photos by Peter B Kaars click the photo for press copy

RENT ROMUS is a force spanning over twenty years of original improvised music, D.I.Y. music production, performance, and curation. He is heavily involved in stretching past the confines of standard music forms performing his original compositions in a wide variety of experimental musical settings as well as presenting and supporting the local artist community at large with his grass-root philanthropic vision for total artistic self expression and freedom from generic branding.

During the mid 80’s, Romus' sonic exploration sparked at the Stanford Jazz Workshop at Stanford University, where he was blessed with rare opportunities to experience and learn from Stan Getz (who was in his twilight years) as well as guitarist Bruce Forman, American icon Dizzy Gillespie, and beloved master drummer Eddie Moore.

In 1984 at the age of 16, Romus re-organized and directed NAYJE (the North Area Youth Jazz Ensemble), a seventeen piece big band featuring high school and college bay area musicians. In the fall of 1986, while attending the University of California at Santa Cruz, he formed the group Jazz on the Line which became the focus for his compositions and productions until 1995. Romus produced three albums for this group including his critically acclaimed CD Jazz on the Line with Chico Freeman, In the Moment on Edgetone Records soon to be reissued.

In 1993 seeking a more expanded format to explore sound, Romus formed the RKZtet, which featured ex-ESP recording artist and drum master James Zitro and former Sun Ra Arkestra cellist Kash Killion. Later in 1994 Romus renamed the group, The Lords of Outland, and brought in film music composer and bassist Vytas Nagisetty, drummer Andrew Borger (Tom Waits) and trumpet player Jason Olaine from his previous band.

The Lords of Outland recorded their first album You’ll Never Be The Same for New York based Jazzheads Records in 1995, and were featured on the then fledgling BET Channel National Network Show, “Jazz Central” as part of the Jazz Discovery program.
(The judges sat and starred at the camera as they tried to say something nice about the Eric Dolphy version of 'Out to Lunch' submitted alongside Pat Matheny)
That same year Romus self-produced his first overseas national tour of Denmark which featured two of Copenhagen’s young improvisers pianist Jonas Müller who had moved the S.F. Bay Area later in the 90's, and drummer Stefan Pasborg who now enjoys world wide recognition in the jazz community in Europe.

Romus returned to Denmark in 1996 for his second tour with Jonas as the Rent Romus Sound Cirkus. After returning to the U.S. the group continued on to the Bay Area to finish the tour. During that year he also assisted bluesman Paris Slim produce his first major American release with guitarist Joe Lewis Walker and Sonny Rhodes.
In 1997 Romus had the honor of recording with tenor saxophonist John Tchicai who is best known for his work with the NY Art Quartet, NY Ear and Eye Control, and his recordings with John Coltrane and Albert Ayler. The CD, Adapt…or DIE! was released at the end of 1997 on Jazzheads.

In 2001 Romus re-opened his avant, free music label Edgetone Records where he released three CDs; Avatar In the Field, PKD Vortex, and Guinea Pig Live at the Hotel Utah that reflected his love for interweaving science fiction, horror literature, improvisation, Finno-Ugric traditions, socio-political themes, and the inspiration of Albert Ayler in his music. In 2003 he along side Ernesto Diaz-Infante founded The Abstractions, who released three recordings during their time together.

Since then Romus' ongoing free improvisational/experimental projects to showcase his compositions have included the Bloom Project with pianist Thollem Mcdonas and drummer Jon Brumit where they have released two CDs and toured through out the US Midwest.
The Lords of Outland in the meantime have mutated through many incarnations and released Culture of Pain in 2006 and most recently in 2008; You can sleep when you’re dead! The core group consists of drummer Philip Everett, bassist Ray Schaeffer, and noise pedal artist C.J Borosque.

