Royal Wood apologizes for his lateness in strong but quiet voice as we head for an intimate corner to sit down and talk (he’s not late, actually he’s early) and I get a chance to study the man in front of me in detail. The name ‘Royal’ might lead you to certain conclusions, so might his PR shots on his website and Facebook page (slick, polished, resplendent in skinny tie and white shirt, vest, and dark dress pants) but if you look closely, you will see that certain sparkle, that crinkle at the corner of the eyes, which belies the fact that Royal Wood doesn’t take himself too seriously and smiles often – indeed, he breaks into a smile as soon as I we are seated and I ask how much time he has to chat (“lets’ just keep going and see what happens” is his answer)
In his mid 30’s, Royal Wood was nominated for Songwriter of the Year at the Juno’s this year (Arcade Fire ‘deservedly won’ he says) and is touring in support of his third album, The Waiting. This is his second cross-Canada tour in less than a year – the first tour saw Wood headline in all the major Canadian cities, and playing in 1000+ seat theatre style venues – this tour instead concentrates on nearly all the interior towns of each Province.
As Wood explains, “I wanted to stop in smaller towns this time – places that might not have a chance to hear my music like the major cities did on my last tour. I wanted to play smaller more intimate venues where the audience and I could see each other and connect more easily.”
When asked to describe his genre and style, there is little hesitation and the voice gains a little volume in excitement of talking about something he is passionate about.
“I tend to describe my music as emotionally driven Pop/Rock.” Seeing my look of questioning, the eyes crinkle a little more and he goes on, “I was weaned on the Beatles – in that era when Pop was ‘it’ – but it was real Pop music. When it was the real writing, and melodies and storytelling. Pop is supposed to be important. It’s supposed to have substance – I’m not talking about today’s cookie cutter, auto-tuned, mindless beat. Concept records are what I still believe in – albums where all the songs fit together and aren’t just a smattering of ‘singles’ with no greater purpose than to get radio play as such.”
Pop tunes (old fashioned pop tunes of storytelling substance) are Wood’s forte. Whether singing about death, or love, or heartache – the songs are well written, fit together impeccably and are not fluff or toss-away tunes. As to what inspires his songs?
“Whatever happens in my life at the time – extreme highs or extreme lows. It’s harder for me to write when I’m in the middle of it all – polar opposites make it easier for me to write lyrics – the ups and downs dictate better writing. Melodies are easy for me to find, but the lyrics are harder, so I tend to keep a notebook with me at all times – even between albums. I often wake up with a melody in my head and I’ll have no problem remembering it, but if I don’t write down words, they’re often gone.”
Writing music comes as second nature to Wood, his parents recognized early that he had a natural gift for instruments, so they left a guitar laying around after seeing Royal plunk on the household piano at age 4
“Other kids grabbed a hockey stick to go play, I grabbed the piano. I learned to play by ear until my parents sent me for lessons at age 12. I hated the classes – learning the theory of it all was not fun but later on it was a bonus as it allowed me to be able to write my own arrangements and instrumentation (horns and strings) for my previous records. I became a multi-instrumentalist as well, due to my parents encouragement of learning music and for many years played guitar and created songs – but I didn’t find my own ‘voice’ until I was about 24-25.”
Asked how that turnaround happened, “I always write for myself first. I get joy out of creating something that pleases me – and if it pleases others that’s even better… but I don’t write to try and please the audience first. If I write a song and it doesn’t bring me joy – it gets put on the shelf until the next time I need a song – it might never see the light of day. Much like a photographer who proofs their photos and only the best are shared with others – the not up to par ones get shelved (or deleted).. my songs are much like that.”
Where do you hope to be at age 40?
That smile is back, the voice is a little softer but no less bold, “still happily married, a couple of kids, a house in the country… and my songs and music still out there.”