User:Swanston1/Ross Royce

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Ross Royce
Background information
Name	Ross Nicholson
Born	New Zealand
Genres	Rock, Pop
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, composer, musician.
Instruments	Vocals, Drums, Guitar, keyboard, Piano
Career began	2005 - current
Distribution	Soundvault Records
Website	Ross Royce official website
Management	Sarah Pearce

Ross Royce Ross Royce is an internationally acclaimed musician and is the latest New Zealand home grown act to create a stir of curiosity in the international music scene. Ross Royce is currently residing in Australia.

Ross Royce performed at South By South West, Texas 2009, and also headlined at the world famous, Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles, California in July 2010. The tour drew a positive response from the U.S market and gained overwhelming support from fans and media.

Ross Royce' track, 'Hello People' from the debut album 'Life Worth Living' was selected by Foxtel, Australia as a prime promotional track for the Commonwealth Games, Delhi, 2010 while the song 'Mrs. Vain' will be featured on an upcoming U.S television series starring Steven Seagal in 2011.

In the space of a hectic 24 hour window Ross Royce has been approved solicited album reviews in the chance for play list for U.S giant, Cumulus Media, who are the second largest chain of radio stations in America. The famous KROQ FM in Los Angeles have also approved album submission for review in regards to commercial airtime. Regent Broadcasting in Minnesota are also currently reviewing the albums 'Life Worth Living' and 'The New Global Cool.'

2010 saw the release of debut album 'Life Worth Living' which is maintaining solid airplay in the U.S, U.K, Australia and New Zealand as well as gaining rave reviews from various magazine and Internet reviewers.

Tracks, Mrs.Vain and Mixed Up World have featured on two U.S compilation albums as well as two other compilations in India and Canada, and many other songs off the album have had rotational airplay across U.S radio as well as online and station airplay world wide.

career

Ross Royce - the early days

150px|left|alt=Ross Royce during live performance.|Ross Royce during live performance. Ross Royce (real name Ross Nicholson) was born in Wellington, New Zealand and spent his early childhood in a suburb called Papakowhai 15 miles north of Wellington. He took an interest in music at an early age, inspired by his father Stephen Nicholson who sung in local choirs and grew up on his fathers love of music which included Elvis Presley, Johnny Mathis, Willie Nelson, Fats Domino and other rock and country artists.

Ross initially took up the drums at age 9 for 2 years, but did not pursue it again until he had finished high school. His family moved to a suburb called Roseneath in Wellington city when Ross was 13 and he attended St.Patricks Catholic boys high school. In his teens Ross was influenced by mainly top 40 music and funk music which included Michael Jackson, Prince, Janet Jackson as well as discovering British rock music via his uncles record collection which included The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.

Out of high school Ross first worked at an insurance company in Wellington and with his first pay check, purchased a drum set as well as an acoustic guitar; Ross also took up Jazz Ballet for 2 years as he was interested in dance via his love of funk and dance music. Ross' main passion was the drums which he quickly became proficient in and also began writing songs on his acoustic guitar, which led to the recording of Ross' first 3 track demo at age 19 in a local recording studio in Wellington.

As there was not much of a music scene in Wellington Ross began making plans to move to Australia which had a larger population and stronger music scene. Ross moved to Australia at age 20 after saving enough at the insurance company where he had first worked. Upon arriving in Melbourne Ross found a job at a bank and began to join local bands as a drummer.

Music started to become an important part of his life and he was sacked from his job at the bank for turning up late on a number of occasions due to late night gigs and partying, the rock n roll seed was now well and truly sown. Ross joined local bands Thorazine and Republic of Nowhere which had moderate success in the Melbourne music scene as well as freelance drumming with a number of other local bands including folk band The Caam.

Ross also found jobs by day in various storerooms and factories in Melbourne which was monotonous work, yet paid the way and inspiration enough to want to break out of and become a rock star! With dead end jobs and bands he was drumming for getting nowhere fast, Ross decided to form his own music project.

Ross Royce inception

Photo taken during video production of 'Life Worth Living'

Ross had just come out of a band called The Caam in which he played drums and grew tired of playing in other peoples bands, made the decision to form his own project; a band that could go all the way and develop high quality songs.

The name 'Ross Royce' came about after a joke at a party by a friend in 2004 and the name stuck. After settling on the name, Ross began writing songs on his acoustic guitar and soon brought an amp, electric guitar and keyboard which he set up along with his drum set in a bungalow out the back of a rented house which he shared with two sisters in the inner Melbourne suburb of Northcote.

