Fox Royale, a touring company of sorts, performs Saturday

Taking inspiration from bands such as the Everly Brothers, Vampire Weekend and the All-American Rejects, Fox Royale is making a mark in indie rock.

Brothers Nathan (guitar and vocals) and Caleb (bass and vocals) Hurley formed the band in 2020 in Joplin, Missouri.

The pair earned a record deal and, from there, created a touring company of sorts. Nathan Hurley said the band includes a half-dozen people, but not all play every show.

"So, we started touring and, basically, we interchange whoever toured with us so that we could go to a lot of shows because a lot of people don't like being on the road that much. So, depending on the time of year, we might have a different drummer. And we've had a couple of different guys on the guitar, usually college guys that are free in the summer and not free in the school season." Nathan Hurley said.

The name of the band, Fox Royale, came from Nathan Hurley being a movie fan and wanting to make it sound as if it could be a rundown hotel movie title.

Hurley also said he wanted the band to have a bigger dream tied to the name, a plan for the band rather than being a band that only plays around town.

With a dream such as this, it is safe to say Fox Royale has started down the correct path. Since 2021, the band has been in a constant state of touring. They have played in London, Canada and in 42 states so far, according to Nathan Hurley.

"So our biggest goal is to tour and have a solid fan base in every state in the U.S. Obviously, it'd be cool to get famous and everything, but we really just want to make a living playing shows and meeting people on the road. We're pretty close to achieving that, like we get to tour pretty much as we want to right now." Nathan Hurley said.

A new thing the band has started doing is inviting people to have pizza with them before or after the show to get to know them and hang out with them on TikTok.

"We had a couple of videos go viral on TikTok because we were inviting people to have pizza with us before the show or after the show, and all over the country people have started showing up just because they want to hang out. I realize it's kind of weird like a band just inviting you to hang before the show. But people that aren't even fans of us are fans now just because we invited them to hang out. So that's been really cool and just developing these little pockets like friend groups all over the country. Just because of some stupid videos we posted." Nathan Hurley said.

He said it has been really cool to see how people react to the videos they post for an opportunity and invitation to meet the band. The band's next three shows have around 10 to 15 people who have seen them on social media and have reached out to say they will be just from TikTok.

Nathan Hurley said in their songs they are very honest and write about things they have gone through in their lives. From divorce and breakups, they put personal things from their lives in each song. Nathan Hurley said one of his favorite songs to play is "Panic Attacks". The song is about anxiety and questioning every decision you make on a daily basis. He said he resonates with this song a lot and it is a good conversation starter with everyone the band meets.

"Most people, unfortunately, can relate to severe anxiety now, I think it's social media and the changing world. Pretty much everybody seems pretty nervous. You know?"

Another song they wrote is called "Out of my Hands", about trying to have a healthy relationship without knowing where you're going to be next year or knowing what your plans are for the future or being scared of the future. Nathan Hurley said he was told by many young couples in high school and college how the song was their relationship song.

Being young and in an almost full-time touring band, Nathan Hurley said he and his brother miss many family gatherings such as weddings and family reunions. They have accepted this and have started to plan times to meet up with friends or family members on the days they are off and make it a big deal. They say it feels like a vacation when they have a day off to see everyone.

While on the road, the hardest part is to not lose sight of today and maintain good attitudes, Hurley said.

"It's really easy. If you have a good show, it's exciting. But if you have a bunch of bad shows in a row, then it's easy to lose perspective. And just maintaining good attitudes on the road after a while can get difficult."

Before each show, Nathan Hurley looks in the mirror to tell himself he needs to go out there and give the best show and not worry about anything else.

"Bruce Springsteen said every show you play is somebody's first time seeing you and probably somebody's last time seeing you, as well. So you've got to play for both of them. So you got to put on a great show, even if there's just one person in the room. So I just had to remind myself of that." Nathan Hurley said.

Fox Royale will be playing Scout Hall at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 22. Tickets are $12 and may be bought at www.eventbrite.com/e/fox-royale-tickets-667264274407.

The band is on Instagram and TikTok under @wearefoxroyale and Facebook as Fox Royale. Their music can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora and YouTube.