Community Corner

Winchester Musician Finds Success

Winchester resident, Randall Kromm, recorded his first CD this past January and his CD release party will be Sunday, May 1.

Music has always been a part of Randall Kromm’s life.

It was a required part of growing up in the Kromm household. His grandparents would have the family sing and harmonize a variety of songs whenever they would come over.

“The sessions could go on for hours, they would just go on and on,” Kromm said. “But I knew at a young age that music was something I wanted to do.”

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He started with the piano, found the guitar in high school and a rock band shortly after.

But the dreams of stardom ended nearly 20 years ago for the Winchester resident. That is, until 18 months ago, when Kromm started playing again.

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He has no plans of becoming a rock star, even after his debut album, Water Wheel, was released in January. When Kromm started playing the guitar again in 2009, it was just at local coffeehouses and open mic nights around Boston.

“We had four kids and there was a point where we had a little more stability and we knew how to manage a family,” Kromm said. “So, I was able to go one day a week to these sessions. “

But the response from playing an occasional song or two on his acoustic guitar, accompanied by only his vocals, was what inspired Kromm to take the next step.

“It just snowballed,” Kromm said. “I never intended to take it this seriously. It became more of a regular thing and people started to ask me to come back and play. It’s been a great experience. When I started I never intended to make a CD, but people kept asking if I had one after my shows, so I decided to do it.”

And on Sunday, May 1, Kromm will be holding his CD release party at . The set will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. There is no cover charge, but donations will be accepted on behalf of relief efforts for people of Japan affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami.

This will be the first performance where a number of Kromm’s Winchester neighbors and friends will be able to see him play.

“It should be a lot of fun,” Kromm said of Sunday’s show. “I didn’t know people liked it, but now I have a lot of shows and I’m excited to be performing on Sunday. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to bring my show back home for people who know me, so they can see me.”

Kromm, who likens his music to singer/songwriters of the 1970s, such as Henry Chapin, normally performs alone, but this show will have a slight twist. Kromm’s daughter, Emma, a freshman at , will sing backup vocals. And he will be backed up by Seth Connelly on bass and guitar. Connely helped Kromm record his CD.

Kromm also had the title track – Water Wheel – covered by singer/songwriter, Don White, who has recorded 11 CDs over his career.

Kromm said that he hopes to have a winter or holiday themed CD come out this winter, when he performs at Club Passim in Cambridge in October. And his second full length CD could be out sometime next year.

“It’s been fun getting people’s responses to the songs,” Kromm said. “I hear that my neighbors and friends have bought the CD and that they’ve listened to it, so it’s been fun. I really think people have liked what they’ve heard with this CD.”


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