in the hardcore , punk , and metal scenes . He says a lot of these bands exhibited creative showmanship , and he considers watching and being inspired by them a big part of his training as a musician and a performer .
Danzig also mentions that headlining tours and playing on bigger stages has allowed more creativity in the song arranging processes , because they ’ re able to employ bigger and more complicated setups now . On Fever Dream , he feels he and his brothers were able to return to their roots as piano players in a way they hadn ’ t been able to before .
“ When you ’ re one of five openers , you don ’ t have the luxury — you have to plug in with your amps and throw them onstage and play for 20 minutes and get off the stage ,” says Danzig . “ Now we have the space , we can have the piano onstage and we can start taking our time through the shows and really enjoying those moments . And so , having the piano through this record is just opening up so many doors for us for future stuff . We love strings , we love gospel singers , we love weird instruments .”
It ’ s not just the stage show Danzig is always looking to take up a notch , but his own gear as well . Like many guitarists , he has the problem that too much of his money goes to new gear that he has to justify buying , but there ’ s always something bigger and better he has his eyes on , just like there is with his music , performance , and everything else .
“ Yesterday I was looking at this guitar . It ’ s fucking so expensive but it ’ s a Custom Shop Gretsch that ’ s brand new , but it ’ s like seven or eight [ thousand dollars ] — it ’ s a fucking stupid price but it ’ s obviously a one-of-a-kind Custom Shop ; it ’ s a gold top sparkle with a penguin body and a white headstock ,” he says . “ It looks so fucking cool . I want to get one of those .”
That ’ s far from the only new instrument Danzig wants , and he even admits there are certain pieces of gear he can ’ t stop buying , no matter how many he has . But acquiring new gear is part of the sonic evolution of his craft , so Danzig ’ s hunger for new instruments and equipment is not likely to be satisfied any time soon .
Eventually in our conversation , the topic of being a Canadian band — or whether or not Danzig considers Palaye Royale to actually be a Canadian band — comes up . Danzig himself was born in Toronto , and has always proclaimed himself a Canadian , but his brothers are both American born as the Kropp ( the brothers ’ real last name — their stage surnames are their middle names ) family moved to Las Vegas shortly after Danzig was born . The band was originally formed there as Kropp Circle in 2008 , before changing its name to Palaye Royale in 2011 , as a reference to the Toronto dance and banquet hall Palais Royale .
“ I wear the Canadian flag on my sleeve ,” Danzig immediately answers with a smile . “ We ’ re all hockey players , we have such Canadian roots . I love Canada as a country . I just love the culture . I just love everything .”
Recently , Palaye Royale found themselves back in Canada for a show at Toronto ’ s History , a venue that Danzig points out doesn ’ t actually have much history , having only opened in November of 2021 as a partnership between Drake and Live Nation . Danzig says the show felt like a homecoming for him , and despite a bit of border trouble with some of the crew , he felt at home right away . One of the best parts was that the brothers were able to visit with their cousins , who came out to see the show .
“ Obviously they ’ ve known us our whole lives and they were just like , jaws on the floor ,” Danzig beams .
Fever Dream was released Oct . 28th via Sumerian Records . After wrapping up their North American and U . K . dates this fall , followed by a much-deserved few weeks off the road in December and January , the band will be continuing their relentless touring cycle with a string of European and U . K . dates through the winter and into spring . No dates are announced for Canada as of yet , but at least one member of the band is eager to get back to this country .
“ I don ’ t feel like I ’ m an American ,” says Danzig . “ I ’ m a Canadian and always have been .”
Manus Hopkins is the Assistant Editor at Canadian Musician .
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