Today we’d like to introduce you to Wilfredo Ramirez.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Wilfredo. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I unknowingly started playing music when I was a still in diapers. I used to annoy my parents by laying out my mom’s Tupperware in the kitchen and thrashing them with a wooden spoon lol. They thought, well, let’s get him a toy drumset then, and they did. I fell in love with it!
Fast forward to about the age of seven and they were cool enough to get me my first real drum set. I took about three lessons and was self-taught ever since.
I picked up guitar in high school thanks to my grandpa. He played some tunes while visiting from El Salvador. I thought it looked like fun so my pops and I went to Guitar Center in Northridge not too long after to pick up my first acoustic. I think the first song I tried learning was Speed Kills by Bush. It was horrible.
Bass just kind of came along out of nowhere. A buddy of mine was cool enough to give me his Squier P-Bass. I thought, “well, it looks like a guitar, so I can probably play it.” That P-Bass still hangs in my room and I still use it to write whenever I’m too lazy to take out my Epiphone Thunderbird (which is usually all the time).
As a senior in high school, a friend pushed me to go into choir. Man, I don’t think I can explain how terrified I was of singing in general, LET ALONE IN FRONT OF PEOPLE. I tried out, somehow made it and, for some crazy reason, my choir teacher thought I should move up to the advanced class. I did, and at the end of the year, I was awarded the “Best Baritone” award. Weird, but hey, I guess I was alright!
Now, I combine everything I’ve learned as a musician and have a band of my own called GRAVESEND. I write and record everything in my bedroom, and then go into a studio to re-record everything and make it sound huge. My band is made up of my best friends and I have been lucky enough to work alongside some really cool and talented people.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. There is a lot of competition and you have to stand out somehow. The biggest struggle I’ve encountered was learning how to run a band by myself. Marketing, promoting, writing, recording…literally everything. I wish there was a manual explaining how to do everything, but there isn’t and the only way you learn is by diving into the fire and figuring it out.
Please tell us about GRAVESEND.
GRAVESEND is an idea and an outlet in the form of a musical group. Angel Lopez, John Barry and Ben Lopez help me make it all happen. Without them, GRAVESEND would be nothing more than a bedroom jam session with myself lol. We specialize in making people dance and are known for offering lots of sweaty hugs after the show, so come prepared with your swimsuit. Honestly, the thing I am most proud of is our fans. They are literally the best fans ever. They’re so supportive and push us to keep doing what we do. Humans love affirmations, and to be honest, I usually hate everything that I do musically. They help me believe in myself and they always remind me that they love what we do and to keep going. I wouldn’t be where we are if it weren’t for them. I love them all.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have prepared myself to lose it all. To pursue music, I lost my pharmacy career that I was working so hard to get to. I told myself, ‘this might be my only shot.” I took the risk, and to be honest, I’d be lying to you if I said it didn’t hurt. It hurt like hell; financially, emotionally and personally. People ask me if it was worth it in the end, and even though it left me a bit shaken, I respond with “Absolutely.” I appreciate seeing what rock bottom felt like. It taught me so much and made into a stronger person. Plus, it gave me a lot of material to write about.
Contact Info:
- Website: gravesendbandca.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gravesend_ca/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Gravesend.ca
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/gravesend_ca
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5xEjmK2CQGRhP2naAGTvu6?si=wywZSkBcQ-iveosjA35I5Q
Image Credit:
Brendan Baker, Wilfredo Alexis Ramirez
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