Growing up in a house where music was regularly played, Kris was heavily influenced by his jazz drumming father, Gus Gustofson. The Bay Area’s thriving music scene in the 1980’s saw Kris perform with Punk Rock and New Wave Bands that eventually morphed into Heavy Metal after listening to bands that include Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Kris eventually auditioned and joined the soon to be signed metal act, TRAUMA. This group was able to perform many shows in Los Angeles and the Bay Area opening for 80’s metal giants that included Slayer, Exodus and Motley Crue. One night in 1983 at The Stone in San Francisco, TRAUMA signed a record contract on a bathroom wall with Mike Varney, the owner of Shrapnel Records. Later that year, the album Scratch and Scream was recorded. This recording would eventually propel Kris into many other musical projects. The album “Scratch and Scream” is considered a classic by many Heavy Metal Fans around the world. After relocating to Los Angeles, Kris was recommended for the melodic band, St Elmo’s Fire after meeting producer Dito Godwin. After numerous headlining shows at Gazzari’s and The Whisky, St. Elmo’s Fire was signed to a recording contract that had Kris performing on all four St Elmo’s Fire albums. After a lot of touring, Kris got an offer to join a new band in Switzerland with members of KROKUS. After two years, many flights back and forth and no record contract, Kris decided to move back to the Bay Area with his family and look for other opportunities. Currently, Kris continues to work with many different artist’s and producers in Los Angeles. Well versed in many styles of music, Kris records and tours internationally with performances that are full of power and precision. Also the owner of Rivet Records, Kris is releasing many styles of music from a variety of artists worldwide. TRAUMA was resurrected in 2013 with the re-release of Scratch and Scream. Beside drumming, Kris is now managing the daily activities and business deals worldwide for TRAUMA and Rivet Records. After being signed a second time by Massacre Records in Germany, TRAUMA added three more studio albums to their legacy after reuniting. Along with tours and festival appearances, the newest recording, AWAKENING, is the newest addition to the history of TRAUMA. Collecting a long list of recordings under his belt, Kris has been featured in many music magazines from around the globe.
Kris loves drumming and will always continue to listen to other drummers and music from many different genres.
