Artist description Indie/Modern Rock

Music Style Modern Rock

Musical Influences Foo Fighters, Sunny Day Real Estate, Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, Tripping Daisy, The Flaming Lips, Weezer, Soundgarden, Chris Cornell, Led Zeppelin, The Smashing Pumpkins (old), Elliott Smith, Air, Tori Amos

Similar Artists Foo Fighters, Sunny Day Real Estate, Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, Tripping Daisy, The Flaming Lips, Weezer, Soundgarden, Chris Cornell, Led Zeppelin, The Smashing Pumpkins (old), Elliott Smith, Air, Tori

Artist History The TRB was voted Tulsa’s BEST ROCK BAND recently at the 2001 Spot Awards (sponsored by the Tulsa World). Starting guitar lessons at the early age of 6, Tony Romanello was noted locally as "an immensely talented guitarist" (The Tulsa World) in various bands from the age of 13. He began passing around a solo demo tape with "lots of muted vocals and big guitars, weaving out pretty, dense songs reminiscent of the Small Faces, Bernard Butler, even a little Jeremy Enigk…" (The Tulsa World) that earned him semifinalist in Musician Magazine's Best Unsigned Band Contest in 1996. A few years later he co-founded and fronted Murmur, at college in Norman, OK. Murmur enjoyed regional success and accolades, while local press proclaimed "Murmur has a marketable sound and a certain intelligence that may land a contract someday" (Geno Duran, The Urban Tulsa, 7/00). Unfortunately, they disbanded with the close of 1999. With the aid of noted indie producer Trent Bell of Bell Labs Studios (The Chainsaw Kittens, The Starlight Mints, Cinemagic), Romanello built off of unfinished Murmur studio sessions, and transformed the project into his solo debut album, The MumbleOdd. The CD received acknowledgements from national and international media, including Rockpile Magazine, Pop Culture Press, PitchforkMedia.com, Magnet Magazine's Vol. 17 CD Sampler, Leicester Bangs (UK), Adrenalyn (France) significant CMJ airplay, and was included on various compilations. With the close of 2000 Romanello was awarded the honor for Rising Star and The MumbleOdd was nominated for Best Local Album at the annual Spot Music Awards (sponsored by the Tulsa World). Romanello then assimilate a troupe of talented and experienced musicians, Andy Callis (rhythm guitar), Brad Hall (bass), Josiah Borgos (drums), and Blaine Nelson (Rhodes) for collaboration of new material, as well as interpretation of MumbleOdd songs for regional shows. The group (affectionately referred to as the TRB) quickly wrote, produced, and recorded a 4-song concept-EP, The Shades of Grey, during the summer of 2001 to support their gig schedule. The result was an impressive balance of instrumentally and emotionally intense performances, that earned the group an award the following year in the Best Rock Band category at the 2001 Spot Music Awards. Building off of the successes of The MumbleOdd, and The Shades of Grey EP, Romanello has spent much of the last year recording his studio follow-up, again at Bell Labs. The new sessions are rumored to include some all-star musicians, and the songs are said to be a "unique evolution" from past releases. The CD will be released in early 2002 on Engine Shed Records.

Group Members Tony Romanello - vocals, guitar, piano, keys, sampler, various percussion; Andy Callis-Rhythm Guitar on "Dances (Shades of Grey Version)", and "Shades of Grey: Part II";Brad Hall - Bass on "Dances (Shades of Grey Version)", and "Shades of Grey: Part II"; Josiah Borgos - drums on "Dances (Shades of Grey Version)", and "Shades of Grey: Part II";Blaine Nelson - string bass on "Dances" Rhodes on "Dances (Shades of Grey Version)", and "Shades of Grey: Part II";; Ben Marshall - drums on "Fingertips", "Everything" & "Under the Blue"; Matt Vanvaveer - bass on "Fingertips", "Everything" & "Under the Blue"; Eric Knox - piano on "Fingertips", "Everything" & "Under the Blue"

Instruments Vocals, Guitars, Piano, Keyboard, Sampler, Percussion

Albums "TRB: Shades of Grey EP" (fall 2001); "The MumbleOdd" (summer 2000); "Lo-Fi Dreams in Stereo: Vol 1" (spring 2000)

Press Reviews The TRB took home the BEST ROCK BAND award at the 2001 Spot Music Awards (sponsored by the Tulsa World) “The MumbleOdd is Romanello's solo debut, and it's the best modern rock debut I've yet heard from a Tulsa musician. Period. He radiates contradictory signals of populist intent and isolated, academic methodology. The MumbleOdd unfolds like human understanding, as if Romanello were a skilled teacher leading us to enlightenment by balancing the daunting bits of progressive rock with the more catchy and fulfilling ingredients of modern rock. These dozen tracks are each cinematic, [and] emotionally draining anthems… Romanello, though, is a singular talent -- the Chris Cornell of Tulsa. The MumbleOdd sounds completely realized… When his complex and approachable sides come together, though, magic is made... ...From start to finish, The MumbleOdd is astonishing, thrilling and vital... " -- Thomas Conner, The Tulsa World, Tulsa, OK 6/30/00 "He's attempting to bring the epic structures of classic prog-rock to the unsuspecting pop listener. Thinking back so far, Romanello's general grandiosity bears the mark of Yes and Gabriel-era Genesis on the face of modern pop-rock. rating: 7/10" -- Craig Griffith, www.pitchforkmedia.com, Chicago, IL 10/17/00 "Romanello handles guitar and vocal duties with his six-string prowess accounting for the more rocking moments on The MumbleOdd. Piano and keyboards are also fairly important to the equation as well, making up the backbone of the band's sound and providing clever textures to counter Romanello's emotive vocals." -- Stuart Pitt, Rockpile Magazine, Philadelpia, PA 2/01/01 "Tulsa singer/songwriter Tony Romanello wants to combine sensitive, poetic lyrics and Beatlesque pop with grunge melody and dynamics, and for the most part he succeeds on his debut album The MumbleOdd. Songs sport bonecrunching guitars and Romanello's whisper-to-a-scream vocals. ...it can be quite refreshing-it's actually kinda cool to find a singer/songwriter as influenced by Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins and Pearl Jam as he is by the usual acoustic guitar-wielding types and Paul McCartney ...it's safe to say that he'll be a modern rock force to be reckoned with." -- Michael Toland, Pop Culture Press, Austin, TX 2/01/01 “…[the songs] are not a million miles away from what Pearl Jam achieved on songs like "Jeremy", and Romanello comes up with equally powerful statements on the best” – Rob Forbes, Leicester Bangs, Leicester, UK 9/15/01 “Tony possesses a sound oscillating between despair and spokesman for an immense inner force, who ultimately is capable of making us weep at the sound of the electric guitar or piano notes. Tony doesn't forget his rock roots carried by his immense talents as a guitarist. He possesses a dimension that is unique to him, and which will lead him without too much difficulty even closer to the light” – Trouillard Stephanie, Adrenalyn, France 8/03/01

Additional Info Check out www.tonyromanello.com for the latest news.

Location Tulsa, OK - USA

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