A Viking Rocker Emerges!
Photo: Mark Maryanovich
Hailing from the Scandinavian Peninsula country of Norway, Rocky Kramer is truly a modern-day Viking, poised to take no prisoners as he conquers the hearts, minds and souls of rockers around the world! Armed with a guitar, this graduate of Metal 101 constitutes a triple threat as a composer, vocalist and formidable musician. Adding 'actor' to his resume, Rocky landed the lead role in the upcoming Mutt Productions time-travel feature film, "Rockin' In Time," playing an up and coming 1984 rock star who finds himself thrust forty years into the future, landing in the year 2024. Rockin' In Time teams Rocky with 1980's rock royalty, all coming to the aid of their time traveling friend as he tries to find his way back to 1984.
Born in the 1990's to musician parents, few could have known that Rocky would inherit his parents' passion for music, ultimately transforming into Norway's ambassador of rock. While some homes have a piano, Rocky's home had two – one for the upstairs and another for the downstairs. Although Rocky's father was a first violinist for the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, his mother was an accomplished pianist in her own right. At the age of four, young Rocky began exploring this massive instrument. Rocky recalls "I was fascinated when I discovered I could play a melody!" Filled with musical curiosity, the four-year-old began banging out rudimentary melodies that foreshadowed the composer he would become.
Rocky is a devoted "Fender® man;" a religion validated by his other lifelong influence, Yngwie Malmsteen – himself a Fender® worshipper. When asked what made the guitar standout, Rocky remembers falling "in love with the guitar because of its freedom; the sounds [he] could make with an electric guitar just weren't possible given the inherent limitations of his first instrument, the violin." Although he is also an accomplished pianist, the eighty-eights just seemed "too traditional" for his rocker tastes. But there was one other instrument that caught Rocky's eye – the drums. Unsurprisingly, Rocky managed to find drum sets at school and rehearsal halls to quench his thirst for percussion, ultimately becoming an incredibly agile drummer. The deadlock between drums and guitar was finally broken when Rocky assembled his first band. It seems there was someone else amongst his friends who could play drums, while Rocky was the only one capable of manhandling an axe. Rocky's trajectory as a guitarist was settled once and for all.
Throughout a couple of years, Rocky put together a number of bands, including Svidd Rock, Psycho Soldiers, Black Magic, Dark Symphony and finally Armed Science. By the age of 16, Rocky's bands had become legendary amongst local audiences, even racking up top honors with Armed Science at the UKM Regional Music Competition, just short of the national championship.
Born in the 1990's to musician parents, few could have known that Rocky would inherit his parents' passion for music, ultimately transforming into Norway's ambassador of rock. While some homes have a piano, Rocky's home had two – one for the upstairs and another for the downstairs. Although Rocky's father was a first violinist for the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, his mother was an accomplished pianist in her own right. At the age of four, young Rocky began exploring this massive instrument. Rocky recalls "I was fascinated when I discovered I could play a melody!" Filled with musical curiosity, the four-year-old began banging out rudimentary melodies that foreshadowed the composer he would become.
Rocky is a devoted "Fender® man;" a religion validated by his other lifelong influence, Yngwie Malmsteen – himself a Fender® worshipper. When asked what made the guitar standout, Rocky remembers falling "in love with the guitar because of its freedom; the sounds [he] could make with an electric guitar just weren't possible given the inherent limitations of his first instrument, the violin." Although he is also an accomplished pianist, the eighty-eights just seemed "too traditional" for his rocker tastes. But there was one other instrument that caught Rocky's eye – the drums. Unsurprisingly, Rocky managed to find drum sets at school and rehearsal halls to quench his thirst for percussion, ultimately becoming an incredibly agile drummer. The deadlock between drums and guitar was finally broken when Rocky assembled his first band. It seems there was someone else amongst his friends who could play drums, while Rocky was the only one capable of manhandling an axe. Rocky's trajectory as a guitarist was settled once and for all.
Throughout a couple of years, Rocky put together a number of bands, including Svidd Rock, Psycho Soldiers, Black Magic, Dark Symphony and finally Armed Science. By the age of 16, Rocky's bands had become legendary amongst local audiences, even racking up top honors with Armed Science at the UKM Regional Music Competition, just short of the national championship.
Photo: Mark Maryanovich
Having begun writing songs on the family piano at age four, Rocky literally wrote his first album at the age of 13, his second album followed a year later, with yet a third album emerging a year after that. By the age of 17 Rocky completed his fourth album. Amazingly, each are concept albums that speak to the maelstrom that often challenge youth during their formative years, as experienced by this adroit and poignant raconteur.
By the time Rocky reached high school, he and his many bands had become well known throughout Trondheim, with recognition coming in from around the country. Feeling a level of dedication that transcended that of his fellow band members, Rocky decided to focus on developing his skills as a singer / songwriter, making a number of appearances as a solo artist. Picking up a keyboard and learning to record his own music enabled Rocky to begin creating music demos for his four completed albums. With a strong background in classical music imparted on him by his father, Rocky began combining the genres of music to create his own unique sound. What emerged might be properly classified as metal symphonies for the rock enthusiast! After spending a year in university studying film, Rocky left for the United States to augment his already impressive English language skills. Although Norwegian is his native language, Rocky felt from a very early age that he could best convey music in the English language. Consequently, he now speaks English and Norwegian interchangeably.
