Roma

Formed in Lewiston, ME, in the late '90s, the boys of Roma surely took note of mid-'90s grunge and perfectly shaped Roma's sound around angst-ridden lyrics and rowdy guitars. Frontman/guitarist Devon Irish, drummer Aaron Gill, and bassist Dustin Brown defined their own powerhouse rock and moved to Boston where they contributed to the Twisted Rico 2000 various-artists compilation. They also scored gigs opening for Caged Heat's Jill Kurtz. Upon returning home to Maine, Brown stayed behind in Beantown and Randy Silva took over bass duties. They inked a deal with Planetary Records in 2001 and issued their debut, Surrender on Demand, a year later.