This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Neal Middleton wants to be done being bitter.
The frontman of Salt Lake City-based rock band Royal Bliss has overcome a 35-foot fall from a balcony that left him partially paralyzed for a time. He's experienced the joy and subsequent frustration of landing a major-label record deal only to come to the belated conclusion that "it's not about the music for them." He's dealt with the disappointment of appearing on nationally televised singing competition "The Voice" and seeing none of the show's judges turn around to select him.
And while he still gets angry about some of his and his band's setbacks, Middleton is also increasingly contemplative about and appreciative of all that's gone right. The group continues to tour and self-produce records, including a new album set to come out in spring. The members own a popular bar/music venue, The Royal, of which Middleton notes, "it's been kinda neat just to watch it evolve as a local hangout." And, if nothing else, Royal Bliss maintains a passionately loyal local fanbase.
So as the band prepares for its 13th annual pre-Thanksgiving show, to take place next Wednesday at The Depot in SLC, it's fitting that Middleton says he's increasingly … well, grateful.
"I forget sometimes how lucky we are as a band, you know? We've been labeled as the unluckiest band out there, but there's not a lot of bands that still have most of the same members for 17 years, and who still get to do what they love for a living," he said in a phone interview earlier this month. "Sure, we're not making millions of dollars, but we're making a living, doing what we love. … And everything that we have — the club, the story of music that we've written over 17 years — it belongs to us. And even though we've had so many hardships, so many ups and downs, times when we just wanted to give up, we've survived, we've pulled through it, and I still think we have yet to hit our peak."
There have been myriad steps in the process of getting there, anyway.
Among them has been finding the right balance between touring and working at The Royal. Middleton said the original plan was for the band to be heavily involved in the daily operation of the club back when it opened in May 2013, but touring opportunities resulting from radio success of the single "Cry Sister" scuttled that. As a result, Middleton said he and the band made a choice to "pull back the reins a bit this year to focus on the bar and focus on family, to make sure we put enough time in here at home."
While partner Kelly Petersen, formerly of Salt Lake rock club Liquid Joe's, does most of the day-to-day heavy lifting, Middleton handles the concert booking, which has them all mulling an eventual expansion or relocation for The Royal, in hopes of landing "a larger room for bigger bands that'd be able to handle a 1,000- to 1,500-cap room."
In the meantime, Middleton says, he's enjoyed the experience of learning what it takes to become a successful bar and club owner.
"It's been exciting. It's just like the music industry, you know? It's a lot harder than you think it is," he said. "… That first summer was a lot harder than I thought it'd be. I kinda thought we'd come out like gangbusters and we'd blow up, and everybody would love it as much as we do. But you've really got to build a name. So, I refer to when we started the band. I was like, 'Oh, we're gonna be this awesome band, we're gonna sign a record deal, and I'll have a beach house and be retired by the time I'm 28.' I'm an optimist when it comes to that kind of stuff. But you stick your fingers in and, 'Oh man, there's a lot more work to this.' There were so many things that I didn't understand about owning a bar, but I'm learning how much true hard work it is."
Of course, Middleton knows plenty about the hard work of navigating the pitfalls of the music industry, too.
It's certainly been the primary source of much of his bitterness over the past decade. In describing Royal Bliss' far-from-perfect three-year, one-album run with Capitol Records, Middleton's lingering anger is apparent.
"The industry is difficult, there's so many politics involved. And the fact that we didn't want to sign over our lives to these labels and managers and everyone else, they kinda shunned us because we did that," he said. "… They try to change you and make you something that you're not. We almost did, we almost … completely sold ourselves out and down that river. And one day, I'm like, 'We can't do it. Let's just be ourselves.' … But I'm really glad that we did, because we kept our soul."
He also gained so much knowledge from the experience — "You gotta … study accounting, and build a relationship with a bank, and form an LLC, all these things that you never thought you'd have to learn" — which paved the way for the band's 2014 self-released album, "Chasing the Sun," which will pave the way for a yet-untitled 2016 album, and which generally has become a significant contributing factor to his overall newfound enlightenment.
Part of that is manifested via a significant shift in the band's sound. A new fifth member, guitarist Sean Hennesy, came from Tennessee and is known for a finger-picking style. Royal Bliss has also been working with noted Nashville songwriter Monty Powell, who's penned No. 1 hits for the likes of Keith Urban, Diamond Rio and Tim McGraw. The band's 2015 standalone single, "Drown With Me," is as straightforward country as it gets.
What it all adds up to, Middleton said, is a necessary-yet-natural evolution on the new album, which he anticipates will be released "March, April, May of next year."
"We're really kinda moving in a new direction musically. We've always been a band that's pretty diverse, but we're almost moving more into the country world — a Southern rock, country vibe," he said. "Rock is a tough market for a band like us. Our best songs, that people love — 'I Was Drunk,' and 'Devils & Angels,' 'Crazy' — they're a lot more mellow, and the active-rock radio world has gone so heavy. And we're not a metal band. We've finally found our sound with this record. It's positive music."
The shift in tone, for that matter, is ultimately more important to the frontman than any change in genre.
"I think the past couple records after Capitol, I ended up writing a lot of lyrics that were kind of angst toward the industry," Middleton said. "The songs that we're doing now, they don't have any of that. I just wanna be positive, think about life, talk about love, and not be so consumed by that negativity."
Which is, indeed, something to be grateful for.
ewalden@sltrib.com
Twitter: @esotericwalden
—
P With Talia Keys, Holy Water Buffalo and The Spencer Nielsen Band
When • Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Where • The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $16 advance, $21 day of; Smith's Tix