A look at Romeo Liquor Store
Romeo Liquor Store, a former Humber student’s band, is looking to take its music to the next level by working with a record label to produce a pilot based on its recording process.
The quartet, featuring three former Humber students, Tony, Dickie and Johnny, plus bassist, Dougie “Murder” is working on the pilot with Tattoo Music Studio.
“It’s going to be informative about the process. But we’re not going set the bands up in an entrapment, like some reality TV shows do,” said Steve Gadsen, the producer and client engineer.
“We’re shooting the pilot currently. We’re looking for funding and interest,” he said.
Tattoo Music has won three Emmy Awards for the CGI Disney show Rolie Polie Olie.
According to Gadsen, the idea for this TV program is to show various bands in their recording process, working with Tattoo Music Studio.
It is sort of a reality show and documentary in one.
Throughout the pilot band members work with Tim Thorney, a critic and the president, producer and director of Tattoo Music who has co-written with Van Morrison and Kiss.
Romeo Liquor Store got its name as a tribute to Kevin Fingers, a former band member, whom Dickie Del Ray later replaced.
“He was constantly drinking, trying to make ends meet,” said Del Ray, guitar and vocalist.
Fingers was shot and killed while trying to rob a liquor store in New York City in 2003.
“We’ve digressed in trying to be pleasing,” said former Humber student Tony Fantastic, lead guitar player and vocalist, “Our songs have gotten more ridiculous and offensive.”
From the outside, it appears that the band is not in it for money, given that a lot of its music is not commercially friendly, although Fortune tries to be modest. He used to attend Humber College for a number of programs including media studies and journalism. “I went to school for everything.”
Doughie Murder works full time and spends the rest of his time working with the band, “I don’t have a lot of time.”
“We’re basically just writing songs to record another album and hopefully release it this year,” Del Ray said.
They released a CD called Switch Blade last Oct. 15.
Del Ray, affectionately called Dr. Dick by his bandmates, estimates the album has sold 4,000 copies, with the help of the band’s distributors Universal Records Canada and Addictive Records.
The band has also released a video on MuchMusic called I Eat Brains.
Some of the band’s influences are AC/DC, Kiss, T’rex, The Beatles and Guns ’N’ Roses.
“When I saw the video Atomic Dog by George Clinton, I knew I wanted do music,” Fortune said.