New Roman Times

When Dan Owens and Josie Fluri moved to Orlando it was with the intention of opening a clothing store. "Vintage stuff and up-and-coming designers," remembers Josie. "But we realized that if we did that, then our music would suffer. And we can't not play music and want to tour!"
 
So retail's loss turned out to be music's gain. Dan and Josie, formerly of the Denver, CO band Register (where they shared the stage with Modest Mouse, Built to Spill, etc) left the mountains for Florida's sunny coastline and founded New Roman Times. The lineup came complete after the addition of Ryan Seagrist (guitar), Shane Brown (drums) and Melissa Parker (keys), and New Roman Times became one of indie rock's best kept secrets.

But Orlando couldn't hold them for long. 2004 saw them tour with Death Cab For Cutie, Cursive, Elefant, Ted Leo, The Rapture, and Rainer Maria. After closing the year as the opening act for the VHS or Beta tour, Josie, Dan, Ryan, Shane and Melissa are set to release their debut album "International Affairs" on Social Recordings.

Now some facts about the band…

Dan Owens (guitar/vocals)- Back at Walton High School (also home to Black Crows' Chris Robinson) Dan was a breaker. He would carry around his portable floor and challenge neighborhood kids to dance offs. He's always trying to teach the band new dance moves (the box is their favorite). They also call him "The Captain." This is because he's the one taking care of business on the road; directions, hotels, etc. It may also have something to do with the fact that he wears a captain's hat while driving. Before New Roman Times and Register, Dan played bass in a band called Marcy. They were signed to Flip Recordsand toured with the Moe Tucker Band (of the Velvet Underground). Marcy once played Bo Diddley with MTB and Sterling Morrison (also of the Velvets). It was the last show Morrison ever played before passing away from cancer. In his spare time Dan likes to modify guitar pedals. He also speaks fluent Spanish and used to be a chef at a four star restaurant (but never cooks at home).

Josie Fluri (bass/vocals)- Half-Swiss, half-Dutch; the Dutch side of Josie's family owns a ballroom dancing school in Holland> But our Josie was raised on her Grandfather's farm in Florida (80 acres, chicken, livestock, etc). Josie started swimming competitively as a child, and while she didn't make the US Olympic team, swimming moved her across country to San Diego for training and ended up paying for college. Josie also studied ballet for 12 years which may explain why she didn't begin playing the bass until she turned 18. The girl had no time! When she's not on tour with New Roman Times, Josie manages The Social (Orlando's premier concert venue). She books the bands, does the inventory and the bookkeeping etc. Josie is also a vegetarian and enjoys singing on other people's records (you can hear her on Dressy Bessy's "Lipstick" and Brian Jonestown Massacre's "If Love is the Drug than I want to O.D.), but her heart belongs to New Roman Times.

Ryan Seagrist (guitar)– Ryan started his first band when he was in junior high. That band was Discount, and unlike most junior high bands, Discount got themselves a record deal and amassed a cult following in Florida. Ryan was in good company with Discount. Another founding member, Alison Mosshart later went on to front The Kills. After a stint in Glasgow and a band called The Kitchen, Ryan now finds himself back in Florida and in New Roman Times.

Shane Brown (drums)- Shane was born and lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico and stayed there until he moved to Florida in ‘03. In New Mexico Shane was in a band called Persona Projector. He only speaks drum, but the band loves him anyway. Shane has many nick names....Baby Dracula, Le Shavvy Shav, the list goes on… People say that when he plays, it reminds them of Keith Moon.

Melissa Parker(keys)- Melissa was born in London and moved to DC when she was in grade school. High school found her in Orlando and she began messing about with instruments. When she's not on tour with New Roman Times, Melissa works at the local indie record store and adds to her already huge collection. She also DJs about town (and at the occasional house party when asked nicely); indie, hip-hop, 80's, etc. When Melissa steps out from behind the decks she's also an excellent dancer who's not afraid to get down.