There’s a sign inside of Mt. Pleasant church space turned alternative venue La Casa that reads “Capacity: 74 people.” It’s a picture that, if juxtaposed with the number of music lovers actually crammed into the place to check out U.S. Royalty at a benefit for victims of a neighborhood apartment fire last month, could’ve found itself a spot in The Onion. The crowd already knew that established acts like Kitty Hawk and Ra Ra Rasputin would put on exciting sets, but U.S. Royalty seemed to be the night’s great question mark since a buzz had already started to simmer, despite having come into existence only six months before. After a powerful set that saw singer John Thornley fall effortlessly between the microphone and the piano bench and provide some exciting hooks that ranged geographically in influence from Brazil to Tennessee, the question mark wasn’t whether the band was any good, but for how long they’d stay local. It seems they’ve picked an appropriate band name, although we’ll have to wait until July for their first release.

We caught up with singer John Thornley, guitarist Paul Thornley, drummer Luke Adams and bassist Jacob Michael before their first headlining show last Wednesday at DC9 to talk about how they met, their songwriting process, and why one of their songs is named after a dog.

Check them out on the web at: http://www.myspace.com/usroyalty

See them next: At the Rock and Roll Hotel this Friday opening for Army of Me.

Photo by Ryan Wakeman