Zolberg
Encyclopedia
Ragnar ZSolberg (real name Ragnar Sólberg Rafnsson) is an Icelandic singer, guitarist and songwriter from the Icelandic hard rock band Sign
where he went by the name Zolberg.
At the age of six Ragnar began taking guitar lessons at the Iceland Guitar School but needed new teachers soon because he learned in such acceleration.
Ragnar was already writing his own songs at six and his first roadie was his mother as Ragnar insisted on bringing his guitar and drum pads to kindergarten, hoping to start a band with the other guys.
His dad, a famous drummer in Iceland, fueled Ragnar's and his brother's enthusiasm by presenting them their first real drum-kit.
While his brother turned out to be very skillful on drums and still plays to this day, Ragnar soon found out that playing the guitar was more his thing, but he has still played drums on his two latest albums.
Another important moment in Ragnars life: He saved an old "Hustler" magazine from the dumpster which he was very fascinated by but later traded it for the Kiss-movie (Kiss meets the phantom of the park
. He watched it almost every day and started dreaming of becoming a rock star one day himself.
with his brother Egill and his friend Hörður Stefánsson under the name "HALIM". Ragnar then adopted the name "Zolberg" and wore his trademark make-up "The Bleeding Eye".
His present band mates include Jon Skäre on drums, A.D. on guitar, Aggi on guitar and keyboards and Heimir on bass. "Sign" have released two albums in Icelandic 2001's Vindar og Breytingar (Winds and Changes) and 2002's Fyir Ofan Himininn (Above The Sky). In 2006 they released Thank God For Silence, their first album in English, and began to be recognized internationally.
Zolberg and Egill's father was diagnosed with motor neuron disease the year Ragnar was born, and he died on June 27, 2004.
In 2007 Sign released their last effort to date, entitled "The Hope" which was praised among rock critics as the next big thing from Scandinavia.
Sign were also featured on the Iron Maiden tribute album "Maiden Heaven" where they performed "Run to the Hills".
Ragnar produced the song in a way that no-one had foreseen and it was very controversial among listeners and long time Iron Maiden fans.
(“Experience”), featured Ragnars range of original rock/pop material.
It did not sell that much but gave Ragnar a taste of what was to come. And with his dad as a drummer and his mother as a roadie the future was lying just in front of him. And when Ragnar got an 8-track recorder from his parents he wrote and recorded one song per day for the next two years.
As a result of this Ragnar, only 14, adapted the name Zolberg and started his first real band called "Sign" which made an even better musician out of him.
For his work with "Sign" he received awards, toured around Europe with The Wildhearts
, Aiden
, Wednesday 13
& Skid Row (to name a few), played at Downloads main stage and released four albums - two in English and 2 in his mother language Icelandic.
After 8 years of fronting the heavy rock outfit "Sign" Ragnar started working on his solo project again.
Releasing his second album “The Circle” under his full name (Ragnar Sólberg) in December 2008 where he produced and played all instruments himself.
The following year Ragnar moved to Sweden with his family and started writing more songs and developing his sound even further, at the same time he released "The Circle (darker side)" digitally, an album which consisted of B-side material from "The Circle" sessions.
That same year Ragnar appeared in the German television in a vodafone commercial where he performed a cover version of David Bowie's classic "Heroes". The song was released digitally in Germany but is still unreleased in the rest of the world.
In December 2010 Ragnar stroke back with "The Hanged Man", a 14 track album which he had been working on in the Swedish woods and in his family's studio in Iceland, as he explains it: "I had to go there a couple of times to attend funerals and I stopped by in the studio to record drums for the album."
Ragnar had then added the "Z" to his name again, going under "Ragnar ZSolberg".
The album offered much heavier sound than his previous effort and was really a combination of the acoustic sound from "the Circle" and Sign on the other hand.
Sign (band)
Sign is an Icelandic rock band that was formed in 2001, as Halim, to compete in the Icelandic version of the Battle of the bands called Musiktilraunir....
where he went by the name Zolberg.
Biography
Ragnar ZSolberg was born December 2, 1986 in Reykjavik, Iceland. When he was 2 years old Ragnar built his first drum kit out of pots and pans from his mothers kitchen. At the age of four he got his first guitar from his grandmother and started playing along to the tunes of Metallica's "Black Album" but smashed his guitar in the heat of the moment soon after as he had seen Jimi Hendrix doing so on TV.At the age of six Ragnar began taking guitar lessons at the Iceland Guitar School but needed new teachers soon because he learned in such acceleration.
Ragnar was already writing his own songs at six and his first roadie was his mother as Ragnar insisted on bringing his guitar and drum pads to kindergarten, hoping to start a band with the other guys.
His dad, a famous drummer in Iceland, fueled Ragnar's and his brother's enthusiasm by presenting them their first real drum-kit.
While his brother turned out to be very skillful on drums and still plays to this day, Ragnar soon found out that playing the guitar was more his thing, but he has still played drums on his two latest albums.
Another important moment in Ragnars life: He saved an old "Hustler" magazine from the dumpster which he was very fascinated by but later traded it for the Kiss-movie (Kiss meets the phantom of the park
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
. He watched it almost every day and started dreaming of becoming a rock star one day himself.
Sign
When Ragnar was 14 years old he formed SignSign (band)
Sign is an Icelandic rock band that was formed in 2001, as Halim, to compete in the Icelandic version of the Battle of the bands called Musiktilraunir....
with his brother Egill and his friend Hörður Stefánsson under the name "HALIM". Ragnar then adopted the name "Zolberg" and wore his trademark make-up "The Bleeding Eye".
