Interview: Margo Macero
By: Rob Smittix
RRX: How are you today?
MM: I’m very good.
RRX: Well that’s good. We’re very much looking forward to the Upstate Unplugged at White Lake Studios, with you coming up. This one’s November 19th because of Thanksgiving getting in the way of things. I know you got some something kind of special going on at that event if you wanna maybe tell us a little bit about what’s gonna happen at White Lake.
MM: Absolutely. Traditionally we’ve had the band there and I wanted to do something different. I never get the opportunity to really do semi-acoustic shows. I think it’s more humbling. Sometimes when I’m just screaming on the guitar, people look at me like I’m gonna actually project through the roof. But I wanted to really capture a humbling and intimate setting, especially with the other musicians, the other cats in the group. It really gives us a chance to take the songs that are upcoming on the album to really dissect them and put them in more of a raw form. Because when we’re playing full blast with the band, I mean… we work really hard on that, but a lot of things can get hidden in the mix. I suppose you could say from a musical standpoint it’s very vulnerable. The more that I think about a semi-acoustic set, I really wanna channel that more often. The process of growing as a musician, it really accelerates that. So, yeah, I’m stoked about it. It’s gonna be different, it’s gonna be a little bit more raw and vulnerable, that’s where we wanna put ourselves.
RRX: No, I like that a lot, especially in the setting at White Lake, these Upstate Unplugged concert series are just some of the coolest things I’ve ever been to. Yeah, I think that’s the way to do it. It’s so intimate already but the approach that you’re taking is gonna bring it that much further.
MM: Yeah, definitely, I mean White Lake… those guys over there, the whole team and what they do there for the Upstate Unplugged and showcasing musicians from all over in that setting is really special and unique. I’m not just saying that because I’m a signed artist to Bridge Road but I actually mean that. There’s not a lot of places that do that within a studio setting so it’s really cool.
RRX: It is and you know, you are one of my favorite local music artists by far. It seems like you’ve been branching out quite a bit, getting some reactions other places in the country. How’s that been going for you?
MM: I got lost in Chicago. I got lost in Boston. I got lost in Vermont and you know what? I even got lost in Key West by myself for a little while playing some music. Every place is different and I had no idea what I was walking into, but I did play songs from my upcoming record and the response was kind of overwhelming. So it’s really cool. I’m just really grateful.
RRX: Well, you make good music and it’s universal. I don’t think it’s gonna matter where you go, I think there’s gonna be people that are just really gonna dig it. It’s funny that you got lost. I mean… Chicago is huge, I could see you get lost there. Boston’s pretty big too but GPS is a thing now and you should try it.
MM: Oh yeah, definitely. I believe we were in Ohio and we were trying to get into a hotel and the hotel was all kind of messed up because there was a tornado the night before. You really never know what you’re gonna run into and I’m just very fortunate and very lucky to be able to make music and go to places I’ve never been. It’s all a great experience.
RRX: Absolutely. So wow, the hotel got hit by the tornado?
MM: Yeah, it was something like that, don’t quote me but it was some kind of weird tornado thing where we set up and everybody was waiting in the lobby in the middle of the night. It was very strange.
RRX: I don’t know but I could see a song being written out of that.
MM: I wasn’t gonna say it but I sure did write a song and I’m just gonna spoil the very first line of it “Because I woke up in Ohio,” that’s the very first line of it. I can’t go any further than that.
RRX: Is that something that would be on the new record? Possibly coming out in 2027?
MM: Possibly. Basically, I’m always writing and I got a little arsenal going on, so whatever cohesively fits the debut record will probably land there but anything that’s not… I kind of just, you know? I leave it open for opportunity.
RRX: It’s good to have that arsenal of music too, because it might not fit on this one, but you never know? Some artists bring up records that they’ve written songs on from a decade ago. Like now is the time for it, you know?
MM: Totally, I agree, man.
RRX: As a songwriter and I mean… you have the band that backs you up but you are not just the front woman, the band had your name on it. So it’s your thing entirely and everybody cohesively comes around you and supports you. I’m only saying that because I have a band but realized now that we’re not doing anything and I’m kind of like a free agent. I have not had writer’s block for like 2 years straight since the band hasn’t been active and I started thinking about it, like a little epiphany or a light bulb came on. I’m like, oh, because I was always writing for the band and now I’m writing for myself. But I don’t know, having a project with your name on it like you, do you ever run into issues like that as far as the writing process?
