This is a first. A returning guest. Erik Herrmann is back from the last episode. And he’s not alone. With him is his bandmate from the group, Slow Apollo, Joram Roubique. We heard Erik’s story already, so this episode begins with a focus on Joram’s journey.
Joram was born and raised near, in and around Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The eldest of 5 children (4 boys, 1 girl), He was brought up in a strict fundamentalist Christian household and wasn't allowed to listen to "secular" music. Thankfully, Joram’s parents loved music enough, especially his mother, to expose the family to music that, despite having a strong obvious religious message, was made by objectively talented artists. When she was growing up, Joram’s mom often sang with her brother, a fantastic guitarist, and won singing competitions in high school. So, was Joram destined to follow in his family’s musical footsteps?
Well, at the age of 13, his parents bought him an acoustic guitar for Christmas, but without lessons he grew frustrated trying to learn and gave up. A couple years later, his best friend bought an electric bass, which reignited Joram’s interest in learning to play.
In 2001, his family moved to San Jose, California. Recovering from a knee injury, Joram began to play guitar more and more and was basically self-taught.
He eventually got a car and began listening to secular music on the radio, buying CDs and catching up on as much of the music he missed out on.
He joined a church at one point and was a member of their music team for junior high kids. He sang and later played bass and guitar with them for a short while.
Joram and his family moved back to Louisiana in 2006. Back there, he attended Southeastern Louisiana University in 2008 and got a degree in Mass Comm with an emphasis in journalism in 2011.
Just last year, Erik and Joram’s paths crossed and they felt they could create a band together. So, they did. With Joram (Lead Vocals), Erik ((Rhythm Guitar/vocals), Tyler Herrmann (Drums & Erik’s brother), Erik Herrmann Sr. (Bass & you probably guessed by now, Erik’s dad) and Robert Holden (Lead Guitar), they formed the rock & roll group, Slow Apollo.
Enjoy this chat with Joram & Erik.