Red Card Royale

By Matt Blickenstaff
April 30, 2009
St. Louis, MO

"The people and sounds you are about to hear are real," reported a vintage audio sample at the start of Red Card Royale's Apr. 21 CD release party for their second album, "Cover Your Ears."
Never had an album title been more precise. The University Center's Sunnen Lounge was roaring with the bands funk/rock blend. The volume was cranked up to 11.

"If the Doors mated with the Red Hot Chili Peppers we'd be like a third generation step son," said Carson Ritz, RCR's keyboardist, singer and a senior audio production major.
Perhaps, if somewhere in that musical family tree a little 311, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Beastie Boys got thrown into gene pool. RCR's music was less funk/rock and more slam-jam-hip-hop-pop-a-funk.

After the doors opened at 9 p.m., about 200 people, including the band's families, showed up to rock out, grab and eat free pizza provided by the Resident Housing Association. The show began at 9:30.
The concert was to be held outside in the quad but weather reports sent the show indoors.

In fact, RCR's sound was comparable to St. Louis weather and its unpredictable shifts.
The audience enjoyed the variety.

"I think they're really good," said Francee VanGennip, a sophomore advertising major. "They have a really good sound."

During the show, the crowd bobbed their heads, clapped to the rhythm and even bounced a couple of beach balls over their heads.

RCR pulled out all the stops for their last show at Webster University. Ritz, and fellow members (Patrick Gable, guitarist, singer, and senior public relations major, Jason Rich, bassist and video production senior, Drew Dillman, drummer and senior film production major) played with fiery intensity in front of a projection of what appeared to be a giant spinning fan blade.

"That's our number one fan," Rich said. "Now we want real people to be our fans."

The fan motif was repeated in RCR's new album art and their music video for "Must be the Weekend," a song on their new disc.

RCR gained some new fans that night. Freshman computer science major Alex Baker was astounded by a certain feature of Rich's body.

"Jason has very small hands like I do," Baker said. "It's kind of neat to see someone out there playing an instrument that also has trouble with tiny hands." Baker said he hopes to start his own band at WU.

Long time fans were also present. "They're so interesting," said Erik Rounds, a sophomore film production major. "I like their 'No Cure' song the best, I thought that was the most rocking tune."
There's certainly no cure for Rounds. He's listened to the band since his freshman year.

Following the show, RCR signed copies of the new CD and talked about the future.

"Were going to start to get the band big," Rich said. "Hopefully you'll see us out there opening for big acts."
Rich and Ritz said the band plans to stay in St. Louis, practice, and distribute their CDs to music labels.

"This album is pretty much where we want to be quality wise," Ritz said. "We've got the product there, we got our press kits, and we're just going to push it hard for the next year."
- The Journal

"Shockingly good." --Tim Burt, CBS Radio (St. Louis, MO)

"Red Card Royale is one of those rare bands that brings the same energy to the stage as they bring to their albums. Wherever they're playing, they're locked in. It's fun for them, fun for the audience, and I wish more bands were so focused on their own quality." --Gary Gottlieb, Author, Pro Audio Engineer (St. Louis, MO)

"RCR is what St. Louis has been waiting for. Full of energy, funk and all around good times. You do not want to miss out on these guys." --Nick Licata, Licata Photography, Playback:STL (St. Louis, MO)

“Yes, the rumors are true...Red Card Royale is a rock and roll band. I spent one day with them in the studio and honestly didn’t want the session to end. Sadly, I don’t get to say that very often these days.”--Chris Mara, Producer, Pro Audio Engineer (Nashville, TN)

"The Red Hot Chili Peppers are reborn into the 21st century as Red Card Royale. This perfect combination of rock and funk keeps you enthralled!"--Benita Woodall, CityBeat Magazine (Cincinnati, OH)

"A powerhouse of mood and melody." --The Wandering Madman, Harrah's Voodoo Lounge (St. Louis, MO)