MM: My thing is, I really try to keep the whole bigger picture as simple as possible. I love to play music, I love to write music, I love to perform and there is always with any job going to be an outside factor that is going to negatively affect that or positively affect that. I think you just gotta be your own best judgement on what is pulling you and what is not, in a good or bad manner. I mean, in all honesty, sometimes it’s hard, sometimes I get writer’s block and other times I don’t but when I do, I really try to just simplify everything and listen to myself, stay true to myself and just keep doing what I love to do. At the end of the day, with or without anything that’s going on, I’m always gonna play music and I’m always gonna write. That really helps me navigate truly.
RRX: I love talking to other songwriters because everybody has their own way of doing it. Sometimes you write around the riff, sometimes the lyrics come first. With that process for you, does it seem to be more music first, lyrics first, or balance of both?
MM: I love that question. For years I would write the song, the sound with the foundation of an electric guitar and I’m kind of all over the place sometimes, especially back then. I used to be a lot more technical on guitar and I would generally write a song and I’d be like wow this is a crazy thematic riff. I kind of pushed the melody away of the song and I got too distracted by that. What I started doing a couple of years ago was I would sit on an instrument that I’m not very good at it like piano and I would try to write. I trained myself to write on an instrument that I didn’t know much about and that honestly made all the difference. In doing so it kind of provided a pathway for me when I do get back on the guitar. For me, I always have to say to myself, don’t overthink this, just sit down and sing what you feel and a lot of times it won’t make sense but then something hits. It’s really interesting how that works. If you’re a wicked seasoned player and you wanna be a songwriter, it’s almost like you have to forget and unlearn a lot of things that you learned. Which is wild. In my opinion, in my vein of music, songs should not be complicated. You’re trying to sing your feelings, your heart, your heartache and your victories. You want people to be able to understand that. Years ago, there’s no way, there was so much poetry and technical aspects of guitar that it was like what is this woman even talking about? But fortunately, with this debut album I have been able to really channel that concept and I feel really good about it. I want this record to be extremely cohesive. That’s how I wrote the music. I kept that in mind. I wanted it to be as cohesive as possible. And as we were tracking it, sometimes I felt like I was getting away from that. So luckily David Bourgeois, my manager allows me to have creative control in that aspect. Now we’re really shaping it and I’m just floored by what I’m hearing and by what we’re doing. I’m really proud of everybody. I’m proud of myself too. I I think it’s gonna be phenomenal.
RRX: I’m proud of you too.
MM: Yeah and I don’t get to say that much so it feels really good to say that. I’ve been playing music for over 20 years and I never felt in my life that I could write music like this and have a whole entire plan and a vision for it.
RRX: Well, it’s good to have David in your corner. It’s great to have White Lake, Bridge Road and everybody backing you up. It couldn’t get any better than that. And when playing music for 20 years, usually when you start out you have stars in your eyes and then they fade a little bit. You know? It’s like, alright, maybe I’m just always gonna play a Wednesday night at a dive bar but whatever, at least I’m doing it. But it seems like that’s not the case for what you have going on, you could really make a dent here in the music world.
MM: Maybe, you never know.
RRX: Well, you got my support . Anything you’d wanna say to the people to encourage them to come out to Whitelake Studios for Upstate Unplugged on Thursday November 19th? Because these tickets sell really, really fast!
MM: They do so fast. If I could say to anyone out there, first off, thank you for the support and secondly everyone who listens to music and supports live music, especially locally based stuff, they keep it going. I can’t do this without people who show up. I’m really grateful and if you can get there, get there! If you can’t, hey, I will catch you next time around the sun. That’s my thing.
RRX: That’s right. And it will be live-streamed if you can’t make it there, so you can always go to the YouTubes to watch. Margo, it’s been a pleasure as always and we’ll be seeing you pretty damn soon.
MM: Looking forward to it.
Margo Macero Thursday November 19th 7:30pm
Upstate Unplugged
White Lake Studios
26 Vly Rd. Albany, NY 12205
Get Tickets HERE!
