simply by saying he wasn ’ t going to waste his time working with a group that couldn ’ t behave respectfully towards each other .
“ It really brought us together as a band and as brothers again , and it has stuck ,” says Danzig .
In continuing to make their relationships work within and outside of the band , Danzig and his brothers have had to learn when to take a step back and let someone else handle something . He admits they all used to micromanage each other ’ s work , but are now more aware of their own strengths and what areas they should be focusing on .
“ Emerson is very much oriented on the art , Remington is very oriented on the songwriting , I ’ m very oriented on the business , but we all intertwine and help one another ,” says Danzig . “ And I think if we keep that relationship going , we ’ re going to be able to sustain actually being happy while being with one another and creating together .”
Danzig goes on to say that he and his bandmates can express disagreements , but only to serve the art and not as a jab at another member . A key component of he and his brothers working together is holding themselves accountable for not making decisions out of selfishness .
“ We ’ re just trying to all work for something that ’ s bigger than us , which is Palaye Royale ,” says Danzig . “ We ’ re not going to be bigger than our band individually , and I think we all understand that . There are no egos at all with it now . We ’ re just like , get the shit done .
44 CANADIAN MUSICIAN
We ’ re all in the same boat .”
Whatever differences the members of Palaye Royale have , they are all brought together by a shared vision that only gets bigger and bigger the more of it they achieve . To Danzig , his band will never reach their full potential , but that ’ s not a bad thing — it simply means the ambition will never die .
“ Once the rooms get bigger , the guarantees are bigger , and you can start spending more money on more things ,” he says . “ And I want people to walk away like they ’ re going to a theme park , you know what I mean ? You almost feel exhausted after the show , because it ’ s so much , and it ’ s stimulating , and it ’ s an enjoyable outlet for everyone to experience .” Palaye Royale ’ s current stage show certainly shows the dedication to their craft that the three brothers share , and the constant driving desire to make everything bigger every time . With a full-fledged spectacle for a concert , it ’ s easy to see the inspirations behind Palaye Royale ’ s presentation , and Danzig isn ’ t shy to give props .
“ My favourite bands in the whole entire world , I ’ ve always liked are Small Faces , T . Rex , Bowie , The [ Rolling ] Stones . If you dress someone in something , it can look like a costume , but if it ’ s who you are and that ’ s what you feel comfortable with , it ’ s just an expression ,” says Danzig . “ And so , I think on the visual aspect as well as the audio aspects , if you merge that all together , it ’ s just a sonic visual experience that I think ends up making you feel something .”
While the music is an integral aspect that everything else is arguably built around , Danzig sees a band like his as being a multi-faceted craft , and made up of multistylistic artists who are not only musicians .
“ I think I genuinely always felt it ’ s performance and entertainment ,” Danzig says of his band . “ And entertainment has to have a style — even if you ’ re styled in all leather jackets , that ’ s your thing , you know what I mean ?”
Danzig uses David Bowie as an example to illustrate this point , noting that each Bowie album introduced a new era with new lore and had an aesthetic and themes to go along with it .
“ It brings you on this journey , far beyond the songs ,” he says . “ It ’ s a world you ’ re creating .”
When it comes to the musical aspects , Danzig says he and his brothers developed their musicianship and became better players over time not so much through working on their chops individually , but more from “ ruthlessly touring ” and absorbing skills from other bands they played alongside .
“ In 2015 we were evicted , we signed a record deal , we were living in our car , we went on tour , and our home was the road — sleeping in a car , sleeping in a van , sleeping in an RV ,” he says . “ And then we slowly but surely got to buses . So , we became better musicians , because just playing every day , you ’ re practicing in front of people ; it ’ s not sitting at home and just practicing .”
Danzig remembers being on the road early in Palaye Royale ’ s career with lots of heavy bands