Tossing Guitars on Tour - an Interview with Marc Scibilia.
Photos, words, and interview by Sarah Evangelista
Sarah (The Music Enthusiast Blog): How's tour been so far?
Marc Scibilia: It's been awesome. We were in Europe couple months ago, and now we are in Canada.
TMEB: You were in Toronto last night…
MS: We were in Toronto last night and it was a legendary night. I’ve dreamt of playing the Opera House and the people were great! It was really special.
TMEB: You’re halfway done now, I think Montreal is just at the halfway mark.
MS: Wow! I get lost in them… So we're halfway?
TMEB: About a week or more so ago, you consumed too much meat. I want to know what happened. Was it a buffet situation gone wrong, or you just went ham on meat?
MS: See what happens is, I need about 5 hours from when I eat to sing. So I have to eat high protein - something that sustains for a long time, and I just think I didn't budget my time right.
TMEB: Have you figured out different types of way to get your protein in?
MS: I hate to say because I know there's a lot of people that are very passionate about being vegetarian, but for me, it's kind of the only way that I can really sustain not eating for 5 or 6 hours… Sometimes .Good smoothies or some almonds… Stuff like that.
TMEB: Other than that, are there any lessons you learnt the hard way on tour?
MS: I learnt the other day that you can't be sleeping five minutes before you walk on stage. I took an hour long nap and then I walked on stage, like 5 or 10 minutes later and I deeply regretted it. I was in a state of delirium and I couldn't catch my breath. I'm not going to tell you what city it was. They’d feel ripped off, but they did a good job.
TMEB: And this tour, too, you figured out a way to give your guitar to your stagehand in a more effecient way, which is throwing your guitar to them. How much practice did this take?
MS: Honestly, not that much. I throw my guitar to Chico most nights, and this is a faster changeover. He's a great and a very athletic guy. I wouldn't trust someone that wasn't as athletic as him. I don't throw that guitar great every night, but we've not dropped it yet.
TMEB: What are your favourite things to explore on the road?
MS: Probably thrift stores the most. I love finding a good thrift store when we're traveling. It's kind of a one man's treasure trash situation.
TMEB: What has been your best thrift store find?
MS: A lot of the jackets I wear are thrift store jackets, so I think they look really cool. I've looked for them for years, so I've got a lot of Letterman jackets and vintage Levi's.
TMEB: What's your fondest musical memory?
MS: Honestly, just a great show. I think playing in Toronto last night would be one that sticks with me for a long time, like a packed Opera House and people singing the songs that I've written. Those are really kind of unforgettable moments. It's hard to hard to replace those.
TMEB: Was music always your life aspiration?
MS: 100%, since I was six years old. I always remember thinking “I'm gonna do this for the rest of my life”. There was never really a question of if there was something else that was more interesting to me… maybe some other version of it, maybe like I wouldn't be an artist, or I would just be a producer. Maybe that would have been like a Plan B, but even that, I was like, I love performing and I love being in front of people. I love creating a night in a moment for people that they remember for their whole lives.
TMEB: Your ancestors had jobs in the music industry as well. Did they show you albums that stuck with you to this day?
MS: My dad more than my grandfather. My dad would play artists like James Taylor or Jim Croce, but definitely that guitar playing influenced how I like finger pick and do what I do.
TMEB: And with them having jobs to pay the bills on the side. Did you feel any kind of pressure to do the same?
MS: I was so young. My dad and grandfather both really encouraged me. My dad was like “you got to give it a shot and try to make music your life”, because he understood that life kind of gets in the way if you wait too long. So the only pressure I felt was that he really put me on his shoulders and to make them proud, but I know that at this point I probably made them at least somewhat proud.
TMEB: 100% definitely. I want to talk about your studio, because it is absolutely stunning. How long did it take to sort of like establish it as it is.
MS: The first piece of musical gear I ever got was a pretty cheap microphone and a 16 track recorder that you could burn CDs on. My dad took me down to Guitar Center, and they didn't have a ton of money. So it was just like, “this is the best we can get you”. I just started learning on it. I thought being an artist meant singing and signing autographs, and I did not think I wanted to get in a recording. I just was more interested in the front facing part of it. But I brought that thing home.
