Hedras Ramos

Hedras Ramos - Atoms and Space - 2011 - Audio 7 Productions

“I want to improve as a guitar player and as a musician. I don’t want to stop, but I also want to tour and have fun on stage with more people. I want to compose more music and satisfy my soul and ears...” Hedras Ramos was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala during the year 1992. His interest in music began at the ripe old age of 6 when he began taking drum lessons from some of the best skin-pounders in the country. It wasn’t until a couple of years later, however, at the still very young age of 8 that Hedras received his first electric guitar. While his talent and interest were obvious, it took years before he finally became serious about the instrument... At age 13 Hedras really showed passion for the guitar. He started practicing 7 or more hours a day during the school year and then 12 or more hours during vacations. Part of the reason for this sudden switch was because of Hedras’ father, Hedras Ramos Sr., who introduced his son to the masters (i.e. Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, ect). Since then, they’ve both shared a liking for guitar-based instrumental tracks, which led to Hedras’ decision to pick up the guitar again (and this time, he was hooked). Some of Hedras’ influences include Guthrie Govan, Jonathan Kreisberg, John Petrucci, and Joe Satriani. He is also influenced by jazz music and any pop artists in the spotlight today, “...This doesn’t influence me in a musical way, like harmony,” Hedras points out, “But it does in other ways... ”Hedras went on to self-produce his own music in his early teens and has since then released three phenomenal albums. The first, New Sounds, was released in December of 2008 when he was just 16 years old. Following that was The Holy Gift of Shred in 2009 and his latest original album, Atoms And Space, was released during 2011, featuring amazing guest performers such as Jennifer Batten (former guitarist for Michael Jackson), Andy James, Billy Ashbaugh and more. In 2009, after about four years of intense practice and completing his first two albums, Hedras took 2nd place in the Guitar Idol competition (based in London, England) which had more than 1200 entrants of all ages and styles. At age 17, Hedras was the youngest guitar player to make it to the finals. Already the young guitar prodige has jammed with some very well-known bands (like Switchfoot, Kansas and Die Toten Hosen), and was chosen for Axl Rose himself to open for GUNS N’ ROSES for their Chinese Democracy tour in Guatemala. He is currently endorsed by Halo Guitars with whom Hedras designed his own signature guitar, a privilege few musicians have had the honor of receiving. In 2011 Hedras had his own Rock Band game created, currently available for all to play. The game features some of Hedras’ best works, including “Insanity of the Atoms” and “Stellar Crash”. Also in 2011, Hedras agreed to take on lead guitar for Sir Christopher Lee’s latest heavy metal album, CHARLEMAGNE: The Omens of Death. Sir Christopher Lee has been an actor since the 1940s, most notably for his part as Count Dracula from the Dracula film series of the 1900s, as well as for playing Lord Saruman in Lord of the Rings. Lee is also a singer and has produced many albums over the years. After guitarist Richie Faulkner left the project to join Judas Priest, Lee searched and searched until he finally found Hedras to take on all the guitar work for the album. As Hedras continues his career (and he’s just getting started), he travels the world performing his music for thousands. © 2013 Hedras Ramos - All Rights Reserved http://www.hedrasramos.com/index.php/teachers/bio