"Commendable musicians who know what they're doing with their instruments...It's a style that I like and they are doing something different rather than playing the same four chord, clichéd, Nickelback-Daughtry-Shinedown, I-Just-Learned-How-To-Play-Guitar-Last-Week B.S."
--Jeff Nations, St. Louis Metromix (St. Louis, MO) - Misc

College students hit home run with Red Card Royale

May 19, 2009
By VICKI BENNINGTON
For The Telegraph

ST. LOUIS - It's not often that four freshmen meet and form a solid friendship that survives the trials and tribulations of four years of academics, social life, living arrangements and everyday ups and downs of college existence.

But Alton native Patrick Gable and three fellow seniors not only became fast and lasting friends when they met at Webster University in St. Louis four years ago, they formed a musical group that has not only stayed together, but grown to become the popular, in-demand Red Card Royale, recently releasing its second compact disc, "Cover Your Ears."

Alton native Gable, on vocals, guitar and harmonica, is set to graduate in December. Carson Ritz plays keyboard and vocals; Drew Dillman is on drums, both from Cincinnati, and Jason Rich of Kansas City, Mo., is on bass guitar, all three graduating this month.

The four came up with the band's name by combining baseball mascots from their respective home teams - St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals.

The four students all had some interest and experience in music. They soon began making plans for a group, and by their junior year, the band was rocking and rolling.

Gable and Ritz wrote original material and RCR developed a repertoire of covers for the band to draw the audience in with familiar songs.

Gable said all four of them have input, each with a preference for a variety of genres including rock, blues, funk, pop, rap and even hip hop.

"Some people have said we sound like the Red Hot Chili Peppers or The Doors," Gable said.

RCR recently celebrated the release of its second full length rock album, "Cover Your Ears," with a CD-release show on the Webster campus. "Cover Your Ears" and the group's first album "Hearts and Diamonds" is available through Online music stores and will soon be available on iTunes. CDs can also be purchased through band members for $5. "Cover Your Ears" consists of 15 original tracks ranging from rock to classic rock to a little "funk."

Both CDs were produced by members of Red Card Royale. As an audio production major, Ritz engineered and mastered the CD utilizing the group's own equipment for the recordings. The only thing recorded in an outside studio was the drums.

"Everything else was recorded in our tiny apartment," Gable said. "People have commented on the great sound quality of our album and cannot believe we recorded most of it in our apartment. We love making our music and being able to produce it ourselves."

Rich majored in video production, Dillman in film production and Gable in public relations, so the four put all of their skills to work to make the CD a reality and promote the band.

"We're pretty proud of the fact that we did it all ourselves," Gable said.

The group's first compact disc, "Hearts and Diamonds" was released in 2008 with 14 original songs, including the title song and "Can't Stop The World."

"But this second album has a little more meaning for us than the last one," Gable said. "We have worked very hard through this last year trying to produce something people would love to listen to, while trying to be marketable in today's music industry.

"I think we are all taking it much more seriously and would love to get a record label contract and have our music heard by more people," he added.

While the group originally started out playing for the college crowd, other venues where they have performed have drawn a following of adults of all ages.

"We've been really happy with the response we've received," Gable said. "We've all put a lot of passion and love into our music."

And now that the "fab four" have released their second CD, they will be working hard in trying to get their music heard by an even wider audience.

"We are going to be playing more and more shows throughout the summer," Gable said. "We will all be working our regular jobs during the work week, but playing shows on the weekends."

In addition, Red Card Royale will be taking mini tours during the weekends and traveling around the Midwest, playing at various venues.

"We have all decided to really dedicate ourselves to the band for the next year," Gable said. "We know that we all have our specific degrees and would like to work in our field of choice, but we all would love nothing more than to be successful working musicians."
They all still get along and work well together, and all are serious and professional about their music.

