Rock n’ Roll’s Successors Have Taken The Throne Back

From left: Ben Chaveau, Jimmy Chaveau, Tal Vaisman, Sam Stark and Jesse Gilroy

They’re quite possibly the best band that you’ve never heard. While I’ll agree that’s quite a bold statement to make, it doesn’t make it any less true. With so much excellent music currently being made in Southern Ontario, it’s easy for even the most talented of groups to get dragged into the undertow only to be found washed up ashore a beach of anonymity. The Ascot Royals haven’t so much as even gotten a drop of water on their trousers. They’re nice and dry, riding high on a wave of success. Go to a show and it’s easy to see why…they’re simply head and shoulders above everyone else.

Frontman Jimmy Chaveau and older brother Ben (keyboards/vocals) moved to Brantford, Ontario with their family from London, England 9 years ago “for school” as Ben recalls. While they didn’t know it at the time, the Chaveaus would find much more than academic opportunities in the Great White North.  

Ben met bass player Jesse Gilroy at McMaster University and the two hit it off immediately finding common ground in their love of music. Meanwhile, younger brother Jimmy was taking recording engineering courses at Metalworks Studios with future band mates Sam Stark and Tal Vaisman. The Chaveaus teamed up with Gilroy and started jamming. They fiddled with a few different monikers until they stumbled upon “The Ascot Royals”, a clever wordplay on Britain’s most renowned horserace.

“The toughest thing in any band is picking a name,” Ben stated, “we had a bunch of different ones that we tried, but that one kinda stuck.”

“We dress it up a little onstage, have fun and then we drink and act like goofballs after the show…kinda like they do over there after the race,” joked Gilroy.

When it came time to look for a drummer, Jimmy called up his buddy Sam and asked if he’d fancy a jam session? Stark’s consistent dependability proved to fit the band like a dressy evening glove. He was an easy choice and promptly took his place on the Royals’ throne behind the drum kit. The boys then decided to give Jimmy and Sam’s old schoolmate Tal a ring to ask him if he’d be interested in playing guitar for The Ascot Royals. He gladly jumped on the opportunity.

“I was thrilled when they asked me. They welcomed me in right off the bat,” recalls Vaisman, “The first thing I noticed was how much of a team effort is employed in this band. It’s never one guy doing everything.” 

The Ascot Royals released their debut album, a self-titled 7-song EP, in 2009. It was very well received earning playtime on several local radio stations including Hamilton’s INDI 101. The album borrowed bits and pieces from every genre imaginable, creating a fresh sound that is entirely their own. 

“One of us will come up with an idea or a concept and we’ll work on it,” described Gilroy, “we’ll try a song out a few different ways and if it’s good, we’ll keep it…if it’s not, there might be chorus or a bridge that we like that could be used in the future.” 

“Nothing is ever a failure,” Jimmy continued, “even if it doesn’t work, you got pieces that you might be able to use later to make a nice song.” 

The subject matter in any Ascot Royals’ song is extremely relatable and ranges from a variety of different topics. Jimmy sings of his lust for a particular lass on rock n’ roll tracks such as “Awkward When I Stop” and “Zap Zap”, before contemplating running away and starting over on the honky-tonk influenced “Monster In The Closet”, while “So Tired” sees him reflecting on how he’s sick and tired of having to wake up and go to work (surely something everyone can relate to). 

The lead singer and chief songwriter explains that he finds it easier when he lets the lyric come to him instead of trying to force something in that won’t fit. 

“I go around the vocal melody when I’m writing,” Jimmy explained, “lyrics will come to me at random times and if they’re terrible I can always count on the guys tell me so,” he chuckled. 

With the EP released, the wheels on the bus were really starting to spin and they’d only just begun to pick up speed. It seemed that the more exposure the band received, the bigger the shows became and subsequently, the audiences. Through word of mouth (and with a little help from the internet) The Ascot Royals were on their way to becoming a popular fixture in a very strong Southern Ontario music scene opening for a throng of provincial favourites, most notably: Hollerado, USS, Young Rival and San Sebastian. Even the band members themselves were a little surprised at how well they were received by their new Canadian fans. 

“When we first played in Toronto, no one was dancing or moving around much, so we were afraid that they didn’t like us,” started Ben, “but after we finished our song, the crowd gave us a really nice round of applause. I remember thinking, well that’s a relief,” he laughed. 

I couldn’t resist the opportunity to ask the Chaveau brothers how much different they find our Canadian crowds in comparison to the British audiences back home. 

“Well it’s definitely a drunker experience in England,” Jimmy joked. “It can get a little rowdy there,” agreed Ben, “but I find Canadian audiences are much more polite. They listen to you while you’re playing and actually take it in the music, which is great. I mean it’s really nice to know that it’s not falling on deaf ears.” 

It deaf-initely wasn’t. The Ascot Royals are simply too good to ignore. As their fan base grew so did their style and approach. On stage the laid back, fun loving lads are all about business, because as they see it, their job for the next half hour is to entertain the audience and make sure that every show is an excellent one. A goal that surely every band shoots for, but what’s impressive about The Ascot Royals is their ability to deliver on that promise. 

“We just love what we do,” says Ben, “personally, this is the reason that I get up in the morning.” 

“You’ve got to like what you do and more importantly you’ve got to like each other,” added Gilroy, “I mean if you don’t get along, people can tell and your live show suffers as a result,” Vaisman interjected, “You can’t fake fun.” 

The band quite possibly had the most fun of their young career playing in front of their family and friends at Brantford’s annual Hockeyfest recently. The festival saw the band sharing the stage with Ottawa’s favourite sons in Hollerado, Canadian powerhouse Tokyo Police Club and ska/punk pioneers Sublime. 

“We’d never been more excited for a show in our life,” gushed Ben, “I don’t know many people our age that didn’t own a Sublime album in high school, so to be playing on the same stage as them was pretty surreal.” 

With all that the group has already accomplished over a very short period of time, what can they possibly have in store for us as an encore? Well how about appearances at Burlington’s Sound of Music Festival and the S.C.E.N.E Music Fest this summer? They’re also planning a Canadian tour in the near future to support their brand new EP that is slated for release later this year. Did I mention that the EP is also being pressed on vinyl for all you music enthusiasts out there? Not too shabby. 

This is a band that clearly cares about the common fan. You can tell they thoroughly enjoy chatting with people that came out to the show and they’re always happy to pose for pictures with anyone who wants in on one, while they humbly accept any kind of compliment with genuine gratitude. Underneath the dapper suits and the killer riffs are five good old Canadian boys from Brantford. 

I’d strongly recommend anyone who’s looking for a good time to check out an Ascot Royals show, if you’ve never seen them before, now’s as good a time as any. Catch them at the Sound of Music Festival in Burlington for free while you still can before they’re commanding top-bill, playing at sold-out arena shows across the world. I’ll close with some wise words from the Royals’ court jester, the always-carefree Sam Stark. 

“Oh it’s all shit, but sometimes we shit out gold,” he said with a grin. 

Lucky for us, more often than not they do.