While attending school in the United States, Rocky caught the attention of the Allied Artists Music Group, who soon inked a deal with this inimitable musician. The late Stephan Bauer, then President of Allied Artists Music Group (Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones) commented that "Rocky is the essence of modern metal, mixed with a tenacity that makes for rock legends" adding that "those of us at Allied Artists are proud to have him on the label and look forward to introducing him to today's audiences who will find his music invigorating and his message captivating."
Rocky's debut album, "FIRESTORM" was released by Allied Artists Music Group in 2019, to immediate chart success, with the first single "Rock Star" reaching #1 on the Global DRT chart, producing physical and online sales and streaming victory, as well as racking up awards nominations. Rocky completed a tour of England with Buckcherry at the end of 2019, expecting to embark on a U.S. and Asian tour in 2020, only to be sidelined by the Covid-19 health crisis. Refusing to let a worldwide pandemic get him down, this force of nature launched "Rock & Roll Tuesdays with Rocky Kramer," a weekly broadcast airing live on Twitch TV, developing interactive audiences of thousands from around the world. With well over a hundred two and a half hour episodes under his belt, Rocky's reputation as both an iconic guitarist and talented vocalist simply skyrocketed. In 2021, Rocky traveled to New York City to shred the National Anthem with Anthrax's Joey Belladona on vocals and perform his hit single "Rock Star" at the 2021 twenty-year commemoration of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. Capitalizing on his burgeoning rock guitar "shredder" status, Rocky was chosen to record and film a commercial for the 2022 Toyota Tacoma as well as being voted Best New Male Rock Musician by the editors of Rock Over America Magazine. Rocky is a proud member of The Recording Academy ("The Grammys") and was chosen by the Academy to represent the membership as a Congressional advocate in 2022. As 2023 begins, Rocky is recording his sophomore album offering, "Alone In The Rain," as well as portraying Lars Olsen, the lead character in the upcoming feature film "Rockin' In Time," which will feature some Kramer penned compositions.
Rocky proudly plays and endorses Fender® Guitars, ENGL Amplifiers, ClearTone Strings,® Jim Dunlop® Jazz III Guitar Picks & Cry Baby® Wah Wah, Guild® 12-String Acoustic Guitars, Spiral Electric FX Pedals, Fractal Audio Systems AXE-FX III and Korg® Nautilus 88 Workstations. Indeed, Rocky only endorses products he truly enjoys playing.
By the time Rocky reached high school, he and his many bands had become well known throughout Trondheim, with recognition coming in from around the country. Feeling a level of dedication that transcended that of his fellow band members, Rocky decided to focus on developing his skills as a singer / songwriter, making a number of appearances as a solo artist. Picking up a keyboard and learning to record his own music enabled Rocky to begin creating music demos for his four completed albums. With a strong background in classical music imparted on him by his father, Rocky began combining the genres of music to create his own unique sound. What emerged might be properly classified as metal symphonies for the rock enthusiast! After spending a year in university studying film, Rocky left for the United States to augment his already impressive English language skills. Although Norwegian is his native language, Rocky felt from a very early age that he could best convey music in the English language. Consequently, he now speaks English and Norwegian interchangeably.
While attending school in the United States, Rocky caught the attention of the Allied Artists Music Group, who soon inked a deal with this inimitable musician. The late Stephan Bauer, then President of Allied Artists Music Group (Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones) commented that "Rocky is the essence of modern metal, mixed with a tenacity that makes for rock legends" adding that "those of us at Allied Artists are proud to have him on the label and look forward to introducing him to today's audiences who will find his music invigorating and his message captivating."
Rocky's debut album, "FIRESTORM" was released by Allied Artists Music Group in 2019, to immediate chart success, with the first single "Rock Star" reaching #1 on the Global DRT chart, producing physical and online sales and streaming victory, as well as racking up awards nominations. Rocky completed a tour of England with Buckcherry at the end of 2019, expecting to embark on a U.S. and Asian tour in 2020, only to be sidelined by the Covid-19 health crisis. Refusing to let a worldwide pandemic get him down, this force of nature launched "Rock & Roll Tuesdays with Rocky Kramer," a weekly broadcast airing live on Twitch TV, developing interactive audiences of thousands from around the world. With well over a hundred two and a half hour episodes under his belt, Rocky's reputation as both an iconic guitarist and talented vocalist simply skyrocketed. In 2021, Rocky traveled to New York City to shred the National Anthem with Anthrax's Joey Belladona on vocals and perform his hit single "Rock Star" at the 2021 twenty-year commemoration of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. Capitalizing on his burgeoning rock guitar "shredder" status, Rocky was chosen to record and film a commercial for the 2022 Toyota Tacoma as well as being voted Best New Male Rock Musician by the editors of Rock Over America Magazine. Rocky is a proud member of The Recording Academy ("The Grammys") and was chosen by the Academy to represent the membership as a Congressional advocate in 2022. As 2023 begins, Rocky is recording his sophomore album offering, "Alone In The Rain," as well as portraying Lars Olsen, the lead character in the upcoming feature film "Rockin' In Time," which will feature some Kramer penned compositions.
Rocky proudly plays and endorses Fender® Guitars, ENGL Amplifiers, ClearTone Strings,® Jim Dunlop® Jazz III Guitar Picks & Cry Baby® Wah Wah, Guild® 12-String Acoustic Guitars, Spiral Electric FX Pedals, Fractal Audio Systems AXE-FX III and Korg® Nautilus 88 Workstations. Indeed, Rocky only endorses products he truly enjoys playing.
Rocky Kramer proudly plays and endorses:
|
|
Click logo to see manufacturer's website.