Attention Hedras Ramos is receiving this month as the guitarist on Sir Christopher Lee’s freshly released album sparks an interest in Guatemalan player’s solo work. It turns out that while awfully young, Ramos already has three solo CDs under his belt, several collaborative records, and an instructional release. And that he is just as accomplished a composer as he is a chopsman. Not many instrumental guitar albums manage to create their own virtual reality, but the record in hand is one of those gems that put you under their spell from the word go. Released in 2011, Atoms and Space is Ramos’s latest solo CD, and it shows how much more he can deliver apart from the balls-to-the-wall drive of traditional metal he flaunts on Lee’s album. A record which sounds like no one else in instrumental rock, Atoms and Space is all about fresh, adventurous harmonies and soaring, picturesque melodies. Atmospheric neoclassical guitar, metal riffing, and warm, inspired jazz join together as building blocks of a fantastic, far-out world Rams shapes with off-hand confidence. As with all expert composers, the intricate harmonic structures and melodic deflections don’t come through as laboured on this album. And the breathing, vibrating rhythm section is crucial in contributing to the movement of these tracks. Avoiding the mechanistic monotony of the drum patterns favored these days even by the most prominent of instrumental guitar bigwigs, Ramos shows he isn’t afraid of the drummer stealing his thunder. Standout “Weird Scientists” illustrates this energy perfectly, with Billy Ashbaugh on the drums intuitively floating the harmonic juxtapositions and the call-and-response game of the melodies. Remarkably mature for his age, Ramos often abandons demonstrations to bring the proceedings down to the universal human level. This is where slower, more reflective numbers such as “Anastasya” come in to highlight the span of his emotional and stylistic terrain. At his best when mixing high-tech neoclassical chops with his heartfelt understanding of jazz, Ramos bathes the song-like melody in virtuosic showers of sparkling notes. Like torrential rain falling over a secluded private retreat, it connects the privacy of contemplation with the extraversion of his fabulous technique. Introspection and emotional warmth, rock swagger, mystical visions, and futuristic experiments tie together into an instantly recognisable personality. It puts Ramos right next to the best players of the youngest generation of shredders to receive international renown. Like all of them, Ramos understands that shred on its own has never been enough to either intrigue the listener or to discover things about oneself. And this is why he combines high tech virtuosity borrowed by rock from classical music with the bravado and the cheek of spontaneous, people-oriented entertainment. This gives hope to the future of instrumental rock, not to mention how hugely inspiring it is to see self-made players geographically removed from the usual music biz hubs becoming not only first-rate chopsmen, but also brilliant composers. by & © Alissa Ordabai - Senior Columnist - Hardrock Haven rating: 9/10 © 2001 - 2014 HardrockHaven.net | All Rights Reserved http://hardrockhaven.net/online/2013/05/hedras-ramos-atoms-and-space-cd-review/

I was recently privileged to receive a copy of Hedras Ramos’ latest instrumental album, Atoms And Space, which was composed and produced by the 19 year old guitar prodigy himself. I’d only recently heard of Hedras, though I watched some YouTube videos of him performing a few of his impressive works, and I was excited to get to hear what else he had to offer. This already goes without saying, but the guy has insane skills for a kid of his age. In fact, he’s so good that he won 2nd place for Guitar Idol in the UK when he was only 17 years old (2009). These facts alone are enough to make anyone curious, however when I learned that some of the guest contributors to his album included Jennifer Batten (ex-guitarist for Michael Jackson), Andy James, Billy Ashbaugh, Muris Varajic and Sergey Boykov…well…let’s just say, I became a little more than curious. Entirely space themed, my favorite track on the album is Weird Scientists which features an insane keyboard solo by the great Sergey Boykov who plays incredibly fast without detracting from the melodic impact of the track. The guitar on this single is absolutely brilliant with a ludicrously fast tempo that will sweep you through the galaxy faster than the speed of light! Another tune that really stands out on this album is Hot Arabia. Featuring an intense guitar solo by Muris Varajic and some seriously kick-butt drumming by Billy Ashbaugh, there’s an authentic foreign feel here that everyone in the band seems to channel musically. Hedras really impresses me here with his ability to comfortably switch genres not only by what he’s playing, but the fact that he was able to effectively produce the song in such a way that it really feels like you’re visiting a foreign land. Dead Atom is yet another thrilling piece among Hedras’ work, this with a sci-fi feel that really sets itself apart from the rest, but without detracting from the galactic theme. Each track for Atoms And Space was thoughtfully composed and will surely keep you enthralled the whole way through your adventure across the stars. Between the gnarly drumming (which, besides the guitar work is what really seems to suck me into this record) along side Hedras and his amazing guest performers, this is a fantastic album that I couldn’t recommend more. © http://www.guitartrump.com/homebase/atoms-and-space-by-hedras-ramos/