His present band mates include Jon Skäre on drums, A.D. on guitar, Aggi on guitar and keyboards and Heimir on bass. "Sign" have released two albums in Icelandic 2001's Vindar og Breytingar (Winds and Changes) and 2002's Fyir Ofan Himininn (Above The Sky). In 2006 they released Thank God For Silence, their first album in English, and began to be recognized internationally.
Zolberg and Egill's father was diagnosed with motor neuron disease the year Ragnar was born, and he died on June 27, 2004.
In 2007 Sign released their last effort to date, entitled "The Hope" which was praised among rock critics as the next big thing from Scandinavia.
Sign were also featured on the Iron Maiden tribute album "Maiden Heaven" where they performed "Run to the Hills".
Ragnar produced the song in a way that no-one had foreseen and it was very controversial among listeners and long time Iron Maiden fans.
Solo project
At the age of 11 Ragnar had so many demos of his own songs that his father offered him to record an album and publish it via his record label. The result, UpplifunUpplifun
Upplifun is the first solo album by Ragnar Sólberg Rafnsson, only at the age of 11 years old-Track listing:#Nibblheimssöngur#Málum Myrkrð Eins Og Sólina#Ég Þrái#Kjaftæði#Er Útum Mig#Upplifun#Ljós Í Myrkri#Öfugsnúið-Personnel:...
(“Experience”), featured Ragnars range of original rock/pop material.
It did not sell that much but gave Ragnar a taste of what was to come. And with his dad as a drummer and his mother as a roadie the future was lying just in front of him. And when Ragnar got an 8-track recorder from his parents he wrote and recorded one song per day for the next two years.
As a result of this Ragnar, only 14, adapted the name Zolberg and started his first real band called "Sign" which made an even better musician out of him.
For his work with "Sign" he received awards, toured around Europe with The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as The Beatles and 1980s-era Metallica...
, Aiden
Aiden
Aiden is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington that formed in the spring of 2003. The members are WiL Francis , Nick Wiggins , and Angel Ibarra . wiL originally played bass but took over lead vocals when the original singer left...
, Wednesday 13
Wednesday 13
Joseph Poole, better known as Wednesday 13 , is a rock musician from Charlotte, North Carolina. He is most famous for his role as the frontman of the Murderdolls...
& Skid Row (to name a few), played at Downloads main stage and released four albums - two in English and 2 in his mother language Icelandic.
After 8 years of fronting the heavy rock outfit "Sign" Ragnar started working on his solo project again.
Releasing his second album “The Circle” under his full name (Ragnar Sólberg) in December 2008 where he produced and played all instruments himself.
The following year Ragnar moved to Sweden with his family and started writing more songs and developing his sound even further, at the same time he released "The Circle (darker side)" digitally, an album which consisted of B-side material from "The Circle" sessions.
That same year Ragnar appeared in the German television in a vodafone commercial where he performed a cover version of David Bowie's classic "Heroes". The song was released digitally in Germany but is still unreleased in the rest of the world.
In December 2010 Ragnar stroke back with "The Hanged Man", a 14 track album which he had been working on in the Swedish woods and in his family's studio in Iceland, as he explains it: "I had to go there a couple of times to attend funerals and I stopped by in the studio to record drums for the album."
Ragnar had then added the "Z" to his name again, going under "Ragnar ZSolberg".
The album offered much heavier sound than his previous effort and was really a combination of the acoustic sound from "the Circle" and Sign on the other hand.
Sign
- Vindar og BreytingarVindar og BreytingarVindar og Breytingar is the first studio album by Icelandic rock band Sign It was released in 2001.-Track listing:#Fyrsta Skrefið - 1:44#HALIM - 4:49#Haltu Fyrir Augun - 3:21#Háður Þér - 4:12#Hey B.E.N - 3:44#Svo Sárt/ Draumurinn - 3:47...
(2001) - Fyrir Ofan HimininnFyrir Ofan HimininnFyrir Ofan Himininn is the second studio album by Icelandic rock band Sign. It was released in 2002 and recorded and mixed at Rabbyroad by Ragnar Sólberg Rafnsson & Egills Father Rafn Jónsson...
(2002) - Thank God For SilenceThank God For SilenceThank God For Silence is the third full-length studio album by Icelandic rock band Sign and their first to be written in English. The album was released in 2005 through R&R Music.- Track listing :#Lift Me Up#A Little Bit#Love To Be Loved#Breathe...
(2005) - The HopeThe Hope (Sign album)The Hope is the fourth full-length studio album by Icelandic rock band Sign, which was recorded at Error Studios in Hafnarfjordur, Iceland and White Leather Studios in Hampshire, UK. The album was released in Iceland in November 2007 through R&R Music and released worldwide on 9 June 2008...
(2008) - Maiden Heaven (2008)
- Higher Voltage!: Another Brief History of RockHigher Voltage!: Another Brief History of RockHigher Voltage!: Another Brief History of Rock is a Kerrang! covermount CD released on June 20, 2007, featuring many older rock songs, covered by newer rock artists.-Track listing:#"Davidian" - Lostprophets...
(2007)
Solo
- Upplifun (Ragnar Sólberg) (1998)
- The Circle (2008)
- The Circle (darker side) (Ragnar Solberg) (2010)
- The Hanged Man (Ragnar ZSolberg) (2010)
Collaborations
- Rafn Jónsson - Fuglar geta ekki flogið á tunglinu
- Single Drop featuring Ragnar Sólberg - "No More" - Single Drop (Single Drop album)
- Single Drop featuring Ragnar Sólberg - "Hide From Shadows" - Single Drop (Single Drop album)