Michael Groisman, is a 26 year old electric guitar player. He immigrated two years ago to the United States from Israel to pursue his dreams and ambitions as a musician. Groisman’s father wanted him to start playing guitar at an early age, but at the time Groisman thought that it wasn’t “cool” enough. When he was around 13 years old he first heard the scorpions play and began to appreciate their fast guitar and his love for metal began to form. “When I heard the rock bands, the electric… I knew I wanted to play” he said with a soft smile. Since then he worked on his guitar and developed a unique style of melodic heavy metal, and wrote numerous of his own songs.
As he took the guitar in his hands 13 years ago, he knew it was the beginning of a new prolonged relationship. For about a year he was tutored by a music teacher and he later requested “I want you to teach me how the best guitarists play” but “the teacher did not know how to train me metal…and I said forget about it, and began training myself.” Groisman listened to Scorpions, Santana and other bands “I learned from them, from other musicians, and now I play my stuff.”
Groisman knew he had a gift. He got so good in his art that in Israel he began appearing in music competitions. At one of the auditions with an Israeli reality TV show Kokhav Nolad –( “A Star Is Born”) he was told that he can’t play guitar because Kokhav Nolad is only for singers, the determined Groisman replied “Oh, I don’t care, I want you to see how I play” after the judges heard him play, he was told to fly to the United States, preferably to LA, and make music his career.
That is exactly what he did. Though it was painful and hard to leave Israel his ambitions needed to be realized and he made the decision to come to the states. “It was sad to leave my family behind …in the beginning it was hard, but I came for the music” he says. Grosiman ended up in NY where he has some family, “I came here with nothing."
Now his videos are on you-tube, some of which number in the tens of thousands in viewers, leave people impressed and sorry for his guitar which “he obviously rapes…”. Some people even accuse the tape of being sped up because the fast playing at times seems unreal, but it is clear that while mike’s hands are moving very rapidly the rest of his body is moving regularly.
You can check out Groisman’s music here:
“In America my kind of music is more recognized, then in Israel. It’s different music in Israel, more Mizrahi, and not like Metallica.” While rock is very much appreciated in modern Israel it is still far by a long shot to the opportunities presented in the states, where a much a bigger and more diverse listening audience exists.
Rightfully so, Mike came here searching for opportunities. But forming a band is complicated he explains; finding talent and consolidating partnership amongst people who are all creatively inclined in different directions may be challenging. “’Listen when you have a band we will be able to help you.. Without a band it’s a problem.”, music producers said. But “It’s hard to find high level singers and players my style, to make a band” Groisman said.
There is also the problem that Mike has not been allowed to participate in many contests or talent exhibitions because he lacks American citizenship. Well, apparently even in the world of rock and thrash culture there is a need for officialdom, which could only mean a loss for the music industry.
They did allow him to play in the Apollo Theatre, and Arctica bar in NY, where he made an impression on everyone who saw him, though in the former there were more hoppers then rockers.
Now Groisman lives in Brooklyn, NY with his girlfriend. Groisman writes his own songs and to date has composed more than 15 songs. With the right people investing in him, Mike’s reputation as a solid talent and brilliant instrumentalist is not far from realization.
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