I can’t say I know many Guatemalan guitarists, but Hedras Ramos is one hell of a talented guitarist and definitely a guy to watch out for. Just when you think you’ve heard all the great guitarists, an album like this comes along which is very impressive. Some of Hedras’ influences include Guthrie Govan, Jonathan Kreisberg, John Petrucci, and Joe Satriani. All great musicians but Hedras has his own unique style. He is not just blazingly fast, but has a unique technique and a very unusual tapping style. He also composed all thirteen tracks on this album. Check out his “The Holy Gift of Shred” album and buy his new release [Tracks @ 265-289 Kbps: File size = 115 Mb]

TRACKS

1. Stellar Crash 4:27
2. Glorious War 4:17
3. Stars and Comets 4:46
4. Anastasya 5:33
5. Weird Scientists 4:43
6. Hands of God 4:58
7. Sweet Mercy 5:23
8. Dead Atom 3:56
9. Atoms of Distortion 3:05
10. Vanilla Clouds 5:21
11. Hot Arabia 4:43
12. Virtual Tangles 5:12
13. Insanity of the Atoms 4:18

All tracks composed by Hedras Ramos

MUSICIANS

Hedras Ramos - Guitars, Keyboards
Sergey Boykov - Keyboard Solo on Track 5
Andy James - Guitar Solo on Track 3
Jennifer Batten - Guitar Solo on Track 7
Muris Varajic - Guitar Solo on Track 11
Hedras Ramos Sr. - Bass
Billy Ashbaugh - Drums

BIO (WIKI)

Hedras David Ramos Velasquez (colloquially: Hedras Ramos) (born February 3, 1992 in Guatemala City, Guatemala) is an instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. Throughout his career he has opened for popular bands such as Kansas, White Cross, Die Toten Hosen, and was personally chosen by Axl Rose to open for Guns N' Roses during their "Chinese Democracy" tour in Guatemala. Ramos began his musical career at age 6 by learning to play the drums. It wasn't until 2005 however (at age 13) when Ramos became interested in learning guitar. He typically practiced 7 or more hours every day, even playing up to 12 hours a day during vacations from school. Entirely self-taught, Ramos pushed himself hard to master the guitar and on December 15, 2009, by the time he was 16 years old, he had composed and produced his first instrumental album New Sounds. Following this release was his instrumental Christmas album The Holy Gift of Shred which became available for purchase in November 2009. Between writing and producing albums, Ramos began to play and compete in guitar contests in different areas of the globe. On June 16, 2009, he won second place at the Guitar Idol competition (a world-wide event held in London, UK in which undiscovered guitarists compete online for a chance to play at the London International Music Show). On September 18, 2010 Ramos won second place at another world-wide event held in Bucharest, Romania called the Ziua Chitarelor 3. In 2011 Ramos released his third instrumental album Atoms And Space, his biggest release of all three, which featured solos and guest performances by artists like Jennifer Batten (former guitarist for Michael Jackson), Andy James (guitarist), Billy Ashbaugh (former drummer for Greg Howe, 'N Sync, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Pat Benatar, Muris Varajic (keyboard) and Sergey Boykov (keyboard). In 2003, when Ramos was eleven years old, his father (Hedras Ramos Sr.) formed the Latin-jazz band BlueROJO with a friend to compete in the Antigua Jazz Festival (based in Antigua, Guatemala). As of January 1, 2012, the only album produced by the band is titled REVOLUX and has not yet been released. Ramos joined his father's band in 2010 and they have since played in several venues. Also in 2011, after guitarist Richie Faulkner left the project to join Judas Priest, Ramos agreed to take on all guitar work for Sir Christopher Lee's heavy metal album Charlemagne: The Omens of Death (2013). Endorsements: On February 13, 2011, Rock Band released a new game featuring Ramos and the single "Insanity of the Atoms" from his third album Atoms and Space. On September 2 of that same year, Rock Band released another game featuring the single "Stellar Crash", also from Atoms and Space. Both games are currently available for Xbox 360 users and are not yet rated. Ramos endorses a number of other products including Halo Guitars' Hedras Ramos Signature Guitar which was designed specifically as a signature product for him. At age 17, Ramos became an endorser of Dean Markley guitar strings and later Multisonus Audio. During the year 2012, Ramos became one of three Latin-American guitarists to be fully endorsed by Xotic (a company that produces guitars, basses and effects pedals).