I Can’t Objectively Review U.S. Royalty

by Katie

Gimmy and I caught U.S. Royalty at the Velvet Lounge on Wednesday night. They’re one of those buzzed-about local bands, because they have a record deal and actual fans around town. Their openers, Tennis System, furiously and atonally strummed their guitars. They also employed a fog machine. That kind of mess not being our favorite, we went back downstairs.

US Royalty, who took the stage around 11pm to an unexpectedly large crowd (it was Wednesday, after all), played their melodic, Kings-of-Leon-ish brand of rock enthusiastically. John and Paul Thornley’s harmonies melded in that way only siblings’ voices can do, and Paul’s ebullient guitar riffs were matched in awesomeness by Jacob Michael’s bass lines.

The end.

The reason I can’t review this show as loquaciously or eagerly as normal is because my night was spoiled. The bartenders at the Velvet Lounge lost my debit card. (Free drinks!) Then I spent all day Thursday trying to reach someone at the Lounge, only to eventually finally get ahold of someone and barely discern through his mumbling that they gave my debit card to another customer. (Paid for someone else’s drinks!) That guy graciously called my bank to have the card canceled. That’s great and all, but it’s Halloween weekend, my gym payment processes on the 1st of the month, and I’m going to visit Mikey next weekend, so I really need access to my money in fewer than the “7-10 business days” it takes to receive a new card. Wachovia has been uncharacteristically awesome about the whole thing and waived the fee to expedite my card. That’s the one benefit of sounding pathetic on the phone. For now, though, I’m writing checks like a caveman.

In conclusion, I hope my mom and sister can forgive me for not reviewing this show with my usual pseudo-critical elan. Next week, I’m definitely seeing Thao and the Monsters of Folk, and maybe The Very Best or The Get Up Kids, OR MORE. WHO KNOWS??? I should be up to blogging the shit out of those nights.