Bathed in fog and neon lights, Rob Marone jammed on the drums as his band, Relapsed, performed in a Lakewood bar Saturday.
The sound rocked with the classic electric blare of an ’80s rock “hair” band, but there was one element missing: the hair.
As an officer with the Colorado State Patrol by day, Sgt. Marone long ago cut the locks in exchange for a badge.
“It’s an outlet, a way to express yourself,” Marone, 35, said. “I experience some negative stuff in my career, and it’s a way to release.”
The band, originally formed in the late ’80s, on Saturday released a new CD, “Relapsed: Into a Former State,” which is their first since they got back together four years ago.
Marone and his brother, Joe, the band’s bass guitarist, began playing together in high school and in 1988 helped create the band Caught in the Act.
For Marone, the band makes him feel like a kid again.
“He’s so serious when he’s doing his job. It’s not the Rob I know,” Joe, 39, said. “The Rob I know makes me laugh, and when he lets loose, he’s a lot of fun.”
Marone said he beat on anything he could get his hands on as a child, but when it was time to settle on a career, he remembered a childhood neighbor – a Denver police officer – who opened his eyes to the compassion of their work and inspired him to want to help people.
Marone said both his passions give him an avenue to aid others: one to assist them through their troubles and the other to help them forget.
“People look to music as a way out and as enjoyment,” Marone said. “We use the band to deliver positive messages.”
Staff writer Julianne Bentley can be reached at jbentley@denverpost.com.
