The Past

Aside from his work as a producer, KRAMER will always be remembered as one of the great bass guitarists of his generation. Playing his Hofner bass (strapless, in fact) in bands as diverse as THE FUGS (1984 re-union), HALF JAPANESE, GG ALLIN's SUPERSCUM (one gig), BONGWATER, BRAINVILLE (with Hugh Hopper), SHOCKABILLY, WEEN, and of course BUTTHOLE SURFERS (including their magnificent debut European tour in 1985 and the unforgettable Danceteria gig in NYC), Kramer astonished audiences across the globe night after night on numerous world tours, but perhaps nowhere else was his power more evident than in his work with B.A.L.L. between 1988 and 1990. One reviewer commented...

B.A.L.L. - Bird (LP, Shimmy-Disc):

"I'd like very much to know how Kramer gets his bass sound. It's thick as King Kong Bundy, furry and blood-caked like a grizzly bear after the kill. When he plays his bass in B.A.L.L. he's all over the place, one moment creating the suction for a downward-spiraling swirl that'll crush the air outta yr lungs, the next filling in the gaps while Don Fleming spins off into the nether regions w/ his gtr in tow. B.A.L.L. create a sludge pound that's as heavy as most any musical anvil in operation today, but there's just so much force behind it that it fucking glides all the way home, man, like a virtual tidal wave of blood surging round yr system, veins near popping, heart bouncing around, denting yr ribs. In some ways you could draw comparisons to Dinosaur, but B.A.L.L are totally scattered all over the place, they've heard 'Cowgirl in the Sand' but they ain't hanging around...ok, so here's another label that you'd do well to aquaint yrself with. A stack of releases, most of them highly desirable, a lot of 'em having some some kinda involvment from the abovementioned Kramer...a twin-drum blitz, bass/gtr locked in mortal combat against yr neurons, 'Bird' contains the epic punch-out rock of the 1990's and you'd do well to get in on it now."

Kramer's productions sound absolutely nothing like any other producer's work. Period. Kramer began producing after years on the downtown NYC scene, playing in such bands as Bongwater, Shockabilly, Half Japanese, Ween, B.A.L.L., The Fugs, G.G. Allin & the Superscum and finally a 6-month stint with the Butthole Surfers after which he founded one of the era's most vibrant independent music labels, Shimmy-Disc.

Under the Shimmy-Disc (& Kokopop) banners, Kramer A&R'd, produced and released pioneering works by King Missile, Daniel Johnston, Lotion, Bongwater, Lida Husik, Paleface, Damon & Naomi, Grenadine, Semi-Beings, and even Gwar.

His production of "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon" by Urge Overkill for Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction soundtrack earned him the Producer of the Year award in Rolling Stone magazine in 1995.

Kramer currently collaborates with Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller) in a recording project they call The Captain Howdy. In 1995 the duo released a CD entitled Tattoo Of Blood. A second CD entitled Money Feeds My Music Machine was released in 1998. Both CDs available from Shimmy-Disc.

Having lost both Shimmy-Disc and his Noise recording facility in a lawsuit with the Knitting Factory, Kramer now produces and records in his home studio and at Tribeca Recording, an all-digital facility in NYC.

"My first recording was for Eugene Chadbourne on his 2000 Statues LP (1979), and my second appearance on an LP (a double LP, in this case) was for John Zorn's Archery recordings in 1980 at Martin Bisi's BC Studio in Brooklyn. Nearly everyone in that group disliked me and did their very best to ignore my presence there, but John ignored their misgivings. I am VERY proud of my contribution to that project, and when i am breathing my last puff of air in an oxygen tent, it will be one of the things i'll be recalling as i slip away."