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Alt rock/emo post-punk group Royal Wedding began making music at a young age. All meeting through school, the band has continued to work their own unique spin into this genre, and keep maturing their music over time. Consisting of Kevin Petrozzo, Liam Meija, Justin Leifer, and Colby Crago, Royal Wedding maintains a combination of both humorous and serious attitudes in regards to their music production. InAlternative had the opportunity to interview Royal Wedding, and get a closer look into their inspirations, production, and collaboration of their music.
Going back to their roots, Kevin was able to elaborate on how the band all met when they were younger, “Liam and I have been friends since pre-school. The first time Justin met Liam, he told him to kill his brother, so it’s crazy to think they have been friends for that long. Me and Justin sat next to each other in class in 7th Grade and would race to see who could finish writing their notes first. I, of course, would always win. Colby just kind of appeared one day and hasn’t left since. We have tried getting an exorcist to get rid of him, but nothing seems to be working. He just stands there and stares at us. Kind of creepy…” Liam added onto this statement, “I tend to not bring up the Colby issue because I feel the more I say his name, the stronger he gets.” I hope the band can maintain their safety and sanity while continuing to work with Colby. The band was also able to talk about their current sound, and which songs they would recommend to first-time listeners.
The band collectively describes their current sound as “wiggly air”, and try to keep it “as wiggly as possible.” A very thorough explanation, if you ask me. Each member has differing songs to suggest. Kevin with “Dank Kevin (Interlude), Justin with “Hippolytus”, and Liam with “Tie The Knot.” Liam also coined their preferred genre as “alt rock emo post-punk.” Colby also adds that their music is “pistachio-esque.” Getting into the background of some of this music, Royal Wedding talked a bit about their process when writing/creating music.
Liam was able to go to into detail about the bands’ creative process, “We’re fairly egalitarian and I’ve always loved that. Typically songs start with one of us bringing an idea to the table like, ‘Hey, check this out, you like it?’ And we try to work something around it. Maybe it fits with another idea we’ve been hammering out. When it comes to songwriting my main focus is how can we make this song interesting from the first second to the last, how can we really make this song engaging. I think we’re all pretty jumbled really.” There is very evident collaboration from each member of the band in terms of their production style. Each member was also able to tell us some artists that inspire their music and creativity.
Each member logs pretty different styles in terms of their inspiration, which shows in the great variety and depth to their music. Some of the names mentioned are: Linkin Park, RHCP, Billie Eilish, Tool, Logic, The Wrens, Swans, The Shrek and Space Jam soundtracks. We also asked the band what they want people to take from their music and/or live show. Kevin states, “We want people to understand that, at our core, we are a bunch of goons playing songs that we started writing in high school. Don’t take us too seriously, but also don’t underestimate us. At our shows, we are really just looking to entertain and for everyone to have a good time. Yes, we want our music to be tight, but at a certain point putting on a show becomes more important.” I find the attitude presented by Royal Wedding to be really fun and refreshing. While they clearly take their music and production seriously, they also value the humor that comes with being in a band with your friends. The band also let us in on some inspirations of their latest album “What’s Your Style?”
Justin went into detail about this album, “I felt the urge to write music at an early point in the lifespan of the band while Kevin and Liam enjoyed annoying me by playing the “Friends” theme song over and over while I tried to talk. Our inspiration was to combine these two energies and begin creating songs that were fun to play and listen to while still trying to be tight and innovative. Liam and I began writing many songs and find a base to build off of and Kevin would come in and wow us by taking the song and just straight fornicating with it. It all began with Dustin Piper and ended with Talking U.” Liam adds to this statement, “I was really into Ninja Sex Party and comedy rock in high school. Like really into it. And I started getting into writing in high school too. I think that explains most of my additions to the album. I think the album is a good kaleidoscope of all the different kinds of music we were getting into...We grew up on 90s alt, a lot of kids did...Justin brings up a good point of kinda fighting these two energies we had at practice - like was this going to be just something to goof off with, or did we really want to create something that meant something to us? I think a lot of DIY bands, especially when its a group of friends as close as we are, struggle with that.” I find a really good balance between these energies, not only through this interview but also on the album. I say keep this up, as it has led to a really unique sound and persona of Royal Wedding.
In terms of what we can expect in the future, the band agrees listeners can expect a maturity in the musicianship. Liam explains, “More wiggly air. Arguably, air even wigglier than before. I think I have this obsessive need to push myself into a direction that I feel really represents an art that only WE could make...I would hope to make songs maybe a little longer, a little catchier, and a little more powerful.” Colby closed the interview with, “What can you expect from anyone in the future? Life is but a fleeting moment, and we have no way of knowing where our collective paths will take us. That said, I expect great things from us, terrible, but great.”
InAlternative would like to thank Royal Wedding for taking the time to answer our questions, and give us a deeper insight into their music and relationship as a band. Be sure to follow Royal Wedding on the social media links below, as well as stream their latest album release “What’s Your Style?”, also linked below.
Follow Royal Wedding:
Stream "What's Your Style?" on Spotify.