by Ed Solt
A year ago, Nicolas Romero was fresh out of rehab. After singing in local Torrance hardcore band Pristine and Van’s Warped Tour band ASI (Avoid Serious Injury) in his teens and early 20s, a hedonistic, alcohol and drug-infused lifestyle took his music, his life, and his soul.
It was during his time in rehab Romero began filling notebooks with thoughts, feelings, and epiphanies. All would pave the way for Romero’s rebirth as Stray in his musical expression called Stray Life.
“I fell into some very bad habits. I burned bridges, let down friends and family,” Stray said. “I literally had to leave my life behind to get healthy and work through all my habits and issues I had. I had to ‘stray’ life.”
He addresses his remorse in his song “Knolls,” a tune currently heard on KROQ’s Locals Only Night every Sunday and ALT 98.7’s “Close to Home.”
“I can’t shake what I have lost/ It has me choking on my tongue / From what I’ve done and at what cost?/ It’s conscious cares vs. conscious fears/ Conscious steers in life that veer/
To elevate and appreciate the days you live without the tears.”
Stray resolves his remorse by flipping it into a positive.
“A lot of my songs talk about the experiences and feelings I had that led me to sober living. They possess positive themes revolving around sobriety,” he said. “I want my songs to inspire people who are going and have gone through tough times to stay positive, stay strong.”
Outside one of his AA meetings, a program Stray can’t stop raving is D.A.R.E.
“Who doesn’t remember the D.A.R.E. program from middle school?” he said. “It turns out government funding was cut entirely from the program and many programs were pulled out of schools nationwide.”
Stray felt inspired to help the substance abuse prevention education program. In a moment of inspiration, he inked his forearm with a fresh D.A.R.E tattoo.
“I decided I would dedicate 50 percent of all my earnings from music to the program as well as throw benefit shows,” he said.
Recently, Stray connected with a few figures who know him from his music past. He reached out to Josh Arbour, who along with South Bay blues goddess Kira Lingman hosts Sound Collective every Tuesday Night at Saint Rocke, showcasing local emerging artists. Stray organized a fundraiser for the December 13 show.
“We had the D.A.R.E. program accepting donations for funding as well as toys for their [holiday] toy drive,” he said. “I donated 100 percent of my CD sales from that night directly to the program.”
While Stray’s message hits home for many, it can turn off core hip hop fans. In the mainstream rap game, a rapper’s boisterous bravado permeates with each bass note. Rapping about sobriety is as offbeat as it gets. Pushing his sound further toward the fringes of the alternative, Stray also incorporates pop sensibilities, synth, and indie rock. This did not deter music producer Chris Hayman, who works for Eminem’s Shady Records, who was attracted to Stray’s natural talent with the mic. The two began collaborating on tracks. Stray also landed an opening slot with Mobb Deep, a multiple platinum hardcore East Coast rap group known for their gritty lyrical imagery and their critically-acclaimed albums, 1995’s “The Infamous,” and 1996’s “Hell on Earth.”
“It was a very humbling type of crowd. Hip hop culture has a hard demographic tough to break through to especially with lyrical content,” Stray said. “I went all out and did my thing. I took a huge risk playing parts of my set acoustic but it payed off and set me apart from the other acts. The crowd responded real good, surprisingly, to my indie rock elements.”
Stray’s goal isn’t to necessarily beat his listeners over the head with lectures on sobriety. He shows by example how sobriety has saved his life.
“It’s been a long road and I’ve made my amends repairing all my relationships I hurt in the past. My experience is what worked for me to find the avenue, my route to a better life,” Stray said. “I want to give back after taking so much. I want to make people aware there’s other paths in life. I want to do music for all the right reasons.”
S T R A Y L I F E plays December 22 at Suzy’s, 1141 Aviation Blvd, Hermosa Beach. Check out straylife.bandcamp.com. ER