As a producer and artist business activist Rent Romus founded Edgetone Records a new music label since 1991. In his early days as a concert producer he was the Executive Director of Jazz in Flight in the late 90’s as well as the Director of Promotion for the SFAlt Festival 2002-2004. Starting in 2000 he founded Outsound.org under which he is the Executive Director and lead curator of The SIMM Music Series at the Studio 6 Musicians Union Hall, and the famous Luggage Store Gallery New Music Series in San Francisco. In 2002 he founded The Edgetone New Music Summit, a national experimental music festival held in the greater San Francisco Bay Area every summer.
Romus also runs a new music distribution network for independent artist run record labels called UIRC (Ultra Independent Recording Coalition) currently available online as well as the Artistic Director of the Outsound Presents...


GRANTS & AWARDS
2003 recipient Meet The Composer Grant, Meridian Gallery Series, San Francisco, CA
2006 recipient Meet the Composer Creative Connections Grant, Bloom Tour, Bowerbird Philadelphia, PA

Selected Performance locations
San Francisco CA, San Jose CA, Oakland CA, Portland OR, Los Angeles CA, San Diego CA, Olympia WA, Ashland OR, Bakersfield CA, New York NY, Brooklyn NY, St. Louis MO, Champaign IL, Columbus OH, Detroit MI, Philadephia PA, Chico CA, Sacramento CA, Stockton CA, Copenhagen Denmark, Arhus Denmark, Karbaksmin Denmark, Tijuana Mexico

Discography As a Leader/Co-leader:
Prismatic Season, Bloom Project, Edgetone 2008
You can sleep when you're dead!, Lords of Outland, Edgetone 2008
Bloom, with Thollem Mcdonas, Jon Brumit, Steven Baker, Edgetone 2006
Culture of Pain, Lords of Outland, Edgetone, 2006
Reverberations of Spring Past, Pax, 2006
The Foolkiller, Tri-Cornered Tent Show, Edgetone, 2005
Novo Navigatio, The Abstractions, Edgetone/Pax Records, 2004
ARS VIVENDE, The Abstractions, Edgetone/Pax Records, 2003
Sonic Conspiracy, The Abstractions, Edgetone/Pax Records, 2002
The Metal Quan Yin, Lords of Outland with poet C.J. Reaven Borosque, Edgetone, 2001
PKD Vortex Project – New Music composed inspired by the Stories of Phil K. Dick, Edgetone, 2000
Out of Town, Guinea Pig, Edgetone, 2000
Avatar In the Field – A Tribute to Albert Ayler, Lords of Outland, Edgetone, 2000
Blood Motions, Life’s Blood Trio, Jazzheads Records, 1999
Adapt…or DIE!, Lords of Outland with John Tchicai, Jazzheads Records, 1997
You’ll Never Be The Same, Lords of Outland, Jazzheads Records, 1995
Jazz On The Line with Chico Freeman, In The Moment, Edgetone Records, 1994
Jazz On the Line, no boundaries, Edgetone Records, 1991
Jazz On The Line, Dark Wind, Edgetone Records, 1988

Coming soon…
Thundershine' re-issue of In The Moment, Rent Romus with Chico Freeman

Discography As a sideman:
C.O.M.A. California Outside Music Associates, Edgetone/Jazzheads Records, 2004
Tri-Cornered Tent Show LEGION OF DAGON, Edgetone/Jazzheads Records, 2004
Jim Ryan's Forward Energy CONFIGURATIONS, Edgetone/Jazzheads Records , 2002
Moe!kestra!, TWO FORMS OF MULTITUDES, Edgetone/Jazzheads Records , 2003
Paris Slim with Joe Lewis Walker, Sonny Rhodes, Bleedin’ Heart, Globe Records, 1996

In addition to working within various groups and setting, Romus has also produced multimedia events utilizing dance, theater, literature, and painting. Some of these events include:

ONGOING PROJECTS
Executive Director of OUTSOUND.org
Owner & Artistic Director: Edgetone Records
Director, The Annual Edgetone Music Summit
Co-Curator, SIMM Music Series in San Francisco
Co-Curator, Luggage Store Gallery New Music Series


