ROCK SPRINGS – From the pizza parlors of Salt Lake City to stages around the nation, Royal Bliss has brought their rock and roll to the masses and in the true spirit of rock and roll, they did it their way.

Neal Middleton, Taylor Richards, Jake Smith and Dwayne Crawford, better known as the band Royal Bliss, will be plugging in and blowing the roof off of Killpeppers this Wednesday. They will be playing with October Rage and local band ZamTrip. Tickets are available now and the show starts at 7 p.m. You must be 21 to attend the concert.

Recently, lead singer Neil Middleton spoke with Sweetwater NOW and discussed several things from their early start to plans for the future.

Only three hours down Interstate 80, the band got started in Salt Lake City. Middleton explained while the guys were in a band at one local SLC high school, he was doing more of a solo gig at another. When the band started having trouble with their signer, Middleton invited them down to a gig to check him out. He said he had never really been a part of a band but had always wanted to.

After the gig, the guys got together and jammed. Middleton said “the chemistry was there” and 16 years and nine albums later, the band is still tearing up stages around the United States.

Early on in band’s career, they signed with Capitol Records. Middleton explained it was right in the middle of when Capital was being bought out. They were signed with the likes of Saving Abel and Katy Perry.

After the fiasco with Capital, they decided to do it without the support of a major label. The group started to take care of merchandising and started a small indie label to record their music.

Neil said while there have been benefits, such as actually making money on cd sales instead of paying a label to sell cds, they have also had an uphill battle without “some of those major label connections.”

Middleton explained a lot of radio play is controlled by major labels and it has been harder for Royal Bliss to get play. He said it has also made it harder for them to tour with some of the major acts. Despite this, Royal Bliss has developed a massive fan base and has played with some of the biggest rock bands in the world.

“It’s ours,” Middleton said about everything Royal Bliss. “We did it our way and it has been a lot more rewarding and has given us longevity.”

While a lot of bands disappear after five years, if they are lucky enough to make it that long, Royal Bliss has been going strong for the past 16 years and Middleton said they are only getting stronger. He believes there are a lot of reasons they are still thriving in such a tough business.

“A lot of it is we love playing and we believe in the music,” Middleton said. “We are getting better musically and on the businesses side. We have built this company and now we are actually looking at signing some new bands to our label.”

Another thing for Royal Bliss is the excitement is still there after 16 years.

“It is exciting,” he said. “We still have fun and get along. When you’re having a bad day and get up on that stage it all goes away. We constantly hear stories from fans about what our music means to them and that’s what it is all about.”

Royal Bliss is one of those rare stories of a small local band who got together in high school and actually made it a career. Now, many of those local bands look to Royal Bliss as mentors and take as much advice from them as they can get. Neil said the best advice he has for those bands it to learn the business side of it.

“Playing music is the fun part of it,” he said. “Look at the business side, study accounting, build up credit and relationships with banks.”

Of course, there is the music as well.

“Practice as hard as you can and write, write, write,” Neil stressed. “Don’t be afraid to change and try new things.”

Younger bands also learn a lot just by watching from the side of the stage. One of these young bands which have played with Royal Bliss several times is ZamTrip. Guitarist Kyle Zampedri said he has learned about crowd interaction by watching their shows. He said they have so much energy and they do not let a crowd get bored.

Middleton said they also love to watch other bands and still take a lot away from watching their shows.

“I would love to watch Pearl Jam and see how it’s done,” Neil said.

He said they still love to watch bands perform and are fans of good music. Currently, Royal Bliss is touring the country with October Rage and Bobaflex. Middleton said they watch them play every night and it pushes and fuels them.

Royal Bliss has also shared the stage with the likes of Papa Roach and Pop Evil at recent shows at Flaming Gorge Days. Middleton said Papa Roach has been doing this for awhile now and through the years, he and Jacoby Shaddix, lead singer for Papa Roach, have became good friends.

“In my opinion, they are one of the bands which has done it right,” Middleton said.

Middleton said they have also spent time with Pop Evil and have watched the struggle they have had climbing the music business hill. Middleton added they are one band that does have major label support and, while they have gotten the support, he said he watched as Pop Evil has written a lot of checks to a lot of people to get that support. While he said Pop Evil is a great bunch of guys and a blast to work with, it just emphasizes why they felt it was important to do it their way.

“I watched this with Pop Evil and wondered what’s the price you pay to have a hit single on the radio,” Neal said.

Often times, fans tell stories about meeting a band and the horrible experience it was, but those stories seem to fade away when talking about Royal Bliss. Middleton said they have strived to have fun and be normal guys.

“Life’s too short to be a jerk,” Middleton said. “I don’t want to be that elusive lead singer who hides on the bus. We have played with those type of bands and it’s not what we want to be. When we are touring, we love meeting new people and hanging with the other bands. I want to experience as much as I possibly can because who knows how long this experience will last.”

One thing Middleton said they have done to avoid the bad rock star name is help each other. He said the band has been around each other so long now, it is easy to see when one of them is not having the best day.

Middleton said they “keep each other in check” and when they see this, will tell them hey just hang out on the bus a bit and relax to avoid these bad situations.

Zampedri said this is one of the things that the guys from Royal Bliss has taught them off the stage.

“They have taught us to be humble no matter what and to be thankful for everything,” Kyle said. “They have told us to be personal and don’t treat people like a number. They are out before shows talking to fans no matter if the venue tells them they can or can’t. They make time for everyone.”

While most rock fans in Sweetwater County are familiar with Royal Bliss, Middleton urged people to come out on Wednesday for a good time.

“The biggest thing you will get at our show is we like to have fun and enjoy playing music,” Middleton said. “You will get honest music, honest sound and an honest show. We absolutely love playing music and you will feel it.”

Middleton and the band also know the connection they have with fans in Sweetwater County.

“We thank you Green River and Rock Springs for the support you have always given us,” he said. “Support your local music and support rock and roll.”