I remember the first time I ever layered a bass underneath a song that I had made, and I thought it was totally magical. It's kind of been a lifelong journey from the time I was 15 or 16 of having this multi track recorder, and I've just accumulated things. If I would produce a song for a friend, or if I would make some money at a gig, I would just save it up and try and buy another microphone. It's kind of the only thing I'd spend my money on, and that is that started 20 years ago, so that the studio is like a 20 year old project.
TMEB: Where do you find yourself finding new gear?
MS: I live in Nashville, so there's a lot of things just out and about on Facebook marketplace.
TMEB: What's your most prized possession in terms of recording gear?
MS: My favourite thing that I own is a early 70’s Moog model D. It's a musonic badge, which was like a weird production year for them. I think it's like a very early serial number. It could be one of the first 100 something model these ever made. I could be wrong about that, but the research that I've done… and I'm not great at research, says it's a very unique piece. But beyond it being rare and unique and all that stuff, it's just the greatest sounding thing.
TMEB: Do you always have the same process, or is it different every time?
MS: The same, but I try to vary it. I'd like to make people think I'm interesting and I just kind of have a blank canvas, but I have a template that I use which has the reverbs and delays I like. Generally the first thing I try and understand is the key in the tempo, and if I get the key in the tempo right, a lot of times the song kind of comes into place. But after that, it's like anything could happen. It's kind of like building a house… you might decorate it a whole bunch of different ways. You could change things, but you certainly want to know what the foundation is.
TMEB: Your new album More to This is stunning. And for the most part, it's written and produced all by yourself. Is this the first time that you did it all by yourself?
MS: Mostly. I did Seed of Joy, I think I did that entire album by myself because it was during COVID. I don't remember if I had any co-producers on it, but I've made a lot of music by myself, and at this point I'm relatively comfortable with it. I like that process, but I also really look forward to the day when there's great producers that help me.
TMEB: What was the hardest song to make for this project?
MS: Probably the song called “Beautiful Life”. I had made a version of it that went viral on Instagram and it was something I made one night. It's a little too big and it was cool as a video, but it wasn't as cool as a record. I kept trying to tweak it, I mixed it few different ways, we changed the key, and I had a mixer work on it. A couple days before I turned the album, I redid it one afternoon and I had a pretty clear picture.
TMEB: You also worked with Nolan Sipe on “One Day”, and he also produced the song with Robin Schulz that you are featured on. Did that connection come from that song?
MS: I was in Ireland and I was supposed to fly to Los Angeles to meet the new head of my record label. I got a call the day before I was leaving Ireland that said they were going to drop me. And I said “well, I've got these tickets to LA, maybe my publisher could set me up with someone and I'll just go there anyways”. So I flew to LA, and they set me up with a guy named Nolan Sipe, and I walked in the room. I didn't know him at all, but I could just tell he was a really smart guy, really thoughtful guy. He was about to have twin babies. I could tell that he knew what he was doing, because as a songwriter you want to make sure you bring the right ideas to the right people. I had this idea in my head and I give him this chorus and see what he does with it. So I played him the chorus, and he changed a couple things in the chorus, and then he immediately had a verse. It was the right guy, and really just elevated the song. Then we became the best of friends. Now, that was 10 years ago.
TMEB: If there would be a sandwich based off of your new album, what would be in the sandwich?… Thinking subway style, so the bread and everything.
MS: I'd probably just keep it pretty simple. Maybe, like some French bread toasted, some steak in there with aioli and maybe some grilled peppers and onions. That would go well with this album.
TMEB: And not too much meat.
MS: Not too much, unless there's no show.
TMEB: Exactly! My very last question for you is, who are your favourite artists right now?
MS: I love Tame Impala. Obviously everyone loves Doechii. I think she's super interesting. Lola Young… there’s lots of great music right now.
Catch Marc Scibilia on the rest of his North American tour:
Boston, MA - April 8
Hartford, CT - April 9
Washington DC - April 10
New York, NY - April 11
Philadelphia, PA - April 13
Charlotte, NC - April 15
Atlanta, GA - April 17
Nashville, TN - April 18
Phoenix, AZ - April 29
Solana Beach, CA - April 30
Los Angeles, CA - May 2
San Francisco, CA - May 3
Eugene, OR - May 6
Seattle, WA - May 7
Portland, OR - May 8
Vancouver, BC - May 9
Salt Lake City, UT - May 12
Santa Fe, NM - May 14
Cherokee, TX - May 16 (Festival)