Past Projects
The Illuminated Corridor Project, new music set to independent or obscure film
“The Proceedings Suite #1” based on new literary writing of Dr. Charles Poncé
“Rent Romus’ A Dark Spring in San Francisco” and “Ravens’ Gate”, “Children of the Black Hole” based on the Dune series by author Frank Herbert
“VORTEX MUSIC” Improvisations of Sci Fi Author Phil K. Dick
Annual Edgar Allan Poe Show:
The Sonic Scream String Ensemble with the readings of E.A. Poe
The Metal Quan Yin, "Destinations Suite", music based on the writings of poet C.J. Reaven Borosque
“Jazz and Improvised Dance with Maia Heiss” @ Kuumbwa Jazz Center Santa Cruz
“Jazz and the Art of Sharon Moore” @ SF Community Music Center

BANDS
Lords of Outland
Romus’ vision of art takes the darkness and light of his own persona with that of the group members and translates it into musical combinations. Through the use of electronic & acoustic instrumentation, Romus composes his music to elicit a “feeling” as opposed to just simply entertain. The sound performed by the Lords of Outland follow a gut level harshness building upon a sparse structure while utilizing free improv. Noise and everything inbetween. In short, Romus takes a grunge attitude or bull-in-a-china-shop direction.

Press & Interviews
Tokafi.com, April 8, 2006 Münster Germany
Top Pick Stockton Record December 2006


QUOTES
""Romus' sax rekindles that flame egregiously, thematic sketches becoming instant excuses for the instruments to coalesce into a gruelling mass of Pollockian sonic painting that plumps on the brain and self-adjusts until your synapses are completely disjointed."
Massimo Ricci, Touching Extremes

"Rent Romus and his Sax are the rudder, guiding the way....his frenzied summersaults lead the band ever upwards towards the sky."
Tobias Fischer, Tokafi

"...his (mostly) gentle phrasing underlining a potential, yet still non-existent rebellion while transmuting the predominant tides into deformed film-noirish soundtracks, with rain pouring down on the trash amassed in dark alleys."
Massimo Ricci, Touching Extremes, Rome, Italy

"Rent remains a force for me, his restraint as powerful as his melodic attacks."
Thurston Hunger, KFJC 89.7 FM Los Altos, CA

“Swings like death and hell.”
Jack Lind, Det Fri Aktuelt, Copenhagen, Denmark

“...a ferocious improviser.”
San Francisco Weekly

“...dynamic, and monstrous.”
Sam Prestianni, Oakland Montclarion

“Overall, Romus’ performance was raw and full of musical vigor, which inspired a higher order and left the audience with a smitten effect.
Thorbjorn Sjogren, Politiken, Denmark

“Romus has been central to the creative music world of the West Coast for a number of years, and he keeps stretching the boundries of originality with each new release.” 
Frank Rubolino - onefinalnote.com/Cadence

EDT 4028– Culture of Pain
"This album will make you purr and howl; it's a right cross flattening that decrepit opponent named "inane jazz". I'll shake the hand of those club owners who will have the nerve of booking the Lords of Outland; meanwhile, a copy of this CD will work wonders if you suffer from commercial music depression."
-Massimo Ricci, Touching Extremes

"...leaves the listener with an ironic smile throughout the disk...Rent Romus yields homage to one of his most outstanding influences – Albert Ayler, whose ghost strolls cheerfully to the disk, materializing in the retexture of Universal Indians and Saints...Culture of Pain is a big artistic success, a visionary event in the world of improvised jazz."
-Eduardo Chagas, Jazz e Arredores

"...the whole thing thunders on like giant hurricane. For the die hard fans..."
-Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly

"A cavalcade of throat-pounding sound and mind-bending ideas."
-J. Worley Aiding & Abetting

EDT 4001 – Avatar In The Field– a tribute to Albert Ayler
"...a remarkable success...[Romus'] voice on saxophone covers an amazingly wide spectrum of the vocalizations which Ayler used to redefine jazz." 
-Nils Jacobson, All About Jazz 

"Rent Romus is certainly carving a distinctive musical niche for himself. 
Using a full fruity tone with a vibrato that's almost broader than Ayler's..." 
-Ken Waxman, Jazz Weekly 

"...intensity that approaches the level of savage at times...a most highly recommended sonic experience!" 
-Rotcod Zzaj, IMPROVIJAZZATION NATION 

