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Through its resonant melodies and poignant lyrics, the song paints a vivid portrait of the emotional rollercoaster that comes with pursuing a dream in the face of adversity. At its core, ‘Strings of My Guitar’ serves as a window into the hidden struggles that musicians endure as they tread the path of their calling. The song touches upon the often-unspoken challenges that arise from pouring one’s heart and soul into a craft that demands unwavering dedication. It conveys the emotional weight of feeling destined for a vocation that, while rewarding, can be exhausting and emotionally draining.
From the age of 3, back in my humble and rough beginning in Contagem – Brasil, I was telling my cousin that I was going to become a famous rock singer. I also added that I would own a helicopter, be bald and have head tattoos haha! Not too sure about the last two parts now, but this shows that even before learning to properly communicate I already knew my calling. Little did I know though what it would actually take.
Music for me has been a relationship of love and hate, something very bitter-sweet. I would always try to force myself into a more conventional life, trying to follow other career paths, trying to make life happen without music, but it would always make me feel like I was betraying myself. Whilst I wish to succeed with all my heart to make all the past 13 years worth it, it also hurts to have dedicated so much money, time, effort, sweat and life energy towards something that hasn’t yet given the fruits I’ve planted for. The worst part being, the uncertainty of when these fruits will come.
The music industry has become harder than ever to infiltrate since now you are required to make your own fame before they even care to listen to you. Growing up, I spent endless hours listening to and studying the life of artists from a previous generation where all it took was a couple great songs and sending it in to the record label.
The payment from streams make it hard to actually “live well off music” no matter how much streams you’re getting, and it’s frustrating. It’s strongly segregated musicians into two main groups. Group one, which consists of over 90% of us who just put money in, dedicate their lives but still need to work something else to pay the bills. And group two, the small percentage that are natural influencers and entrepreneurs who by chance happen to also make music. These people utilize their fame to grab the attention of the gate keepers and get that extra push. I know I’m not the only one suffering in those 90% and it sucks to know how much great timeless music is just floating out there just because these people are professional musicians and not business people.
As a kid I would spend hours on end watching the DVD of Red Hot Chili Peppers live at slane castle, asking my mum to buy me those same red shorts and try to find a shirt like his. I would stay in front of the telly just dancing away and singing and imagining the sensation of being in Anthony Kiedis’ place. I could almost hear in my head all the crowd cheering and applauding. It would give me an immense buzz, I knew it was for me. Couple years passed and at 14 I would see myself trying to build up bands. In London building up bands is the easiest thing possible, the issue is getting musicians that aren’t hobbyists and view music as seriously as I’ve always perceived.
When you can’t connect your life’s purpose and dreams with like-minded individuals, the best thing to do is go solo. Which is exactly what I did. It felt good to become just Gabs Marco, to take full creative control, do things in my time which usually is fast-paced and to be able to dedicate fully to something I know depends only on myself now. The main difficulty of being solo is that everything is MONEY! You invest in everything alone, all your song recordings, music videos, photoshoots and even the band to accompany you on concerts. Can’t lie that I wish my parents were a little bit wealthier to help me invest in these parts. Every step that goes into a release and marketing is expensive and usually needs constant maintenance and re-investment.
My career and my feelings towards music have always been this rollercoaster, but I believe I have summed it all up quite accurately in the first verse of ‘The Strings of My Guitar’ with these lines:
As painful as it can be, I do hope all of you reading this can relate to this sensation in some way. If you are a struggling independent musician, then most definitely this speaks to you. However, I don’t think it’s limited to music, we all dedicate ourself to something which never comes easy, we all want a desired outcome from this life which usually is the hardest to reach, the one that throws the most hurdles our way. Most of us also face the lack of real family support, usually given only harsh judgement and non-constructive criticism instead.
