Ladies and Gentlemen: Downtown Royalty Band
Live at Filthy McNasty's in the Fort Worth Stockyards
After seeing Downtown Royalty Band open a show for Oklahoma’s Zack Crow at Filthy McNasty’s Saloon in the Fort Worth Stockyards, TheFUSE has questions.
Shouldn’t a band that just came back from a year layoff show signs of rust? Shouldn’t a brand new drummer be a little unsure at times? Shouldn’t a crowd be standoffish and tepid when they see an unknown act?
None of those things were true of Downtown Royalty Band at their April 2024 show in Fort Worth. DTR fired on all cylinders, put on a hell of a show with new drummer Josiah Botts — playing only his second show with the group — and the crowd was enthusiastic and loud. A healthy contingent of fans from DTR’s hometown of Wichita Falls made the two hour trip down the highway to catch this show, and it’s safe to say nobody went away disappointed.
For those new to DTR, the group’s front four is comprised of lead vocalist and guitarist Michael Kately, lead guitarist and vocalist Derrick Kuehner, rhythm guitarist and vocalist Mark Forehand, and Files Little on bass and vocals. Together, they make up an incredible musical machine — where gears of rhythm interlock with melodies like vibrant shards of glass, spinning and colliding to create a symphony that morphs rock, country and funk.
Derrick Kuehner, an incredible vocalist in his own right, functions mostly as a lead guitarist and backing vocalist in DTR — except when Kately breaks a string and Kuehner gets pressed into action for a song, as he did at this particular gig.
There’s a lot of action at a Downtown Royalty Band gig, and it can be hard to know where to look when you’re watching their show. However, it’s hard to keep your eyes off bassist Files Little, who marches about the stage, stomping his feet in time with the rhythm while pounding out bass lines. He’s a funky bassist with feel, who excels in every genre, and is incredibly entertaining to watch.
Downtown Royalty Band’s longtime drummer, Brandon Mundt, recently retired to focus on family. His successor, Josiah Botts, brings an infusion of rock energy and hard-hitting rhythm that you can’t ignore — and he has a hell of a lot of fun doing it. It’s hard to catch a photo of Josiah when he’s not grinning ear-to-ear.
Downtown Royalty Band played their recent single, Blue [Spotify | Apple Music] and shared some new, as-yet-unrecorded tracks with us at this gig, and Kately said they are slowly working on releasing new music right now. As we listened, we couldn’t help but think DTR’s songwriting is something special. Kately and crew have taken it to the next level.
We came away with one observation on DTR that new fans should keep in mind. Much like groups of the 70s and 80s, Downtown Royalty Band is best experienced live. Single Goodbye Eddie [Spotify | Apple Music] is great when you stream it, but you haven’t really felt the energy of it until you’ve seen them close a show with it. See their act live at the first opportunity.
And headliners be warned: Downtown Royalty Band is a hard act to follow.
Were you at the show? Have you seen DTR? Tell us about it in the comments.
Follow theFUSE on Facebook
Follow theFUSE on Instagram
TheFUSE supports our local performers. Would you consider supporting TheFUSE with a free or paid subscription? We cannot survive without your help. Thank you in advance for your support.
Too kind brother!!!!