Ross worked by day in a storeroom that made light fittings and worked by night in the bungalow on songs that would eventually lead to the recording of his debut 7-track E.P 'Get it Together' in 2006. Ross began recording songs in late 2004 and tracked songs at a local studio in Northcote called Soundpark Recording Studio and also at Two Tone Studio in Richmond. Ross layed down the initial tracks for Mixed Up World, Mrs.Vain, Rock 'n Roll is Gonna soothe my soul, Suzanne and Get it Together. During these sessions Ross played all of the instruments including bass.

Although happy with the finished product of his recordings, Ross realised he had to enhance the sounds and began to source local producers.

Ross Royce (2005-2008)

Photo taken from Video production of 'Good Year'

Taken during recording session early 2011. Artwork by Sarah Pearce

2005-2006

2005 began with Ross sourcing and finding local Melbourne producer 'Trevor Reading' who had built by hand his own recording studio (West Wing Studio). Trevor Reading is regarded as an exceptional guitar player, bass player and handy on the keyboards, so this was ideal for Ross to bring some his initial demos to life.

Ross and Trevor layed down the tracks 'Mixed Up World' and 'Suzanne' with Trevor taking care of guitar, bass and some keyboard parts; Ross played the drums, sung all of the vocals and used some sequencing, which he had programmed on his keyboard. At the same time Ross decided to got in touch with another local producer Keijo Sandvik who had recorded all of the music from a band Ross had previously been in called 'Republic of Nowhere.'

Keijo agreed to and produced 3 tracks 'Mrs.Vain,' Get it Together' and Rock 'n Roll is Gonna Soothe my Soul' which had already been tracked at Soundpark Studio in late 2004. Keijo replaced some of the guitar and bass parts himself and enhanced the sequencing on the songs as well as working on an instrumental idea titled Suzanne's Meditation. Another song that would make the CD, titled 'Maybe Jane' which was an old song written by former Republic of Nowhere band mate Juke Sandvik who is the Brother of Keijo; the song was remastered and taken from the initial demo. With 7 songs recorded at 3 different studios Ross was ready to release his debut EP.

Ross released his debut EP 'Get it Together' in 2006 and almost immediately started to find success with the song 'Mixed Up World' being voted song of the week on music website mp3.com.au.

The song Mrs. Vain was picked up and included on U.S compilation 'Riot on Sunset Vol4' by 272 Records and the song 'Mixed Up World' was included on another U.S compilation 'Skratch Indie Sampler' Vol.7.'

The E.P was well received by critics including a positive review by International Hollywood Music. Through the song 'Mixed Up World' Ross was chosen to be on a local TV show on Channel 31 called "MusicBiz' which followed the development of a song by 5 different artists, 'Mixed Up World' was used and recorded by the band in the show.

Songs from the E.P also started to receive airplay on local Melbourne radio as well as internet radio in Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. The E.P was picked up by a Melbourne record company Soundvault Records and a distribution deal was signed with founder Adam Johnstone in which the E.P would be distributed Australia wide.

2007-2008

Taken during recording session early 2011. Artwork by Sarah Pearce.

With the success of his debut E.P Ross played a number of local gigs as a solo artist but realised he needed to to have a full length album to have a bigger impact so Ross began writing new songs in 2007. With money from his factory jobs and with money coming in from CD sales and gigs, Ross decided to go back to West Wing Studios where he had worked on the songs 'Mixed up World' and 'Suzanne' with Trevor Reading for his debut E.P 'Get it Together.'

Six new songs were tracked and recorded and a drum solo from a previous session was also enhanced. The track 'Hello People' was split in two (parts 1 & 2) to give the album a concept album vibe. To keep with the concept album idea, Ross decided to include the song 'Suzanne' and 'Suzanne's Meditation' from the 'Get it Together' E.P as well as the popular 'Mixed up World' and 'Mrs.Vain' so the album ended up with 13 tracks.

The album was released in late 2008 by Soundvault Records and found immediate success, being named Top 5 album of the year by Australian internet radio. Ross ran a U.S college radio campaign in late 2008 which lead to songs being played on U.S college radio and the song 'Mrs.Vain' ended up making it to No.22 on New York's top internet radio station 'M3 Radio' play list chart. In the U.K the song 'Life Worth Living' made it to No.1 on the U.K internet radio station 'Off The Chart Radio' and the songs Mrs.Vain, Mixed up World and Life Worth Living received solid rotation airplay on New Zealands top alternative radio station 'Kiwi FM' while the video for the song 'Mrs.Vain' received national exposure in Australia on the Channel Nine music show, Music Jungle.

