Crash Romeo may sound like a cross between Blink 182 and Motion City Soundtrack, but don’t call them emo.

“I would never want to be called an emo band,” Crash Romeo bass player Lil’ Steve Matthews said.

Matthews, 21, is the baby of the band, which is why he is known as “Lil’ Steve.” He has been a part of the band for about six years, back when they were called Centsless. The other members are Steve Anderson, guitar; Travis Weber, vocals; and his brother, Ryan Weber, drums. Mike Avery is also in the band right now as a temporary synth player since their old synth player left the band several months ago.

In November 2005, Trustkill Records signed the band after it changed its name to Crash Romeo, and they began recording their debut album, “Minutes to Miles.”

The first song off their debut album is also titled “Minutes to Miles.” The song is about their journeys in their previous band, Centsless, and what they went through. It definitely sounds like a melodic pop-punk song. While there is nothing particularly stand-out about the first track, it is undeniably catchy because of the driving guitars and catchy lyrics. “Sail the night away, from minutes to miles from home/ I’ll do it my way/ From minutes to miles from home/ Tonight we’ll drive right through your town to the border line/ Why can’t I ever bring myself/ To say goodbye?”

The third track, “Get Up, Shut Up,” opens with drums and then adds in guitars and synth, which is why they have been compared to Motion City Soundtrack. The chorus of the song begs listeners to sing along, and there is no doubt that these boys have had their share of relationship problems and heartbreak.

The rest of the album follows suit, and it’s hard to stop listing once you start.

As a whole, the band’s biggest musical influences are a lot of old punk stuff like Pennywise and Alkaline Trio, as well as bands like Social Distortion and Face to Face. As far as Matthews’ personal taste, he really enjoys listening to Reverend Horton Heat and Hot Water Music.

Crash Romeo’s music has also inspired its fashion sense. While Matthews said he has always been pretty punk looking, he said he used to wear “old men’s golf pants … in pastel.” These days, the guys tend to wear tight pants and T-shirts, but they also like to show off their tattoos.

“All of our friends are tattoo artists, so we get lots of free tattoos,” Matthews said.

With the exception of the drummer, Weber, all the guys have tattoos, mostly sleeves. They could probably cover an entire person’s body with all their tattoos, Matthews guessed.

“People are so ignorant,” Matthews said about people not understanding that a certain type of dress does not change a person, nor does it make them goth or emo just because they wear black.

While Matthews said the most memorable show they played was one in Jacksonville, Fla., with friends in Bayside, he also said he really likes to play in North Carolina.

Anderson and Matthews will be playing along with the rest of the band in Jacksonville at Hp Imports May 15. They will be on tour there with Fearless Records’ Mayday Parade.