In this episode of 'Exposition', we speak with Royce Martin—he's the second featured performer in the Fall 2025 Series of Tunes at Twilight held by Old Town Cape. Royce Martin plays on Friday, August 8th, at the Ivers Square Gazebo at 44 N. Lorimier in Downtown Cape Girardeau, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm.
Royce talked about his journey in forging a new musical style he calls 'Swagtime', which is a new, modern look at the American classic genre and St. Louis traditional Ragtime music. He blends stride piano, drum tracks, and rap to create a new update to the classic ragtime sound.
His pioneering of the genre is currently being compiled into his newest album, Once Upon A Swagtime, which will be full of various styles and experimentation.
This will be Royce Martin's first time in Cape Girardeau, but he hails from the St. Louis area. He also notes that in his creation of music, he has always put emphasis on the importance of illustrating St. Louis and Missouri's proximity to greatness through pop music.
According to his website biography, Royce Martin is a pianist, composer, and 2022 graduate of Berklee College of Music. Born in St. Louis, Royce taught himself to play the piano at the age of 14 on a small keyboard. He has a rich musical background and an affinity for a myriad of genres.
Having worked as the in-house pianist and lecturer at the Scott Joplin State Historic Site between semesters at Berklee, after college graduation, Royce returned to St. Louis to record an album of a dozen Joplin classics, reinterpreted in his own eclectic style for his debut album, Memories on Morgan Street: Scott Joplin Reimagined.
Royce has provided original music for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion special on MAX, Hulu’s Mormon No More, and most recently completed a full feature-length score for the MAX documentary They Called Him Mostly Harmless.
In October of 2024, The New York Times opinion columnist John McWhorter captured Royce's piano playing in three words: "Sly, Relatable and Brilliant". Royce continues on his path of exploration and experimentation.
