten and I had the strangest experience where I was seeing them live in front of me, while simultaneously seeing them in my mind's eye back in the early 1990s...




Freaky, isn't it?













Although I'd stayed in touch with Joe over the years, I hadn't seen Drew (bass), Chris (drums) or Jeff (guitar) in a long time, but I recognized their style, musicality and stage presence immediately. This was RCC at its finest, and there was a vibe in the air that made me happy. Not just because it was fun seeing a band from back in the day, but because this was really good music that I could listen to all day. From older songs like "Geared and Primed" to brand new stuff ("Blowing Sunshine") and even recycled music from some of Joe's other projects ("New Machine"), this wasn't a group of bored, middle-aged men trying to recapture their youth. The only discernible difference between now and then was basically the length of their hair; everything else looked, sounded and felt the same.

Despite some technical difficulties that held up the show a good ten minutes, Joe did his best to engage the crowd and crack some jokes. Luckily, once they figured it out they let loose with more great music that made everyone forget the delay. A true high point in the evening came as Joe asked the crowd, "Guess what I've got?" And most of us knew the answer: SIX EMPTY BOTTLES! Their somewhat unlikely anthem is undoubtedly a crowd favorite even though it was never even a single, and there's nothing like watching even the smallest audience sing a song word-for-word.

From the moment they struck the first chords to the last notes of their "Man in Black" encore, the energy was palpable. It wasn't the biggest club, the most crowded audience, or even the longest set, but this was rock and roll the way it should be--with a band that plays hard, an audience that knows most of the words, and music that reverberates long after all the instruments have been put away. Personally, I think a new album is long overdue. So, what about it, boys? Got anything up your sleeves for us?!

For more info on the Rock City Angels, visit their MySpace page here.

If you'd like to check out more about the Royal Court of China, you can visit their site here.