Ross Royce also made it to the top 3 on the myspace garage chart and has to date received almost one million hits on his myspace page. With the success of his debut album Ross was invited to perform at the prestigious music festival 'South By South West' which was held in Austin, Texas in March of 2009.

Ross Royce (2009-2010)

Ross Royce performing at South By South West, Texas, 2009

The year 2009 proved to be the time that Ross Royce would excel with his music career and introduce his style to the global music industry scene. The earlier application that was submitted by Ross to perform at South By South West, Austin, Texas 2009 was approved and Ross Royce was one of the selected artists to travel to Texas in early 2009 to perform at Wave Roof Top, March 21, 2009, South By South West. This performance at South By South West gave Ross Royce the opportunity to perform alongside acts such as Eskimo Joe, Tim Finn, Ben Harper, Josh Pyke and The Proclaimers.

Ross Royce performing live at Whisky A GoGo, Los Angeles, 2010

The Track 'Hello People' was approved by Foxtel as one of the main music promotion tracks for their Commonwealth Games, Delhi, 2010 campaign. The track was used as background music for Foxtel TV promotion advertisements with imagery of elite sports people.

July of 2010 saw Ross Royce return to U.S.A, this time to perform at world famous venues in Los Angeles and on Sunset Strip. Notable venues that Ross Royce performed at during the tour are Whisky A Go Go, Los Angeles and The Cat Club on Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles.

The Melbourne circuit of performances in 2010 for Ross Royce included key venues around Melbourne, including The Village Green Hotel, The East Brunswick Club, The Northcote Social Club, Revolver, The Esplanade Hotel, The Brunswick Hotel as well as interstate performances including The Basement in Canberra.

Ross Royce - 2011 and beyond

Ross Royce during live performance.

Ross Royce is currently working on new material and will be recording with one of Australia's top Producers Stuart Stuart (The Veronicas) at 'Chartsong' in February/March. There are plans to take a band on the road in late 2011 to perform across Australia and a tour of New Zealand.

U.S and Europe are being planned going into 2012. The song 'Life Worth Living' will also be featured on an upcoming Rip Curl commercial (Release date TBC) while other songs are currently being considered for television and motion pictures in the U.S, New Zealand and Australia.

Appearances and interviews

200px|left|alt=Ross Royce performing 'The New Global Cool.'|Photo taken during video production of Ross Royce track 'The New Global Cool' "Stoli: How much of your everyday is based around music and when did music become more than a hobby to you?"

"Ross Royce: About 6-8 hours a day would be devoted to music whether it be performance, rehearsal , practice or business related things to do. Music became more of a hobby to me from about age 12 when all my spare time was devoted to practicing drums and guitar.

"Life Worth Living is an eclectic album reflective of the various musical tastes of Ross Nicholson and friends. Brommers and Noddy caught up with Ross on the Brewing Room Blower to chat all about it."

Music placements (Film and TV)

200px|left|alt=Ross Royce live performance|Ross Royce photo taken during live performance.

Music placements (Online)

200px|left|alt=Life Worth Living album cover.|Life Worth Living album cover.

Artistic style

Influences

200px|left|alt=Life Worth Living album promotion. Brunswick Street, Brunswick.|Life Worth Living album promotion. Brunswick Street, Brunswick. Elvis Presley, Johnny Mathis, Willie Nelson, Fats Domino, Michael Jackson, Prince, Janet Jackson, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, John Lennon, David Bowie, Queen

Musical genres

Life Worth Living by Ross Royce	File:Life Worth Living By Ross Royce.ogg
Mrs. Vain by Ross Royce	File:Mrs.Vain By Ross Royce.ogg

"The debut album by Ross Royce, brings an eclectic mix of Pop/Rock, Punk and Orchestral styles. His soundscapes respectfully, redefine genres and weave a new stitching to original-classic tones."

"Their EP received airplay with great success leading them to release their critically acclaimed debut album 'Life Worth Living' Ross Royce's sounds vary from Bowie to T-Rex to Cameo to Crowded House."

Vocal style

200px|left|alt=Ross Royce promotional photo.|Ross Royce promotional photo.

Rescue Me by Ross Royce

File:Rescue Me Ross Royce.ogg

Music videos

Life Worth Living

Mrs. Vain

Rescue Me

Get It Together

Suzanne

The Sky Is Calling

Discography

The New Global Cool

200px|left|alt=The New Global Cool album cover.|The New Global Cool album cover.

