Interview – Kramies (english version).

When did you first realize the power of music, its ability to make people cry, dream, travel, … ?

I think I realized it when I was very young. I remember my family had old Christmas album. It was my favorite music to listen to. I would spend all my time laying on my floor with headphones listening to those Christmas albums over and over. It always made me happy and helped me dream of traveling to different lands at Christmas time. I can still feel those emotions that music brought me as a child, and I can picture the images very well of Christmas lights and snowy fields. Its definitely how I write my music, I use dreams, love and travel to help me create from my emotions. To this day old Christmas music remains as my favorite memories.

I believe that in order to create something from the heart you must first dream, travel and love. Then, hopefully it can make others feel emotion and dream as well.

You’ve always wanted to be a songwriter ?

I never thought about being a singer/songwriter when I was young,  but music was just kind of always there. I knew very early that I wanted to do something creative and be an artist but I never knew what It might be. I do recall always loving to write, specially little poems and lyrics. I started playing instruments when I was pretty young but didn’t write my first song until I was about 14 years old.It took me a few years to realize that I would rather write and record songs then just play music live. For me writing songs was kind of like painting. You start with nothing, just a blank canvas, and in the end you hopefully have filled it with color and depth. It doesn’t always happen perfectly but whatever you created was an artistic journey and a kind of creative growth.

That’s what I love most about being a songwriter and why I think it became the thing I do most.

What kind of child, teenager were you ? Do you remember your childhood?  

Well I was pretty shy and a dreamer as a child. I always seem to be in my own little world.  My childhood growing up was nice, we had a normal house in Ohio -USA that was surrounded by trees and greenery. I think all the trees and wooded forest in Ohio is where I became influenced visually with rolling landscapes and fairytales. Since I was shy I would spend a lot of time alone in my early years just day-dreaming by myself.. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I started breaking out of my shell and becoming more social.  Those young years really transformed who I am today. I’m still very much a dreamer and lost in my own little world.

When you wake up in the morning do you remember your dreams ? Do you write them down ?         

This is funny. I was just thinking about this the other day. I never seem to remember my dreams unless they are really meaningful or full of spirits and ghosts. Then I seem to have these ghostly, meaningful dreams for a few days in a row until they go away for a long time. Ive had some very vivid story like dreams since I was a child but very spread out over time.

I always wondered if we are actually meant to remember our dreams every morning or if the dreams are somehow swimming in the back of our minds as memories of past lives only to appear while we sleep once and a while.

Since I don’t remember my dreams often I never write them down but the ones that do stay with when I wake I can recall very clearly. They always seem to have some sort of coded spiritual message. I also wonder if its possible that the dreams I have at night somehow get transformed into my lyrics. I never know where my lyrics come from. They just seem to appear in a dream like way.

Are you a romantic ? 

Yes very much, I fall in-love with life very easily. I seem to find beauty in almost everything. I’m not sure how we can define « Romantic » these days, but I definitely have the ability to feel a lot of love for people and things.

For many years in my past I struggled with a lot of drug addiction. Even during those times I felt a lot of love and gave a tremendous amount of love back to the world. Now that Im sober and have been sober for many years it seems that my romance with life and my love are even stronger.

Apart from music, what do you like : novels, movies, etc.  What are your favorite writers for exemple ? Your favorite books?  

Apart from music I stay very creative with art and I still very much love getting lost in the woods and mountains. Going into nature and getting stuck under trees while it storms out always seems to help my imagination create fairtales and stories.

I definitly love books. To be honest one of my favorite book of all time is « Harry Potter ». I love the story and the imagry that author JK Rowlings creates.

Also « The Hobbit » by J. R. R. Tolkien was the first book i ever finished as a young child.

Could you tell us more about your friends of the « french connection » : Manuel Ferrer (A Singer Must Die), Jérôme Sevrette, … ?

Manuel and I have been friends for many years and Jerome and I for 3 years now! Both of the guys are two of the most talented artists I’ve ever known!

Manuel and A Singer Must Die are absolutely brilliant! I remember years ago first hearing them on MySpace and loving their sound. Ever since then Manuel and I have remained dear friends.

I meet Jerome through his beautiful project Terres Neuves. His photography is remarkably genius! I was lucky enough to have a song in his Terres Neuves book/cd compilation. Then in 2013 Jerome shot all the artwork for my EP « The Wooden Heart ». It was so incredible and perfect!

It’s rather lovely when you get to watch your friends grow with their art and become very successful. I’m really lucky to have those guys as friends!

Do you like traveling, discovering other countries, cultures ?

Traveling is my favorite thing to do! Specially when there is no timeline. I love seeing historic beauty. I often find myself thinking of faraway lands, old worlds, castles and old stone buildings and loving to hear stories and tales of the past. I really love Europe and would live in a small thatched roof cottage on a old cobble stone street if I could. It’s very important to for me to discovering new countries and learning about new cultures! I live in a very beautiful state here is Colorado. Many parts of it remind me of Europe. It’s a wonderful place to call home.

What’s the plan after « The Wooden Heart » ? What are your dreams ?

Well my EP « The Wooden Heart » is about to be released again this month on October 22nd for free after a whole year. Both my last two EPs « The Wooden Heart « , produced my friends Jason Lytle and Todd Tobias and it’s acoustic follow up « The Folklore Sessions » with my friend Grant Wilson on piano, have received so many wonderful and touching reviews that i decided I wanted to give « The Wooden Heart » away for free in hopes it touches a few listeners. There is definitely a hand full of shows coming up and live video sessions and there will be a few things in France and other places as well. Once the snow starts to fall here in a few months I’m going to settle down, bundle up and start writing the next EP.

For now my dream is to have as many wonderful experiences so I can write another story soon…

Review (in french) of « The Wooden Heart » here : Slow (e)motion.