Four years after break up, Drug Under gets offered indie record deal with Down Boys Inc.

Chris Romero

​Chris Romero has been a member of the scene for more than two decades, from his early days playing in bands like Tipper Gore to fronting hard rock acts like Sick, one of the first unsigned Denver bands to be added to regular rotation on local radio, and its offshoot, Drug Under. These days, in addition to acting in several films, Romero has mostly been devoting his time to making new music with Romero, his latest outfit, and performing with Romeo Delight, his Van Halen tribute band.

For all intents and purposes, Drug Under was in the rearview. Aside from a handful of shows in the past four years, the band, which broke up in 2007, has been mostly retired, a fond memory from the fading pages of the past. So needless to say, nobody was more surprised than Romero when Jerry Dixon of Warrant, whom the band had recorded with previously in the mid '90s, reached out with an offer to re-relase Drug Under's debut on his label, Down Boy Records Inc. When Janie Lane passed away this past summer, the two got back in touch and got to talking.

Aaron Greenwall (from left), Mike Crisler, Chris Romero, Pat Searcy and Eric Greenwall are Drug Under

"He asked if I was still doing music," recalls Romero, and then later when he heard Drug Under -- the musicians hadn't really been in touch since the Sick days -- he said, "'I can't believe you guys never got signed,'" Romero relates. "He then told me that he and Erik Turner had a label, and offered me a deal on the spot."

Romero and company, of course, accepted the offer, and things have been moving fairly steady since then. Last week, the outfit aligned itself with BMI for publishing and is in licensing talks right now with a major sports network, who will be using Drug Under music in its broadcasts. As for Down Boys Inc., Dixon and Turner plan to re-release the disc in January with new art and a new logo, and they'll be releasing a single after Christmas.

"In all honesty," says Romero, "ten years, I worked so hard to get a deal. I thought it was the be-all and end-all. I left Sick and Drug Under with no regrets. This is pretty damn cool. Life begins after forty!

"I've had more success as an actor and musician in the last four years than I've had in all my years with Sick and Drug Under," he adds, noting how much he also enjoys acting and how much he's still learning. "I'm very grateful."

On a related note, Romero, Chris's other band, is filming a video this Sunday afternoon at Rockaway Tavern from 3 - 8 p.m. The guys are looking for extras, so if you have any interest in being in the video, feel free to stop by.