In the BUZZ – Passion and a kind heart lead to success for Philly rocker Carmen Magro
Passion and a kind heart lead to success for Philly rocker Carmen Magro
Written by Paul Simpson
PA Music Scene
September 2011
Like many local kids, Manayunk native Carmen Magro spent much of his youth playing in cover bands around Philadelphia and at the Jersey Shore. And, like many, at a certain age Magro put his rock star dreams on the shelf and went straight. Even the grass he studied in college was legit–Magro received a degree in Agronomy from Penn State, specializing in turf management. By day, the 43-year-old married father of two (with number three due in October) works as a “green technology” consultant, developing methods that provide efficient, eco-friendly management systems for large spreads of grass, such as golf courses. However, his “free time” is increasingly spent managing a musical career that has begun to take shape like a well-tended green; Carmen Magro, musician, is back and on the verge of breaking out, and it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
Magro drew much of his early inspiration from his parents, whom he lost at an early age. His father died when he was ten years old, and his mother succumbed to breast cancer eight years later. “When she was close to passing, she really tried to make me understand how much spirit I had inside of me to play my own music and sing,” he recalls. “When she passed away I remember walking home from the hospital, sitting down at our old piano, and playing my first song. I have focused on writing and performing my own music since.”
The multi-instrumentalist singer says he never really gave up music, just relegated it to hobby status for a long time. That began to change when he wrote a song about a young drunken-driving victim called “A Miracle In Me,” and performed it at a fund-raiser for the critically injured young man. Fifty CDs he had brought along to donate to the event sold out at $10 apiece. Encouraged, Magro began writing more and preparing his earlier songs for public presentation. He describes his genre as “country/rock crossover,” but the key word for him is “passionate”–“I paint a story with every song, and I want my music to be felt as much as heard.”
One of his new pieces, “America,” was inspired by his World War II veteran father, and became an anthem to those who have served. Magro sent a copy to long-time New York producer Arty Skye, who invited him to his Manhattan studio to record the song. Released as a single on iTunes, “America” led to a performance on CBS 3’s Talk Philly program, and an invitation to perform at a benefit concert for the Wounded Warrior Project in Harrisburg. His band’s strong performance there led to an invitation to perform at the “Rev it Up” Juvenile Diabetes benefit concert at Lehigh University’s 6000-seat Stabler Arena earlier this month, opening for “American Idol” finalists Crystal Bowersox and Eliott Yamin, both of whom are diabetic (unfortunately, this event was postponed).
Magro says that his personal favorite song is one called “Come Alive,” which was inspired by a dream in which he saw “an angel, or some guardian looking over me. I felt alive and knew she knew everything about me. I truly feel alive when I think of that vision.” Magro says his mother remains by far his biggest inspiration: “She told me that I have music in me and not to ever turn my back on it. I did for a while, but now I feel her more than ever. I have no worries, as I know she is always with me. I’m grateful for all she left in me, and I’ll always spend the rest of my life trying to make her proud.”
Magro and Skye have just pressed a six-song EP, which should become available later this month. Magro and his band–featuring Chuck Scarpello on bass, Mark Burkert and Rob DeSimone on guitars, Dave Murphy on drums, and Brianna Farr on saxophone and supporting vocals–will be performing at The Rusty Nail, Ardmore, PA, on 9/24; Hump Day at Mad River, Manayunk, PA on 9/28 (supporting Hydrocephalus Awareness Month); The Legendary Dobbs, Philadelphia, PA, on 10/14.
