The Romaniacs
Canadian rock band
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Romaniacs was a Canadian rock band based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Their music combined Eastern European, Gypsy jazz, and pop.[1] They made extensive use of costumes and props, including a large map, during their live shows.[2]
- Calvin Cairns
- Steve Bengtson
- Scott White
- William Butler
- Danny Greenspoon
- Ron Thompson
- Richard Baker
The Romaniacs | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Canada |
| Genres | Rock |
| Years active | 1984–1995 |
| Past members |
|
History
The Romaniacs formed in 1984. They performed at first in clubs and small venues, telling an invented story of their ethnic history of the band members.[3][4][5]
The band toured extensively in Canada and the United States.They had a long stint at the Saskatchewan Pavilion at Expo 86 in Vancouver, and that year released their first recording on cassette, entitled Ethno-Fusion. The group also toured Australia in 1988, including a week-long appearance at the Canada Pavilion during the World's Fair in Brisbane.[6][7] That year they released their first album, World on Fire.[8]
In 1990, the band contributed the song "Ecstasy of the Martyr" to the compilation album Polka Comes to Your Haus.[9] The Romaniacs disbanded in 1995.
Personnel
- Calvin Cairns (a.k.a. Myron Joseph, king romaniac) – violin
- Steve Bengtson (a.k.a. Steffy Levine) – mandolin and vocals
- Scott White – upright bass
- William (Billy) Butler – guitar
- Danny Greenspoon (a.k.a. Zoltan Flamingo Romaniac) – guitar
- Jim Vivian – upright bass
- Victor Bateman – upright bass
- Ron Thompson – guitar
- Richard Baker – guitar
Discography
- Ethno-Fusion
- World on Fire[10]
- The Ecstasy of the Martyr (a compilation released only in Japan)