Chico Romano – Thanks for Asking – Interview by Liam Sweeny

This edition of “Thanks for Asking,” Xperience Monthly writer and contributor Liam Sweeny interviews the band Chico Romano.

RRX: Every comic book hero has an origin story. What is the origin story for the band? (points if you tell it like a comic book origin.)

CR: If I were to really delve into the origin story of this band, and give you a brief history, it would be like the “big bad wolf” recounting his version of the Three Little Pigs. In short, we met at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. The year was 2013 or 2014. I was there in the visual arts program and met Louis Ardine. He was eccentric like me and we shared similar tastes in music. We began jamming in dorms with his buddy Mike Madden. And from that Professor Caveman was born. Which later became this <Chico Romano>.

RRX: Every band’s first song is a milestone. But so is the latest song. Describe the first song/album you recorded, and also the latest song/album you recorded; what are the differences?

CR: When it was Professor Caveman, it felt a bit more collaborative. Not as much of a creative monopoly as it is now. I was also into different music at the time. I was trying to write more mathy, tapping oriented guitar riffs. More fancy guitar riffs for sure. I had to compensate for it being a 3 piece. Now the songs are performed by 4-8 people, so there’s a lot more moving parts and overdubs. The first 2 P-cave EPs have almost no overdubs and were performed almost entirely live on free studio time. Just trying to bang out as many songs as we could. Now I take years to release one song and honestly, I don’t know if it sounds much better haha.

RRX: Like songs, every band has a unique feeling about their first show. What was your first show like? Was it your best show? If not, what was your best show like?

CR: The first REAL Professor Caveman show was a Battle of the Bands for The Core 90.3 which is Rutgers student radio station. It was a house show, a basement show, before that we had just done shitty little open mics. We finally performed in what felt like the perfect setting for our music at the time. It was completely packed and we just killed it. We unanimously won and it felt very validating.

RRX: Music genres are difficult for some bands. Some strictly adhere; others not so much. What is your perspective on the genre you play, or the genres you hover around?

CR: Everyday I want to play a different genre. And I’m crazy about listening to music I really am. I listen to everything, and aside from like metal and screamo, I have deeply dove into most genres. I sound pretentious but I am so often surprised when I name drop a band to my friends and they don’t know it! And it happens way too often. But yea I feel like you draw from the genres you listen to. And if you listen to our stuff it’s thematically, stylistically, all over the place. So yea. I think it’s good to have a cohesive sound like the Ramones or something haha, where everything is like a certain vibe. But I’m too ADHD and dare I say, ambitious, to be tied down to one.

RRX: It’s a lot of fun living in the present, but we all collect memories and give birth to dreams. We’re talking dreams here. Where you see yourself next year? In the next five years?

CR: I don’t even wanna think about it. But hopefully Madison Square Garden opening up for the Beatles in hologram form.

RRX: We all get a little support from those around us. And we also can be impressed by our fellow bands. Who do you admire in your community, and why?

CR: I admire anyone and everyone who puts on DIY shows and does it right. Not gonna name drop anyone in particular but the whole New Brunswick DIY scene.

More by Liam Sweeny.