Gable took guitar lessons and gained singing experience at Saints Peter and Paul in Alton, where he attended church and grade school. He performed in the spring musicals at Marquette Catholic High School, lighting up the stage as Lumiere in "Beauty and the Beast" and playing roles in "Bye-Bye Birdie," "South Pacific' and "The King and I." He "picked up" the harmonica on his own.

Ritz and Rich both took piano lessons, and Rich and Dillman both played the drums in high school.

"I think we have a good story to tell," Gable said. "I think many people do not know how hard it is to try and ‘make it' in the music industry."

RCR will appear at 8 p.m., Friday, May 22 at The Pageant in St. Louis. Gable said it is a show suitable for all ages, and free for those who are 21 with a ticket, which can be obtained from a band member or at The Pageant. Tickets are $5 at the door.
The group is also playing June 20 in Jefferson City, Mo. for the "Band Together Benefit Concert."

For more information on the band, along with some sample songs, visit the Web site at www.redcardroyale.com. To contact band members, send an e-mail to redcardroyale@gmail.com or call Gable at (618) 980-0444.
- Vicki Bennington

Red Card Royale, 'Cover Your Ears'
"St. Louis band turns out funky rock grooves on their sophomore effort"

Jeff Nations
Special to Metromix
September 11, 2009


Cover Your Ears is the self-produced, independently released sophomore effort from St. Louis funk rockers Red Card Royale. The album is 14 tracks chock full of a nice blend of rock, funk, classic rock and indie styles that comes together to make for an overall solid album. At times the band sounds a little too much like some of their influences but thankfully their influences are bands that have done something unique and original in their careers and have not recycled the same old garbage that you'd expect from mainstream radio.

The album opens with a 24 second audio sample entitled "The Sounds You Are Hearing Are Real" and immediately launches into the title track, a modern rock jam that switches from heavy to melodic throughout the song. The first half of the album is reminiscent of old school Incubus mixed with The Doors and some Red Hot Chili Peppers. Vocalist/keyboardist Carson Ritz makes very nice use of the keys, blending organ and electric piano sounds in the vein of The Allman Brothers and Ray Manzarek. Catchy tunes like "Must Be The Weekend", "Princess In Rags" and "Seein Stars" have big radio potential and can easily snare the listener into sitting through the entire album. Through the second half of the album, though, I find Red Card Royale sounding like a carbon copy of Red Hot Chili Peppers. "Separate Me" employs a thick, funky slap bassline with quick, choppy vocals that could be found on one of RHCP's early albums like Freaky Stylee. The very next track, "Tempest", is a mellow song with a nice arpeggio guitar melody and walking bassline. Vocal-wise, the band could have had Anthony Kiedis and John Frusciante (Chili Peppers' vocalist and guitarist, respectively) sing this tune and no one would ever think that the entire song wasn't written by the Peppers themselves.

Production-wise, I found myself wanting a lot more. I have long been a believer that the production quality of the drums, especially a snare drum, can make or break an album and be a deciding factor on whether or not I will listen to an album on a regular basis. The drums on this recording are thin and throughout the album the sound of the snare drum changes from a tight, piccolo type sound to a loose, colorless, paper-thin beginner snare. Perhaps this was done on purpose and drummer Drew Dillman used two different snares while tracking. The keyboards on the album are used very tastefully and are set in the mix extremely well. They give Cover Your Ears a very classic rock feel. I was disappointed with how the guitars turned out. Guitarist Pat Gable has a beautiful sounding Fender Telecaster and the clean and even slightly dirty tones he gets out of it are crisp, gritty and everything one would expect out of a Tele. The heavy distortion parts however are thin as if they weren’t layered enough while tracking and they don't power through the mix the way they do when the band plays live. The basslines on the album are solid and have a classic dirty tone about them. The vocals are mixed wonderfully and really show off the power of Ritz's voice and the dynamic between him and Gable.

