By: Adam Grant

Listen to I eat Brains by Romeo Liquor Store

"I'll tell you man, when we first got together, we sucked - we were the worst!" humourously reflects Romeo Liquor Store guitarist Dickie Del Ray.

 Beginning in 1997 as Brute 33, three quarters of RLS have been plugging it out for the better part of 9 years in hopes of obtaining the types of opportunities that they're currently receiving.  Original Brute-sters - Del Ray, Tony C. Fantastic (vocals, guitar), Dougie Murder (bass), started out in Brampton just like every other band with a passion for rock n' roll.

 They grinded it out within numerous household practice spaces, took shows when they could get them, changed band names, and located a new drummer, Johnny Pop, after Fantastic heard a rocking kit-smasher while walking his way toward a bus stop.  Now with the four-piece solidly intact, RLS is ready for the masses with the re-release of their debut disc, Switchblade - released August 15, 2006.

 Initially released independently, this 9 track collection of sexy, ghoulish, good time punk rock wasn't going anywhere until the band came into touch with Toronto based indie label Addictive Records.  This move has proven to be a wonderfully smart one for the quartet, as it not only gets them connected with a worldwide distribution deal with Universal Music, but it also gets the guys' tracks exposure upon the heavily touted music download site, I-Tunes.

"We just want to try and reach as many people as we can, and try to get our record out there," explains Del Ray when speaking about all of the additional attention that he hopes this disc will bring the band.  "I know us as a band really believe in our record - we personally believe that it's solid.  We poured so much into it, that we wanted to see something come out of it, so as long as we can make it reach as many people as we can, and people give it a listen, then I'm sure they'd appreciate it as a good rock album - hopefully they'll listen to it more than once.

"Because you pick up a lot of bands' CD's and sometimes you listen to it once or twice, and it just fades away in your CD collection."
  
 In part, a lot of Romeo Liquor Store's upbringing within the Brampton music scene has a lot to do with that positive nature in which Del Ray speaks.  Since those within the group were still relatively young during the infancy of this project, they were able to really find their creative legs within many all-ages shows that would take place within their hometown.

 Even though the bulk of the band now resides in Toronto as a result of there being far more 19+ venues to play in the big city, Del Ray still remembers Brampton as an area that has lots of "enthusiasm," and "talent," which they've not only embraced themselves, but have also witnessed. 

"Brampton can be very diverse, but it also can be very niche.  (But) there's tons of potential coming out of Brampton - there are so many bands - I can't even believe how many bands are starting to make waves in Brampton," exclaims Del Ray.

"I was actually teaching guitar in Brampton for about 2 years and every kid I would see would say, 'my buddy's in a band,' or, 'I really want to get into a band,' so it seems like part of youth culture in Brampton is to be affiliated with a band, check out a band, or be in a band."