Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Catalano.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
Born in Youngstown, Ohio, and raised in the suburb of Boardman, Mark Catalano was heavily involved in his public school’s Grammy award-winning music program.
At age 11 he started writing and recording his own music, formed a band, and then went on to win several music competitions and record four albums with his band Another Found Self. After a few national tours, radio and TV appearances, Mark packed up his hatchback and headed to LA in 2009.
Since moving west, Mark has written, produced, and recorded numerous albums and singles for himself and other artists, and has scored music for several award-winning commercials and films.
He currently lives in West Hollywood with his wife, baby girl, and dog.
Please tell us about your art.
Well, I make music. I’ve been basically captivated by music since I was a very young kid. I thought it was magic. I still do.
“Music is probably the only real magic I have encountered in my life. There’s not some trick involved with it. It’s pure and it’s real. It moves, it heals, it communicates and does all these incredible things.” ~ Tom Petty.
I have a memory of hearing the song Kokomo by the Beach Boys on vinyl in the living room of my parents’ house. I must have been about eight years old. It didn’t make sense to me how a song could sound so polished and perfect. I wanted to understand it.
I have other similar memories that have stuck with me from around that same time. Once my (older) brother, who was my musical north star, told me that I had to hear a song. He had recently bought a black light, which was the only light on as I laid down in our shared bedroom and closed my eyes. The sound was haunting and beautiful. It was The Crystal Ship by The Doors.
If I had a time machine, I would go back to see my dad’s high school band play in the Idora Park Ballroom in Youngstown, Ohio. That’s a side of my dad that I’ve never really gotten to fully see. We had an organ, a mic hooked up to a cheap karaoke machine, and an acoustic guitar in the basement. I remember roller skating around the basement as my dad played the organ. I began singing more often. I would try to play along to records on the acoustic. My brother bought a drum set when I was 10. I started writing lyrics and coming up with band names. I found friends to make noise with. It was the beginning of a long road.
I’m now almost 32, and at this point I’ve tried a very eclectic mix of music opportunities. The road to supporting myself with music has been winding for a while. I began recording and released solo singer-songwriter music, recorded and released music with original bands, did the DIY touring thing for a while, sold merch at shows, played in a cover band, played in a wedding band, played as a sideman for other artists, played on the radio and TV, worked as a live audio engineer, did the music and audio for a podcast, produced a few records, composed music for a web-series and some commercials and films, and taught many private music lessons along the way.
I’ve learned a lot from all of those different avenues, and it’s given me the freedom to be able to work on music from start to finish all on my own when I want. Some people prefer to get really great at one thing, like playing bass or engineering. I have always thought for myself that it would be more beneficial to learn multiple instruments and different recording and mixing techniques as best I can, even if I don’t ever get virtuosic in any of those individual skills. As a songwriter, I don’t want to have a singular focus. My craft is about getting the ideas out of my head and into a recording. So I need to have an understanding of a lot of different angles, and I want to be able to kind of do it all. For instance, I’ve been learning ukulele and piano the past few years because I think that they can be great tools and sources of inspiration. I guess it’s a control thing. The more I know, the more freedom I have with my song arrangements. I’m very meticulous, so I end up diving pretty deep into things. I think the trick is to keep yourself interested in learning new things, and music is a constant source for that. Whenever I didn’t have the money to pay someone to do something, like mastering, I would just figure out how to do it myself so I could keep moving forward. I just want to see my ideas realized.
My cousin Dale started to show me how to record my own demos when I was about 12. By the time I was 15, my band was entering any battle-of-the-bands we could to win studio time. That actually worked five or six times. From there, I just kept going, learning everything I could and constantly saving for the next piece of gear I needed. I always considered everything I bought, whether it be a new guitar or a microphone or whatever, to be an investment and then I would figure out how to make back that investment.
So, these days I look back at my roughly 22 years of training and think I’m in a pretty good place. One of my prouder moments was releasing my LP “The Former & The Latter” in 2013. More recently, I just finished producing an EP called “Future Self” for an artist named Danny Fitch, which included some new challenges. I had never before recorded live strings or horns, but I was very happy with the results. Moving forward, I’ll be putting my focus back into my own music for the next year or two. Anyone who’s interested can keep an eye out for a new EP from me later this year.
Choosing a creative or artistic path comes with many financial challenges. Any advice for those struggling to focus on their artwork due to financial concerns?
My advice would be to accept the fact that you will probably have to work multiple jobs for a while. You will have to get smart with money and find ways to save money to invest in things like better gear. With music, you usually either need to be working on your music in the evenings or going out and meeting people in your music community in the evenings when you’re not working. So, it’s usually good to find a flexible day job that won’t keep you from your music work at night. If you can make your own hours, or work remotely, even better. Pretty much throughout the entirety of my 20s I had to also keep my bills low and simple because there were a lot of music opportunities that I had to take that didn’t pay much. You’re playing a long game, so be smart. Take the crappy gig, and do a really good job on it. Because somebody will see you doing great on that crappy gig and it will lead to a better one. I’ve also been surprised sometimes about who I’ve run into years later. It’s uncanny. Remember that guy you did a gig with ten years ago? Yeah, you’re going to see him again and you’re going to want him to have a good memory of you. Make no mistake, your reputation is everything.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Anyone who wants to check out my work or find links to my social media etc. can go to MarkCatalanoMusic.com.
People can also just search for Mark Catalano on whichever online music platform they use.
Last but not least, I serve as the music director for the band Fitch & The Fog. You can see us performing every-other Friday night at The Rhythm Room in DTLA from 9:30-12:30 for our “Soul Spectacular” residency.
Contact Info:
- Website: MarkCatalanoMusic.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @MarkCatalanoMusic
- Facebook: facebook.com/MarkCatalanoMusic
- Other: Youtube.com/MarkACatalano
Image Credit:
Melissa Ciesla, Kelly Elaine Garthwaite
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