Rock Guitarist Rich Roger was born in West Islip, NY, to a musically enriched family with various pianists, guitarists, and other musicians. Growing up, music was played daily from his Mothers classical records, setting the stage for Rich to begin playing piano at the age of four by instruction of his Mother. At the age of eight, the guitar caught hold his interest, leading to more of a serious commitment by the age of twelve.
When at the tender age of thirteen, the guitar became an obsession, leading to countless all-night sleepless sessions of practicing and studying. Eventually it paid with increased dexterity and competence to play note for note with the best. Influenced by the guitar virtuosos at the time of Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, Marty Friedman, Jason Becker, Paul Gilbert and George Lynch and Progressive rock bands like Yes, Rush, The Police and Savatage. To Rich, the guitarists and bands mentioned stood out from the rest.
Religiously for the next five years, he studied various styles, musical cultures, players and techniques,
working hard to "innovate" his own playing and writing style and not "imitate" anyone else's.
After high school, Rich set out towards the NYC music scene to find his place in the music world. He was quick to land auditions, find session work, and snag a teaching job. Various opportunities sprout up across coast to coast, giving him the chance to have music airplay and interviews on the radio.
A founding member of the 90s Melodic Hard Rock band “Bakk Ally†which started in the clubs of New York City, enjoyed brief success within the album Streets. In 1998, Rich temporarily joined the local NYC metal band "Panic" for a East Coast Tour. Playing in a time where technical, musical, rock guitar playing was not so popular, Rich still continued.
In 1999 he began taking lessons in Blues, Latin and Jazz Fusion, breaking a few habits, while gaining a lot more knowledge of various music styles, while studying music at Southern Connecticut State University.
Rich in 2001, found himself on the road again, filling in for the band “Scarlet Embrace.†After hundreds of gigs and appearences on eleven studio recordings over the past six years, ranging from Christian Contemporary Pop, Country and Heavy Metal, Rich settled down for a while in order to build a studio in his home. He recorded his first instrumental album titled “Fire in the Rain†in this studio. In August 2004, musically much different than any previous efforts, a melodic rock instrumental album released worldwide. The release was followed by performances in Japan and a European Festival tour in 2005, met with ravenous reviews.
At the moment Rich is a Guitar Instructor with a total of 70+ students per week. Also Rich is very active in various clinics worldwide for his endorsements (S.I.T Strings, Dimarzio, Morley and Voodoo Lab). Other work is done on sessions with other Artists. He has just released a new instrumental EP (The Remnant Remains) and is finishing up a full-length album,returning Rich back to a heavier/progressive sound, with a surprise vocalist joining the lineup soon. A tentative release date is sometime mid to late summer.
Away from teaching and recording, Rich works with various charity organizations, such as the Humane Society, ASPCA, and Make A Wish Foundation. On his days off, he enjoys spending time with his dogs and going to the Madison Square Garden in order to watch his favorite hockey team, the New York Rangers. Another love of Rich's, involves driving American Muscle Cars and riding Harley Davidson Motorcycles.
