The Royal Foundry is a Canadian alternative pop quartet band whose core is the Edmonton couple Jared Salte and Bethany Schumacher.[2] They initially formed as a folk duo[3] but, in 2015, began a significant revitalization and revision of their sound, incorporating elements of 1990's Brit-Pop with power-pop stylings of groups like Arcade Fire, and 1970's Progressive Rock elements inspired by groups like Yes and Supertramp[4] Their music has been described as alt rock, indie rock, alternative pop,[5] and Synth Pop.[1]
Jared Salte was raised in a musical household and began playing piano and guitar at age five.[6][2] By age 11, he was running the recording studio Salt Shaker Studios.[2] By age 15, he had won his first international songwriting competition and released his first album.[7] At 19, his band, the Junkyard Poets,[8] opened for The Newsboys in stadiums across North America.
Bethany Schumacher grew up in the church as a Pastor's daughter,[6] with her mother as the pianist and choir director. She often sang at church, and at fundraising and community events.[2] In high school, Schumacher played the female lead in all of her high school musicals.[4][2]
In 2013, shortly after their wedding, The Royal Foundry was formed as a Folk band.[9] In 2014, they independently released their first album, Wherever We Go.[10]
In 2015 they won $75,000 as part of the Peak Performance Project[11] for their song “Running Away” which peaked at #21 on Alt-Rock Stations in Canada.[12] “Running Away” was featured on TSN as the opening song for the CFL,[13][12] and in two commercials--for ENMAX and the Government of Alberta Climate Change Campaign).[14][15]
In 2016 their single “Start This Fire” was featured in an ad campaign for Purina Dog Chow,[citation needed][1] which led to their signing with Peermusic.[16][17] In the fall of 2016 they released their single “Dreamers”, which was first performed at a concert they played in Toronto during the World Cup of Hockey week.[18][15] Soon after the release, Disney licensed the song for their 2017 line of wedding dresses.[citation needed][15][18] and the song hit #35 on the Alt Rock charts in Canada[15]
On August 15, 2017, The Royal Foundry released their second album, Lost in Your Head.[19][20][21] By 2018, the album had achieved 1 million streams on Spotify.[citation needed] The video for the single "All We Have" went viral.[18][22]
Lost In Your Head won the Canadian Songwriting Competition Grand Prize, the John Lennon Songwriting Contest Grand Prize,[23] and garnered The Royal Foundry a Pop Artist of the Year nomination from the Western Canadian Music Awards, as well as three nominations from the Edmonton Music Awards[3]
In 2018, the song "Never Have Time" was used in an Explore Edmonton commercial;[24] the song "Lost In Your Head" was used in the Catfish: The TV Show.[25]
On September 27, 2019, The Royal Foundry released their third album, Wake Up Wake Up.[26][27] By 2020, the album had achieved half a million streams on Spotify.[citation needed] The first single to be released "Hopefully" reached #27 on Alternative Rock Radio in Canada and the third single "okay?" reached #16 on Alternative Rock Radio in Canada.[citation needed] Prior to the release of Wake Up Wake Up, The Royal Foundry performed a live performance of the album in Calgary, AB for the Stampede City Sessions.[28] The concert aired on Shaw TV in Canada and PBS in the USA.