Overall, Cover Your Ears is a good album written by a group of young guys who are all commendable musicians who know what they're doing with their instruments. While the production quality lacks, one must keep in mind that the band produced, recorded, mixed, mastered and released this project on their own which is no easy feat. I like this band. It's a style that I like and they are doing something different rather than playing the same four chord, clichéd, Nickelback-Daughtry-Shinedown, I-Just-Learned-How-To-Play-Guitar-Last-Week B.S. that people eat up with a spoon because they don't know any better. My advice for Red Card Royale? Spend a bit more time honing their songwriting skills and let their influences stand behind them rather than in front of them and on the next album spend some coin on a good studio with an engineer who can take that big, full, fun sound they have when they play live and put it on a record. My advice for the listener? If you're craving something upbeat and groovy that's different from a lot of the other St. Louis talent out there, go pick up Cover Your Ears and get ready to dance! - St. Louis Metromix

I love the guitar intro. You have a lot of different influences and sounds going on. You have a very "Fun" type sound...really serious song and music, but still retains the fun element. I like it a lot....it is very different and I can certainly say that you have your own little niche sound which is a great thing. If you can re-create this live you'd be a great live band. Very close to radio ready...not sure what station would play it...but that is their problem, not yours. real nice.

Posted by: jtees4 Posted on: 03/26/2009 12:03 pm EST
- Review My Music Now

By Eric Zorumski
March 27, 2008

The judges have spoken. Red Card Royale is the winner of the 2008 Right One Talent Contest hosted by KGLX Radio.

Although the audience participation votes were close, the punk/rockabilly foursome won over the judging panel by a vote of two to one, beating out solo artist Rick Kilian at the March 19 finale. The competition has taken place every Wednesday night at the Highway 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen beginning Feb. 6.

As the contest winner, Red Card Royale has received four hours of recording time at Webster University's Studio A, as well as a paid gig at the Roadhouse.

"It feels great to win," said guitarist and vocalist Pat Gable. "This was our first Battle of the Bands, and it was a really good experience, not just because we won, but we got to play every week and listen to a lot of WU talent. It was also good for getting our sound out to people."

Red Card Royale battled through the weeks, beating out five other competitors in order to be crowned champion.

Since the contest final featured only two of the original six acts to compete, each act was given a significant amount of time on stage. Though it was impossible to tell what the outcome would have been otherwise, the addition of a drummer to Kilian's performance was a central focus for the judges, each of whom commented negatively about it.

"As far as where I think I went wrong, I really don't think I did," Kilian said. "I played what I thought was a good set and a good mix of music. Judging by crowd interaction I think they got really into it, and that's what really matters, making sure the crowd likes it. Red Card Royale is a great band with great songs and is just a great group of guys who I'm happy to call my friends and with that kind of chemistry it's just really tough to compete against them."

With the end of the competition, Gable and his band mates are looking forward to playing multiple gigs in and around St. Louis in the months to come. Red Card Royale's next show will be at 8 p.m. March 28 at Cruisin Route '66 Bar and Grille. - The Journal

By Amber Russell
April 3, 2008

Red Card Royale (RCR), a rock band made up of Webster University students, released their debut album, on February 29, 2009.

The band's rock beat, reminiscent of original rock groups of the '50s and '60s is intertwined with fresh, edgy and energetic roots. The band's name is derived from Webster University students' home towns of Cincinnati, St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo. The name pays tribute to each city's baseball team - the Cincinnati Reds, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals (add the e).

They are self-described as rock 'n' roll with a new edge, in accordance with a "retro-vibe." Drummer Drew Dillman, junior film production major, described their sound as a strange combination of "Jim Morrison having an orgy with the Red Hot Chili Peppers."

Lead singer and guitarist of Big Red Audio, Jeff Merson, was impressed by the WU group.

"These guys are good. They're not just good musicians - they're good guys," said Merson, who performed with RCR March 28 at Cruisin' Route 66 Bar and Grille on Watson Road.

RCR played with Big Red Audio and Terry Quiett Band at that performance. Third in the line-up, the Gorloks kept the crowd alive with their mixture of well-known covers and original songs.

