Royal Teeth gets ready for ‘Idol’ – Louisiana pop band performs on the show Thursday

Baton Rougeans will want to set their DVRs this week as Louisiana’s own Royal Teeth performs live on American Idol Thursday.

The indie-pop band, comprised of members from Lafayette, Baton Rouge and New Orleans, will play its song “Wild” on the show, which is in its 13th season.

After a long day of rehearsing, singer Nora Patterson tells 225 the group found out they’d be on the show a few weeks ago. One of the show’s judges, New Orleans native Harry Connick Jr., recommended the band to producers.

“Judges have been picking a band they liked to come and play on the show,” she says. “He chose us, and that’s how we got picked. We had no idea he was a fan or had heard us before.”

The band will continue rehearsals in Lafayette until they fly out to Los Angeles Wednesday morning. On Thursday, they will have another full day of rehearsals before the live performance that night. Though Royal Teeth has been performing the track across the country for years, Patterson admits they are a little nervous.

“We’re trying to figure out the best way to do it for live television,” she says. “Right now, we’re trying to have everything set with what we want to do and keep the same energy. We have some butterflies, but it’ll be all right.”

A big part of the band’s concerts is singer Gary Larsen’s interaction with the crowd, and the group is trying to figure out how they can do something similar on the TV show’s stage.

“It will be different than any other show,” she says. “We’re getting the motions down so we don’t mess it up. We’ve been recording our performances and listening back and making sure we’re happy.”

Thursday’s performance will be the second time Royal Teeth has appeared on national television. The group made its TV debut on NBC’s Last Call with Carson Daly last March.

The Thursday episode of American Idol premieres on Fox at 8 p.m. Check local listings.
See a video for “Wild” below.