Steve Adair and Dan Russo want to see the Roanoke Rapids Theatre rocking.

They have talked to city officials and they are also working on booking shows.

Adair has founded the Roanoke Rapids Volume Project as his doing business as moniker.

While he would like to get corporate sponsorship to pay for show deposits, he and Russo will also use the city council approved rental agreements for shows they may bring to the venue.

Adair is concerned about the future of the theater. “There’s still nothing happening out there,” he said in an interview Friday. “I’d really like the opportunity to do stuff out there. Music is what I’ve done since I got out of high school.”

Living in Zebulon now, Adair has been a tour manager, a lighting designer, a heavy metal club manager.

Russo is an owner of CMC International, a record label with such acts as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Eddie Money and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Adair believes he and Russo have the experience. Adair was the electrician at the recent Bon Jovi show at the RBC Center and was even the spotlight operator for the North Carolina Theater production of The Producers.

The two know the history of the theater. “Dan and I talked to all the players involved. We want to bring in a ton of shows, a little bit of everything.”

Details on two shows are being completed, Adair said, a children’s theater production and a comedian.

“We look at how amazing that theater is,” Adair said.

He believes development around the theater could still happen with an active theater. “Our first goal is to make the place appealing. Two shows in four months is not appealing.”

With the summer season coming Adair sees no reason there couldn’t be 40 to 50 events there, from concerts to lectures to shows.

As The Volume Project works on booking shows for the venue, Adair believes initially they must try to pull from the Raleigh, Fayetteville and Richmond markets. “We’re going to try to hit every genre of music.”

The theater must get past its tarnished history, Adair said, and that means using every part of it, even the vacant land outside. “There’s no reason it can’t amount to something.”

That means thinking of different events like bike rallies with Southern rock acts.

“I can say the city has been receptive to me,” Adair said.

The theater has things many higher end venues don’t, three green rooms and two dressing rooms with bathrooms and showers. “Artists like to feel like they’re taken care of.”

Then there is equipment, which the city is currently having an inventory done to possibly sell the excess, something Adair doesn’t believe should be done, especially since they are paying $3,000 in expenses to David Corlew to do the inventory. Corlew will also get a 20 percent commission on what is sold.

“We would go in there and do it for free,” Adair said. “That $3,000 could go to a full color ad in Pollstar.”

While the pair would love to have sponsorships for show deposits, they will continue to work as outside promoters to get acts in the venue. “We’re not asking for money, we’re asking for an opportunity to get shows started.”

Updates on The Roanoke Rapids Volume Project can be found on Facebook.