Last Wednesday night at The Republic, Radio Rubber Room presented The Dream Machine and ROMA. With TDM guitarist Justin Shear out of town, veteran Yerbian Joe DelMonaco stepped up with his work cut out for him. They kept it slow and bluesy, and it may have been a safe move initially, but they soon pulled together in rock cohesion. The Dream Machine played with great control, and their set was solid through and through. For filling such big shoes, I must tip my hat to you Joe DelMonaco - fine work.
I'd heard of ROMA long before I saw them last week, and I really liked what I heard. The Padgett brothers, Charlie and Ben, handle lead guitar/vocals and drums, respectively. Having the same arrangement in my band, I love seeing this interaction. With slight nods and facial gestures, they can make impromptu decisions on stage. Ben is a phenomenal drummer, and ROMA as a whole carries rhythm seamlessly. An array of influence makes their live show engaging. Charlie has a Bad Religion-esque style to his singing, and I get a heavy, ominous, yet poppy Queens of the Stone Age feeling from the instrumentation. I was caught by surprise when they opened up some crisp vocal harmonies as well. Ben uses a constant bass drum downbeat to fuse songs together; it also keeps the heads bobbing, and the unconscious mind engaged. ROMA plans on releasing a 7" at the end of June, so keep an eye out.
You would be remiss to be anywhere but The Republic this Wednesday, May 30 for The Santamaria Brothers. These are some of Richmond's most gifted musicians. The first time I saw these guys, my jaw hung in awe for most of their set, notably when bassist Gabriel pulled off some Les Claypool lines without effort. A slew of lovely Richmonders made last week a blast. Let's do it again this week. The Republic, 10pm Wednesday.
Hit up the EVENT PAGE for more information
