When punk-rockers get older, they start playing and listening to Frank Sinatra music?!
It's not really that big a stretch, at least not for the members of L.A.'s Royal Crown Revue, the band on the forefront of the West Coast's modern swing-jazz revival.Royal Crown Revue is part of the Vans Warped Tour, which pulls into Salt Lake City on Saturday, July 12, 1:30 p.m., at the Utah State Fairpark.
"(Swing jazz) is good music for punk-rockers who have grown tired of the physicality of moshing and slam dancing," drummer Daniel Glass explained during a telephone interview. "You can dance to it, but it takes a lot more skill . . . and a partner, of course."
Glass and his bandmates really know what they're talking about. Royal Crown Revue was actually started by two musicians who are no longer with the group, both from West Coast hard-core punk-rock act Youth Brigade (both men left Royal Crown Revue when Youth Brigade began recording anew in 1994).
"We were all punk-rock guys and rude boys (die-hard ska fans) when we were younger, but now we're into playing something a little more complex, maybe a little more musical," he said. "Punk-rock just didn't do it for us anymore. Neither did ska or even rockabilly."
And fans have responded, leading to numerous sellouts among the more than 200 shows Royal Crown Revue played last year. The seven-piece was also "discovered" by major-label record executives, who noticed its show-stopping version of the song "Hey Pachuco!" in the film "The Mask" (the band is shown performing while Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz dance).
The band is also one of two dozen different touring acts that are part of this year's Vans Warped Tour, an all-day music festival that also features professional and amateur bike and board-sports exhibitions.
Despite the fact that their music is so different from that of most of their Warped tourmates - most of the bands playing the Warped Tour play punk-rock or ska - Glass insists the Royal Crown Revue belongs on the bill. After all, this is a band that not only played the Playboy Jazz Festival but also opened for KISS last year.
"It's not as if we're playing in front of retirees or in a nursing home. There's a real punk-rock vibe going on," he said. "A Royal Crown Revue show is a lot more intense than going to see Perry Como in some small club, unless you like that sort of thing . . . then it's just like that."
There's also a darker, almost dangerous side to the band's music, as evidenced by its unique "gangster-punk-swing." On the seven-piece's major-label debut, "Mugzy's Move," there are faithful covers of the Bobby Darin classic "Beyond the Sea" and Willie Dixon's "I Love the Life I Live," as well as the title track, a cautionary tale about a drug addict desperate to get his next fix.
"We're not glamorizing the seedier side of life in Southern California, but we definitely acknowledge that it exists," Glass said. "This definitely isn't the Hollywood of the '50s anymore."
However, the band - as well as many of its loyal fans - look as if they stepped out of the '50s. In fact, slicked-back hair, poodle skirts and zoot suits aren't oddities at a Royal Crown Revue show - they're necessities.
"People back then knew how to dress. What can I say?" he said.
In spite of their retro appearance, though, the band is strictly rooted in the here-and-now. Glass said he and the others definitely aren't technophobes, and had a strong hand in creating a Web page (www.rcr.com) for their fans.
Besides the Royal Crown Revue, other confirmed musical acts for the Salt Lake Warped Tour stop include Social Distortion, Pennywise, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, face to face, the Descendents, the Vandals, Sick of it All, Reel Big Fish, Hepcat, Blink 182, Buck 'o' Nine, Millencolin, Sugar Ray and 22 Jacks.
This year's musical entertainment will be on four stages, two headlining and one "club" stage. There will also be a "locals only" stage, with Utah acts playing between the sets of the touring acts and in front of a handful of record executives who are attending select Warped Tour dates.
The tour also brings with it some of the country's best bike, board and skate athletes - Steve Caballero, Neal Hendrix, Tom Fry and Ian Spencer Green are among those who will show off their skills - as well as the Van Amateur Skateboarding Competition and a wall-climbing competition.
Advance tickets are $18, plus a service charge, from all Smith'sTix outlets. They will also be available at the door.