|
|
||||
|
||||
   
|
RICH
ROGER |
|||
|
I come
from a musical family. I’ve been exposed to music since I was
in the womb. My mother constantly played piano. She started me on
it when I was 4 years old. She taught me to read music and some basic
theory. When I was a teenager I didn’t really have many friends
as I locked myself in my room and did marathon practice sessions.
All my rock playing is self-taught. I studied advanced theory when
I got older, classical music and took lessons with blues, latin and
jazz players. I’ve been playing music my entire life and guitar
for over 20 years. I teach at a teaching studio in Connecticut, and
I am also very active with clinics for my endorsers all over the world.
The new
CD, The Remnant Remains features my drummer Greg Trabandt as
well as new bassist Vincent Bockius and keyboardist Sal Grillo both
adding a lot of things that were absent in the band and on the last
CD. I started getting everything together for it in late ‘06.
It was recorded quickly but I took my time with production and getting
it mixed the right way. It was mixed and mastered by Gary Fulton at
Sonic House Post / Wager Studios in Roxbury, CT. Gary also helped
with the production. Musically there is something for everyone. No
two songs sound the same.
Well
I just started working with ESP guitars. I use the M II series, they
are just incredible guitars. They look great, sound amazing and make
all my notes sing. I endorse S.I.T Strings, Dimarzio, Morley and Voodoo
Lab products. For the CD I had all my ESP’s strung up with S.I.T
Powerwounds, various Dimarzio pickups, mostly the AirNorton in the
Neck and the AirZone in the Bridge position. I used the Morley Bad
Horsie Wah on the tracks “Tres Suite” & “Boogie
Bored”, as well as the Little Alligator on the track "Serenity.”
I used my old standby rack setup that I have been using for a while,
with a custom Soldano X99 preamp, an old VHT 2/90/2 power amp out
to Marshall 4x12’s. All the rack stuff controlled with the Voodoo
Lab GCX switcher and Ground Control Pro that made everything super
easy in the studio and live.
There
are so many influences, the most obvious would be Yngwie Malmsteen,
Jason Becker & Marty Friedman for instrumentalists. Andy Summers,
Alex Lifeson and Steve Howe for their chord work, and early 80’s
riff masters like Glen Tipton, James Hetfield for the heavy stuff.
Influential albums have to be Yngwie’s - Rising Force,
Marty Friedman’s – Scenes, The Police – Synchronicity,
Rush – 2121, Savatage – Streets, Metallica
– And Justice For All.
|
|
|||
|
||||
Long
Island guitarist Rich Roger further establishes his musical credentials
with his 2008 CD, The Remnant Remains. Roger's first CD, Fire
In The Rain was an underground sleeper in the instro rock world,
and the follow up, his 2008 5 track CD The Remnant Remains takes
the best of that high powered fusion sound and really kicks it into
overdrive. The Remnant Remains is such a superbly crafted instrumental
CD, you almost wish Roger would have kept going and added in a few
more cuts! Roger and co-producer / engineer Gary Fulton have
done a splendid job on the sound, which is also enhanced by key backing
performances from Greg Trabandt (drums), Sal Grillo (keyboards)
and Vincent Bockius (bass). Fans of all things electric guitar
will cite influences such as Yngwie Malmsteen, Marty Friedman and
the late great Jason Becker. Keenly focusing on his own road to guitar
stardom, Rich Roger sets a new standard all his own on a short but
sweet CD that goes a long way.