A few months ago I saw Nick Ramos was playing at Bone Hook Brewing Co in Naples. I wasn’t familiar with him but knew if he was playing at Bone Hook, he was dialed in. The kid is a singer/songwriter, is obsessed with YouTube and likes to spend time on the beach. He’s been in Naples for quite a while now, and quickly acclimated to life in SW Florida. I haven’t seen Nick live yet, but knew he had a story to tell. Excited to share that with you here today. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Nick Ramos.
You are originally from Ridgefield Park, New Jersey. What brought you to SW Florida?
I came to Florida as a child at around 9 years old in the 3rd grade. My father accepted a job in Naples and then my parents decided to make the big change. One of the motivating factors was the much warmer climate in Florida, which my parents loved. I have grown to love the lifestyle down here as well.
You’ve been playing guitar since you were a kid. What are some of your earliest memories of playing guitar and what was the first song you learned/mastered on guitar?
I did start in about 5th grade to go to guitar lessons. The story goes that my younger brother Sebastian loved music and singing and wanted to learn how to play guitar. My father signed him up for it and I tagged along not even knowing that I would grow to love it. I remember in our first lesson learning the song “Imagine” by John Lennon (a much simplified version) and playing it at the beach and for friends and family to hear. I was instantly hooked and could not stop learning new songs and listening to more music.
How many different guitars do you own today?
Today I have 2 performance guitars and two that are around the house to play. My two performing guitars are an Eric Johnson Stratocaster® which is for playing rock songs and an acoustic electric Takamine guitar that I use for acoustic songs. Around the house I have another Takamine and a Fender spanish/classical guitar. I’d love to purchase a new Breedlove acoustic electric as a well as a twelve string guitar for my performances to add more fun!
Who are some of your biggest influences?
My biggest influence since a small child with my brother was The Beatles. My father introduced us to them and we started downloading their songs on LimeWire. We could not get enough of them and learned many of their songs. Since then I like the guitar playing of John Mayer, Mark Knopfler, Tommy Emmanuel, Eric Clapton and more.
Let’s say someone at home wants to learn how to play guitar. Where do you recommend he or she starts? Is it hard to learn?
It was harder ten or so years ago. Today the MOST valuable teaching tool in the world is YouTube. You can learn virtually anything on there… It’s crazy!!! My suggestion would be to take a few private lessons to get a basic understanding and then branch out from there with YouTube and other teaching tools available today.
What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?
Surprisingly, I have only been to three concerts and two of them were free! They were Sister Sledge, Foreigner, and Paul McCartney which was pretty awesome being a huge Beatles fan. Paul McCartney was not free. I would like to see John Mayer in concert and perhaps a Latin artist.
I’ve always been impressed by songwriters. What is your songwriting process like? Do you sit down to write a song or does it just come to you?
It’s a mixture of both. I’ve had songs come to me in my dreams. I’d say the biggest way that ideas come about for me is when I’m just fiddling or messing around on the guitar and I intentionally or accidentally play something I like. I’d say the chords usually come to me first and then the words lyrics and melody second.
I’ve not had the chance to see you live… Yet. What can fans expect from a live performance?
Fans can expect the unexpected. I play everything from The Beatles to Ed Sheeran and John Mayer. I even sing a song or two in Spanish! There’s typically a bass player, a drummer and myself on guitar. Sometimes I invite a fourth to play lead guitar.
There are a lot of beaches in SW Florida. What is your favorite beach in the area?
My favorite beach, since I grew up in Naples, has always been Clam Pass Beach Park off Pine Ridge Road. It is very beautiful and less busy than Vanderbilt Beach. Also, there is a little golf cart that takes you on a mile boardwalk trail and a river or stream that crosses at the end of the beach.
You play a lot of breweries. Where else do you like to play? Also, when you play at a brewery, do you get free beer?
For some reason I do play a lot of breweries!!! Funny enough, I’m not a big beer drinker at all. I love wine. Hopefully wineries will start booking me so I can get free wine. And, yes, I get free beer but I just give it to a friend or family member! My favorite place to play is upscale restaurants in Naples such as HobNob Kitchen + Bar and The Wine Loft of Naples. Breweries are nice but I like performing where people come primarily to eat and enjoy nice relaxing music!
Have you ever made a mistake while performing?
The biggest mistake for me is forgetting lyrics. My brother Sebastian can memorize one hundred songs but I can only memorize ten. This is why I perform with an iPad to show me the lyrics so I can feel confident if I forget the words. Occasionally I hit a few wrong notes but after people have had a few drinks! I have only had one trainwreck where we basically had to stop playing the song because we hadn’t practiced enough!
I’m fairly new to SW Florida. Besides breweries, where are some good places to see live music?
Go to the The Bay House, The Wine Loft of Naples, HobNob Kitchen + Bar and South Street Naples. You will find good bands there.
What’s next for Nick Ramos?
Nick Ramos is going to continue looking for bigger and better shows! Perhaps venture into Fort Lauderdale/Miami area to get more fans and bigger shows!