TRACK LIST
1. The Sky Is Calling
2. Millionaires In Heaven
3. How Long (Can We Keep Going On)
4. Gather All The People
5. The New Global Cool
6. Back To Dreaming
7. 2000 Light Years From Home

Millionaires In Heaven - 2009

200px|left|alt=Millionaires In Heaven album cover.|Millionaires In Heaven album cover.

TRACK LIST
1. Millionaires In Heaven
2. Skyscraper
3. Battle Ground
4. Waiting For You
5. Sky Is Calling
6. Rise
7. My Dream
8. Mrs. Vain (Original demo version)

Life Worth Living - 2008

200px|left|alt=Life Worth Living album cover.|Life Worth Living album cover.

TRACK LIST
1. Hello People (Part One)
2. Life Worth Living
3. Mrs. Vain
4. That's Not Me
5. Mixed Up World
6. Rescue Me
7. Good Year
8. Turn U On
9. Suzanne
10. Hello People (Part two)
11. Suzanne's Meditation
12. Get It Together
13.Free At Last

Get It Together - 2006

200px|left|alt=Get It Together album cover.|Get It Together album cover.

TRACK LIST
1. Mixed Up World
2. Mrs. Vain
3. Get It Together
4. Maybe Jane
5. Rock 'n Roll Is Gonna Soothe My Soul
6. Suzanne
7. Suzanne's Meditation

See also

Reviews

KISS FM - Los Angeles

Pure Grain Audio - Canada

The Dwarf - Melbourne

Vandala Concepts - Vernon, BC (Canada)

Radio Indy - Arizona Ross Royce puts it perfectly in his short, spoken word opening to "Mrs. Vain," the second track off his album "Life Worth Living" - "this is rock & roll." Royce, who creates most of the sounds that you hear on the album, spans the genre instrumentally and vocally. He seems to transform musically from track to track, ranging from the masterfully crafted piano rock sound of Ben Folds to an acoustic Bowie to a bluesy number reminiscent of Stevie Ray Vaughn, and finally to Floyd-esque space rock.

The recording is clean, and allows each track to live up to its full potential. Ross’s vocals work well in these rock and roll tracks. The highlight of the album, in our view, is the three track block of "Suzanne," "Hello People Pt. 2," and "Suzanne's Meditation." The tracks flow, each a response to the next, and give a crisp space/arena/art rock feel, thereby showcasing Ross’s excellent songwriting and instrumental talent.

For people who enjoy listening to albums from beginning to end and vocal stylings that remind you at once of the eighties and indie artists like Art Brut and Bloc Party, check out what this creative CD. Chris and the RadioIndy.com Reviewer Team

Specific links

1. http://www.prsync.com/harry-jons/new-zealand-band-ross-royce-rock-the-famous-whiskey-a-gogo-28282

2. http://www.skopemag.com/2010/12/23/stolis-gift-is-ross-royce-life-worth-living-mp3

3. http://www.foxtel.com.au/delhi-2010/our-broadcast/music-from-our-promos/default.htm

4. http://www.muratdikici.com/goa-chillout-zone-vol-3-cd-launch-brings-together-best-of-global-independent-music-stars/65/

5. http://www.muzikfreakz.com.au/rossroyceetour.html

6. http://www.radioindy.com/Ross_Royce/

7. http://www.kjprnews.com/apps/blog/entries/show/4680985-ross-royce-feature-in-commonwealth-games-promo-release-new-track-life-worth-living-

8. http://dartmusicinternational.org/artists/rossroyce.php

9. http://www.vandalaconcepts.com/vandala_concepts_bands_ross_royce.html

10. http://www.soundvault.com.au/Ross%20Royce.htm

11. http://sxsw2009.sched.org/event/1b771cdeccbc6f2e313f2d1d325cfd8d

12. http://www.indieezine.com/content/view/751/113/

13. http://exmogulmusic.blogspot.com/2008/06/ross-royce.html

14. http://www.bcast.co.nz/v/660/nippleometer!!-at-the-prison.html

15. http://www.thedwarf.com.au/nd/albumreviews/the_new_global_cool_ross_royce

16. http://blog.globaltalkradio.com/inthenews/2009/12/12/p=1403

17. http://www.roomthirteen.com/cd_reviews/9686/Life_Worth_Living_Ross_Royce.html

18. http://www.songoftheyear.com/winners/2009/sept/mentio.htm

19. http://www.mp3.com.au/RossRoyce

External links

Ross Royce official website

Ross Royce management

Ross Royce album distribution

Ross Royce at dmoz

Ross Royce at Discogs

Ross Royce at Allmusic