Romeo Spike "For the Cause" review - The Carolinian Online

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Romeo Spike
"For the Cause"
Release date: May 19, 2009 (self-released)

The Capulets versus the Montagues circa 2009. Competition breeds Romeo Spike's debut album, For The Cause: A review.

-Lucy Shaffer

I have never been convinced that any form of musical group could remind me of an adjective such as futuristic. To be futuristic, you must be cutting-edge, innovative, and a pioneering revolutionary. Unbelievably, the two gentlemen of Romeo Spike somehow accomplish this with only themselves performing all of the vocal and orchestrating numerous instruments that would traditionally be played by between four and six or more members. Their instrumentals, lyrics and refreshing sound will prove to audiences everywhere that you can make music that is out of this world and still been perceived as multi-faceted and talented.

Stemming from Atlanta Georgia, this "futuristic classic rock" band brings a new sound to the free world. Members Mike Kunz (Vocals, Rhodes electric piano, Guitars, Bass, Drums, and Programming) and Donn Aaron (Background Vocals, Pedal Steel, Guitars, Bass, Drums, Casio, Kaoss) are a thrilling combination, inspired by artists such as The Rolling Stones, The Flaming Lips, and Led Zeppelin. They describe their sound as having a somewhat "pumpkin pie" consistency, possibly meaning that their passion for music is the crust, the foundation of all that they do. The spice-filled, sweet and tangy filling is the actual music, lyrics and instrumentals, that are smooth with a bit of an edge, that compliment the foundation well.

When asked to describe what Romeo Spike means to them and why they exist, they replied: "A literary allusion, the artistic and almost mockingly decorative Romeo Spikes were meant to keep young "Romeos" from climbing up the poles to meet their "Juliets" in the balconies of 19th Century Spanish townhouses of New Orleans. The presence of a diminished number of Romeo Spikes remain still today in the French Quarter and also sprinkled throughout Savannah, GA, Charleston, SC and Pensacola, FL." Confusing, yet intriguing, so I decided to investigate a little more into the lives of these gentlemen.

The most interesting quality of these two is that they were randomly brought together by a mutual friend. While one guy was residing in Chicago, the other was living in Atlanta. The two became instant comrades and began to have song writing challenges weekly. They would submit their songs to each other via email and phone and then rework the songs together to make them feel right to both parties. Eventually, they stopped having the competitions and began seriously working on a full-length album, titled "For the Cause." While they were producing this album, their music came to the attention of Matt Still, who had been an engineer and producer for Elton John. As soon as they began collaborations, the album came together.

This unexpected uniting of forces came to be exist as what Kunz and Aaron had been waiting their entire lives for. These two believe that its truly "... all about the song." Kunz stated, "You just have to play one note and listen for all the music that is already there."

So if you can appreciate the music of Cold Play, Ben Folds, or Pink Floyd, then please allow Romeo Spike to enrich your life. You can visit their MySpace account at www.myspace.com/romeospike or visit the band's official site at www.romeospike.com. They currently have no posted tour dates for 2009, but keep checking back on the website for some definite dates. They will open your mind to a world of new beginnings, second chances, and a new age of music that has the potential to change lives.