Heiko Schramm

Heiko Schramm
Background information
Born (1971-06-07)7 June 1971
Dresden, Germany
Genres Alternative rock, blues rock, blues
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter
Instruments Bass guitar, double bass, guitar, vocals
Years active 1988–present
Labels Messenger, Rough Trade, Classic, ulfTone, Valley Entertainment, Red Parlour, Doxa
Associated acts Chris Whitley, Tijunana Mon Amour Broadcasting Inc., Gaffa, Freunde der italienischen Oper, HESH
Website www.heikoheshschramm.com

Heiko Schramm (born 8 June 1971 in Dresden, Germany) is a German musician, singer/songwriter (bass guitar, double bass, and guitar) and writer.

Career

Heiko Schramm started his musical career as the bassist for the Dresden-based band Freunde der italienischen Oper (FDIO) in 1988. Engaged for the stage production of Goethe's Faust at Staatsschauspiel Dresden in 1989, FDIO gained renown as the first rock band in the history of the state theater in 1991.[1] Schramm collaborated on the FDIO albums Um Thron und Liebe as well as Edle Einfalt Stille Größe and left the band in 1992. Together with the original lineup, Schramm recorded a song for the German opera singer René Pape in 2005 which was featured in a documentary on Pape produced by the TV network Arte.

In 1990, Schramm, singer and guitarist Jens Berger and drummer Tom Wolf formed the band Need A New Drug. They recorded the albums Greedy Moon (1990) and Santa Cruz (1992, produced by Jorge Cousineau). The cooperation with Berger was formative for Schramm's forceful yet melodic guitar-like bass sound that evolved from a close collaboration on arrangements, as well as from the reduced form of a trio in which the bass functioned in more complex compositions as a transmitter between the rhythm section on the one hand, and as a second melodic option on the other.

Schramm moved to Berlin in 1993 and, together with Stephan Hachtmann and Ulrik Spiess, he formed the trio X.I.D., with which he recorded the albums X.I.D. (1994) and Stralsund (1995).

After his return to Dresden in 1996, Schramm and Berger started to work again and formed the band Gaffa. Although inspired both by blues musicians that were issued on Fat Possum Records and, e.g., Bukka White, Skip James, Jesse Fuller, the band's sound however reflected the tristesse of their East German suburban background with which they had been coming of age. With Gaffa, Schramm recorded the albums Wilful Things (2000, production by Edgar M. Roethig) and Amusement Park (2004), and left the band in 2004.

Parallelly, Schramm began teaming up with Rüdiger Pässler, drummer Matthias Macht and Matthias Petzold under the name of Thermoking in 1999. In the following year, they recorded the album Fuego produced by Jorge Cousineau and Matthias Petzold, and recorded by Edgar M. Roethig. The same production team monitored the subsequent album of the band which bore the new band name Goldoni after Pässler left in 2001.

Following an offer to set new music to the film Matrix and to perform it live including a DJ Team at the Dresden Kulturzentrum Scheune in 2000, Matthias Macht, Matthias Petzold, Schramm and DJ Studio 17 founded the band Tijuana Mon Amour Broadcasting Inc. The band existed beyond the instant success of their Scheune performance until 2009 and recorded the four albums, Tijuana Mona Amour Broadcasting Inc. (2001), Songs (2003), Day After, the Day Before (2004), and The Jubilee of the Snowqueen (2006).

In 2001, Schramm met American singer and guitarist Chris Whitley, who invited him to play bass on the US promotion tour for the album Rocket House.[2] The tour lineup included also Tony Mangurian on drums (who also produced Rocket House), DJ Logic and keyboardist Etienne Lytle. Whitley and Schramm recorded the acoustic album Hotel Vast Horizon together with Matthias Macht in 2002. The song "Breaking Your Fall" featured on the album won the Independent Music Award in the category "Best Folk/Singer-Songwriter Song" in early 2004.[3] The band promoted the album on an extended tour through the US as well as France and Belgium.

During the recording session for the soundtrack of the film Pigs Will Fly (direction: Eoin Moore, 2003), Schramm, Whitley and Macht worked with the producers Warner Poland and Kai-Uwe Kohlschmidt.

In 2004, the same lineup recorded Soft Dangerous Shores in Kingston, NY under the production of Malcolm Burn.

In 2005, Schramm played bass as a member of Chris Whitley & the Bastard Club in Catskill, NY during the recording sessions for the album Reiter In, which was recorded by Richard Holbrook and produced by Kenny Siegal. Additional performers on Whitley's last album included also: Brian Geltner, Tim Beattie, Kenny Siegal, Sean Balin, Gwen Snyder und Susann Buerger.

In 2008, Schramm and Matthias Macht toured the American Southwest together with Singer/Songwriter Paul Sprawl from Santa Cruz, California, and recorded the album Great American Opera at Studio Sutton Sound in Atascadero, CA.

In 2011, Schramm formed the band Blenderman, together with Fran Patzig, guitarist and singer of the rock band The Venusshells. Completed by Matthias Macht on drums, Blenderman released their debut album N° Zero One: Hush Hush! in March 2013.

Since the beginning of 2014, he has been performing solo shows under the name HESH combining music and literature. A collection of short stories, essays and poems as well as new songs are planned to be published in early 2015.

Bands

Discography

Freunde der italienischen Oper

Need a New Drug

X.I.D.

Gaffa

Thermoking

Goldoni

Chris Whitley

Tijuana Mon Amour Broadcasting Inc.

Paul Sprawl/ Worn Out West

Blenderman

FDIO on TV

References

  1. ↑ Bernd Gürtler: "Ein gesellschaftliches Ereignis von Rang", Sächsische Zeitung, 27 March 1991
  2. ↑ Ann Powers: "Pop Review; Blues with a Scratch", New York Times, 12 June 2001
  3. ↑ Independent Music Awards – 3rd Annual Winners

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, June 13, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.