"...the overall album paints a more complete portrait of Ayler as the artist and hero..." 
-J. Worely, Aiding & Abetting 

"His band, dubbed Lords of Outland, match him in both tone and spirit on this disc...this tribute is worth hearing." Robert Iannapollo, Cadence

EDT 4002 - Guinea Pig, - Out of Town
"...consciously toys with boundaries, defining them and then post-haste ripping them to shreds." 
Nils Jacobsen All About Jazz 

"The results are somewhere between Coltrane's Village Vanguard live recordings ... and, um, freaky deaky free jazz...This stuff blazes a hot trail in the night." 
J. Worely Aiding & Abetting 

"This Rent guy is a character & he's one helluva reed player!" 
Rotcod Zzaj

EDT 4003 - PKD Vortex Project
"Another killer release from sax shaman Rent Romus, this time it's music inspired by the writings of Phillip K. Dick. Wide-ranging and mind-bending live recordings. Romus should by now be as well-known as David S. Ware or John Zorn, so catch up, comrades." 
Cactus, KUSF San Francisco 

"As a tribute to the imagination of the "dark master of pulp fiction," this disc does Dick justice. " 
Nils Jacobson AAJ 

"Romus has crafted an appropriately electric program as an homage to one of the more forward thinking writers of the genre...this is aggressive, brutal music." 
Robert Iannapollo, Cadence 

"...literal human screams, echoing Twilight Zone-style guitar riffs -- which often sound like an uneasy marriage between lo-fi grunge and arena rock -- plus outer space organ tones which may have migrated over from Sun Ra's Arkestra. "
Ken Waxman Jazz Weekly 

"an album of uncompromising (and still most invigorating) music." 
J. Worely Aiding & Abetting 
"'PICK' of this issue for 'best conceptual improv experience of 2001'" 
-Rotcod Zzaj 
Improvijazzation Nation

JH 1136 - Rent Romus’ Life’s blood trio
- Blood Motions
"[Romus] is most impressive on "Better Git". Using his best Hank-Crawford- out-of-John- Handy tone, he manages to play both the solo and the backing figures from the original performance. "Lunch" is treated unusually as well. Starting with a fusty, Dixieland sound he doubles its concentration by playing alto and soprano at the same time, at one point even getting involved in duetting with himself." 
Ken Waxman, Jazz Weekly

JH 9503 - John Tchicai with Rent Romus
- Adapt…or DIE!
“Romus and Tchicai ignite when pitted together and complement each other’s efforts. Romus’ tone is bold and audacious…on occasion you can hear Ayler’s ghost in his alto playing.”
Frank Rubolino – Cadence

JH 9493 - Rent Romus’ Lords of Outland - You’ll Never Be The Same
“The expansive arrangements of their largely modal and groove-oriented compositions provide Romus with plenty of room to strut his swaggering dynamic and fat vibrato.”
Sam Prestianni – BAM Magazine

“Romus’ quartet recorded live in San Francisco plays like an aggressive version of the Ornette tribute band Old And New Dreams. When so few are making strong statements in music today, You’ll Never Be The Same! Shouts.” Mark Corroto – SOS Jazz

“This is a crazy record, and one that listeners with open ears toward the music of Albert Ayler, Ornette Coleman and Rahsaan Roland Kirk (among others) should enjoy…highly emotional music.” 
Scott Yanow – All Music Guide/LA Jazz Scene

"The expansive arrangements of their largely modal and groove-oriented compositions provide Romus with plenty of room to strut his swaggering dynamic and fat vibrato." --Sam Prestianni, BAM Magazine

“Freewheeling overlapping fragments, and unencumbered by attitude, the music delivers passion, but not without a wry sense of humor.”
Michael Rosenstein- Cadence

"Romus' solos served to liberate the music from the group's comfort range . . . particularly noteworthy in Romus' playing is his apparent sense of the tradition of jazz." -- Robin L. Hammer, JazzNow Magazine

"Rent Romus on sax . . . the crowd was thinning out by this time, but those who left missed out on a spirited set." --June Stewart, Oakland Montclarion

"Romus sports a broad tone and a record collector's wit." --David Strauss, San Francisco Weekly