Aaron Underwood of Winfield, Kan., is the bassist for Terry Quiett Band. He said he was impressed by RCR's performance.

"I liked them. That young energy - you have a lot of musicians out there who are full of themselves and are assholes - RCR's energy and attitude really made them perform well. They're very talented," Underwood said.

"Princess in Rags," an RCR original, shifted back and forth between hip-hop verses and guitar riffs and bass lines. Drew Dillman's drum beat blended well with Carson Ritz's keyboarding. Ritz emceed the hip-hop lyrics of the verse and blended this sound with a harmonic, melodious chorus sung by both Ritz and guitarist Patrick Gable. - The Journal

By Vicki Bennington
February, 2008
Front Page

ST LOUIS--College students across the nation dream of playing in a band, but the former Alton resident Patrick Gable and his three roommates have made it a reality.

Gable, on vocals, guitar, and harmonica, along with Carson Ritz on keyboard and vocals, Drew Dillman on Drums, both from Cincinnati, and Jason Rich of Kansas City on bass guitar, formed Red Card Royale.

All four are students at Webster University in St. Louis and met their freshman year, quickly becoming good friends. All of them had some interest and/or experience in music. They talked about it and planned for the first two years, and by the time they started their junior year in the fall, they decided it was time to kick it up a notch and get the band rolling.

One of the first hurdles was to come up with a clever and unique name for the group. Red Card Royale is a combination of baseball teams derived in a clever twist from their respective home team baseball mascots -- St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, and Kansas City Royals.

The next step was to develop a repertoire, with Gable and Ritz penning some original material for the band.

"We all four provide input," Gable said. "Together we come up with rhythms. And we all like different genres so we do a little bit of rock, blues, funk, pop, and hip hop."

Their sound has been compared to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Doors.

The groups first compact disc, "Hearts and Diamonds," will be released Friday with 14 original songs, including the title song, "Ladybug," and "Can't Stop The World." A special leap night concert at 8PM will help RCR celebrate the album's release in Sunnen Lounge in the Webster University Center where CDs will be sold for $5 with a free bonus poster.

As an audio production major, Ritz engineered and produced the CD utilizing the group's own equipment for the recordings.

With Rich majoring in video production, Dillman in film production, and Gable in public relations, the four have a host of communications skills that they put to work.

"We're pretty proud of the fact we did it all ourselves," Gable said.

Realizing the need to expand their reach and song list, Gable said they also do a number of cover songs and continue to increase their inventory.

"We've been really happy with the response we've received," Gable said. "We all get along, work well together, and are serious and professional about our music."

Gable took guitar lessons in high school and has past singing experience at his church and grade school. Rich and Ritz both took piano lessons, and Dillman played drums in high school jazz band.

RCR is currently in the midst of a six-week Right One Band Battle at the Highway 61 Roadhouse in Webster Groves, sponsored by KGLX radio.

"Two weeks in a row we had the most votes, so we're hoping to hang in there," Gable said.

The band appeared on GTV in St. Louis earlier in the school year as well. The foursome also played at several festivals and appears to be a hit with the student crowd.

Red Card Royale has also played at The Way Out Club in St. Louis and on March 29 will play at Cicero's on the U City Loop as part of a local music bash.

"We just want to get out there and play as many shows and entertain as many people as we can," Gable said. "We've all put a lot of time, passion, and love into our music." - Vicki Bennington

The boys of Red Card Royale may have been on the student rolls at Webster University, but they were majoring in Rock Out...easily devoting more time and attention to their Chili-Pepperish brand of heavy groove rock. The band's latest album, "Cover Your Ears," came out during finals week. Guess which took preference? Hey, a dual major is pretty impressive!

DIG: The Chili Peppers make a Royal Crescent Mob cake with Dictators icing.

--An excerpt from the special "MPMF" edition of Cincinnati's CityBeat, September 09. - CityBeat