A Coffee Talk with Marc Del Giudice
By Kate Maldjian, Contributor
Photo by, Kris Khunachak
Meet Marc Del Giudice
While skating between shows at Red Bank’s annual PorchFest there was an act that quite literally made me stop in my tracks. Marc Del Giudice stood alone on a porch with a mic and guitar, blasting out original indie rock tunes and a few covers to a slowly gathering crowd of similarly intrigued passers-by. I later discovered that Marc was a Fort Lee native that was no stranger to the NJ music scene—having played in venues across the state since he was 18. He’s currently making a name for himself across Hoboken and Jersey City, with a debut single “Daylight Hours” coming out later this week on April 5th.
I sat down with Marc for a cup of coffee in downtown Red Bank to discuss the upcoming single and answer a few questions:
A self-portrait, by Marc
Would you rather…
live in a world without pizza or a world without tacos?
I’d think about it but there’s not much to think about…I don’t want to live in a world without pizza. Easy. I love tacos…but come on! It’s pizza.
Some questions with Marc Del Giudice
What made you realize that you wanted to pursue music?
When I was little … I wasn’t good at school. I wasn’t failing or anything, but my parents would get calls from the teacher like “this kid can’t pay attention”. I was never good at sports. It was always a struggle to fit in or just, like, get a compliment even. So one day—this is so lame—but I brought my harmonica to school. I was like 10. And my teacher says to me “You’re gonna go up and play this in front of the class.” Everyone was ready to laugh. They thought I was going to suck. But I did pretty good, and everyone was pretty surprised.
So your first performance was because your teacher called you to the front of the class??
That and then I decided to throw my own show at recess every day. Air guitar, Doors music, the whole deal. After that, I was pretty sure that’s what I wanted to do with my life.
How long have you been playing in NJ? How would you describe the current music community here?
I’ve been performing in New Jersey since I started playing shows at 18. I was in a five piece band, Morningside Lane, for a long time. We played Asbury a lot. We played a sold out show at Asbury Lanes a little while back and that was really cool. I like places like Asbury, where you can bounce around from show to show. There’s that kind of buzz in the air.
But ever since I’ve been performing on my own, I’ve been playing in Jersey City and Hoboken a lot. There is a big scene over there right now. I started with open mics, met some people, and kind of fell into a community. There will be a show somewhere that we’ll go to, and then right after go catch our other friend’s show at the next place. It’s a very broad community too, with a lot of people that go beyond music like artists, comedians, even tarot-readers and holistic healers.
I’ve only seen a few shows in JC, but one of them was at Pet Shop. Do you ever go there?
Oh yeah there’s shows there all the time! You can play upstairs, but the best is the basement. They’ve got this sort of grungy basement. I’ll play a basement like that any time, anywhere. There’s a certain type of intimacy when you’re down there. I love that.
How would you describe your music style?
Indie-Rock Singer/Songwriter. That’s the best way to describe it. It’s not too familiar, there’s elements that make it my own. I’m inspired by Bleachers, Dayglow, a million people, you know.
What can we expect from this debut single?
My first single “Daylight Hours” is dropping 12 AM April 5th, with a music video we shot on the water in Hoboken dropping at 12 PM, and then a release show at 8 PM that night. So that’s a big day!
I feel like I reinvented myself with this song in particular, I’m alright with it defining me. I feel like the lyrics are exactly what I want to say, and the music is exactly how I want it to feel. It’s the blueprint for whatever gets released after.
How did that song come to be?
I had a garage band open and… I wanted an upper. I wanted something fast. And that’s what came out. The lyrics too. I feel like in a way my subconscious kind of wrote it. If you just try to write it I don’t think that works. Even if you write a song about someone else or something else, your subconscious still writes about you.
Who was a significantly influential family member growing up?
My grandfather and dad. My grandfather was an opera singer in Naples, Italy. My whole father’s side really was in the Naples art scene—the writers, the artists, the singers, the poets. My grandfather was in that. Then he came here in ‘69. My dad came the year after.
It’s funny, I feel like in some ways I’m like my dad but I’m also like my grandfather too. My grandfather was super proactive in anything he did. If he wanted to do something,he would do it! My dad is a little more soulful. He introduced me to all the bands, and encouraged my love for music. He saw what I was doing as a kid with the harmonica and said “There’s something here. You should learn guitar.” And after that, that was pretty much it.
What were some of your other early influences?
The first thing I ever remember was hearing one of my favorite singers, Pino Daniele from Naples. I still listen to him all the time. Then I just absorbed whatever I could. Hanson, I was a big Hanson fan. And then Bruce happened. Forget it. That was it!
Of course there was also The Doors, The Temptations. Gaslight Anthem, that happened right in front of us, that was really cool to see. You find music, you know, everywhere.
If you were offered a free tattoo what would you get, and why?
A cardinal. It’s strange, they always say that when you see one, it’s somebody visiting…and I’ve just started seeing a bunch after my grandfather died. Whenever I see that it makes me feel less alone.
If you had a magic walkie talkie that could only talk to one person dead or alive who would it be?
Abe Lincoln.
Abe Lincoln!? That’s a little random!
Yeah I just recently watched Lincoln, and I’ve got a lot of questions.
Where would you say you get your inspiration from most often when it comes to writing the songs?
You have to be able to take in the moment. For me, it can be anytime that I feel free. Not burdened. You have to look for those moments, and honor it in a way. To sit down and get something out of it, even if it’s just a line or a verse. I feel like whatever you write in the moment, is exactly what’s going on in your life at that moment, maybe not always literally but the essence of it.
What is the scariest reply to get in a text message? Why?
Oh man…”Don’t Look Up”.
What motivates you to keep making music?
I feel like music gives me purpose. It’s saved me so many times. It’s kept me out of trouble, it’s kept me honest, made me a better person to people. I always try to honor and respect this thing that I’m able to do. I don’t want to be an ugly or nasty person to people, I feel like that doesn’t inspire me. I don’t want to ever take my ability to make music for granted. As long as I have that—the songs—I’ll always be who I am.
Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)
“Daylight Hours” debuts Friday, April 5th with a music video and release show that same day !!
You can pre-save “Daylight Hours” here and follow Marc on instagram here @MarcDelGuidice