Life & Work with Roland Greco

Today we’d like to introduce you to Roland Greco.

Hi Roland, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started playing drums at the age of 13. That quickly grew into an obsession of playing for hours day in my basement and jamming with whoever I could in my little town, Scranton, PA. By the end of high school, I was playing in a few local bands and gigging consistently.

Around this time, my interests shifted from drumming to production. I ended up going to Berklee College of Music to Study Music Production. I am so grateful for my experience there and to be able to have gone there. I learned a ton while in school, but was still always more focused on my personal music projects, now writing and producing my own music as Roland Greco (now King 80).

After college, I moved to NYC and did some production work there.

Then in 2016, I moved to LA, as that’s where a lot of my work was coming from at that point. After a few years of behind the scenes production and work for hire gigs, I started my own production company, King 80 Industries, in 2019.

This is where things started to really change for me. My goal with King 80 Industries was, and is, to provide value for fellow musicians and creatives everywhere. In the form of production and other services like mixing mastering, and graphic design.

It is also the label I run and releases my own music as King 80.

Eventually, I see King 80 Industries becoming a beacon for independent musicians and creatives everywhere, releasing and fostering independent music, art, comics, film, and much more.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been smooth at all. As I’m sure, any working creative could attest to, haha. I am so fortunate to be able to make a living creating art but every day is still filled with doubt and uncertainty.

When I was living in NYC, I was working as a dishwasher and then in retail to support my music career. And while starting out in LA and building my skills and network, there were many months that I could barely afford to pay rent. Although it could be viewed as a struggle, I am doing what I love and will do whatever it takes to make it. With that mentality, I know that every struggle is just part of the path to success.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an independent artist known as King 80. I make what I call “Sci-Fi Pop” music.

I am in the process of putting out my first album, “King of the Night”, a concept album set in a far off future. The concept for the album comes from a short story I wrote that shares the same name.

This album and story are what I am currently most proud of, as they are the start of my vision of making my music a multi-media and conceptual art form. I think they stand apart from the current landscape of pop music with the level of world-building I strive for behind my music. I don’t want to just make a catchy song, I want to create a world people can find comfort in, like Lord of the Rings or Star Wars.

I am also known for my company King 80 Industries, which I mentioned before. I am so proud of what “K8I” has become and the fact that I’m just getting started is all the more exciting.

What were you like growing up?
I was very quiet and pretty awkward, haha. Although I had great friends growing up, I never felt like I belonged where I was at. This created the stereotypical desire to ‘leave the small town and move to the big city” haha. Which I did. I was interested in many things growing up, from basketball to golf, to sci-fi and fantasy books. But it wasn’t until music that I found something that really stuck with me.

Pricing:

• Music Production Service – $500
• Mixing Service – $200

Contact Info:

• Website: https://king80industries.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/king80industries/
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Adp2JFESud2yhMvE4D28U?si=sq6d1LzjRmS9Ro0NtRDaCA