Michael Romeo
Michael Romeo (March 6, 1968) is an American guitarist and a founding member of the progressive metal group Symphony X.
"There was one other major influence - Frank Zappa. Zappa's musicianship was incredible - and he always had an amazing band - those guys could play anything! Zappa was able to incorporate everything from rock, jazz, classical, country, punk, and avant-garde into his music. I was totally blown away when I first heard "Joe's Garage Acts I, II & III" and genius story-telling of "Thing-Fish". The music was overwhelming and the lyrics put a smile on my face...but always made me think twice about what he was 'really' talking about..Just incredible stuff."
— Michael Romeo on the personal website of Symphony X.
"That’s what it’s all about… just having fun. Of course with the songs, there’s definitely some technical things going on, but still, you should still be able to settle in and have a good time. It’s not really a conscious thing. There are a couple bands that it reminds me of… maybe even Zappa might be an example. He was a little over the top and silly at times… but I’d see old tapes of Zappa’s band, and these guys would be playing the most ridiculous stuff on the planet and they’d be cracking jokes in between every note. I thought that was very, very cool."
— Michael Romeo in an interview with Grant Green.See also
