Marcus Vaughn
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Marcus Vaughn

Franklin, Tennessee, United States | SELF

Franklin, Tennessee, United States | SELF
Band Folk Singer/Songwriter

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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Press


"This Weekend's Good Deed: Rising Songwriter Rocco DeLuca at "White Light White Night" Fundraiser"

"Rocco DeLuca will be headlining this Saturday's summer party, White Light White Night. It's the big annual fundraising event for Walk With Sally, a local non profit that provides mentoring programs for children living with a family member with cancer.

Last month West Coast Sound's Molly Bergen praised a recent DeLuca performance, pointing out that the singer has the ability to "switch between a honeyed lilt to a vicious snarl in five seconds flat," and is a reliable purveyor of soothing, bluesy Dave-Matthews-esque vibes. People are starting to pay attention, and he's getting known through his Billboard hit song "Colorful."


Twenty-five year old Marcus Vaughn will open the show. The singer/songwriter/guitarist's debut album Ceiling Noise came out in April, after he spent two years recording and mixing the tracks from his tiny apartment.

Saturday's concert, catered with gourmet food and cocktails from local eateries, will be held at the South Bay BMW rooftop in Torrance. Walk With Sally's founder, Nick Arquette, is very closely tied to the cause, and as a tribute to his mother, the guests of White Light White Night will wear all white attire; a symbol of the healing power of the color white. Tickets are $100 or $150 VIP and doors open at 7 p.m." - LA Weekly


""We Are Here" - Marcus Vaughn"

As promised, I’m here to cure the hangovers from Falade’s Auditory Shots. We’ve got a really soft song tonight from new artist Marcus Vaughn, whose influences include Johnny Cash, Wilco, Tom Petty and My Morning Jacket.

I think what draws me to Marcus Vaughn’s music is the raw quality of it - it doesn’t have a trace of being drowned out by the production. And he’s got a soft voice. The chorus of this song really just melted my heart a little bit. - Sunset In The Rearview


"Marcus Vaughn, Ceiling Noise - Pop Journalism"

It’s been well documented that singer/songwriter Marcus Vaughn recorded his debut album in his apartment bedroom. So, it’s a huge surprise that Ceiling Noise is such a polished acoustic album. Every song is thoughtfully crafted, focusing around Vaughn’s folks-y pop melodies while dense electronic sounds drift in and out of your auditory landscape. Really, this is an open book about Vaughn. “Nevermind Me” showcases the downhearted rambler, “Your Blood in Mine” the hopeless romantic, but his most intense state of mind is the mourning of his brother; on “I Walk For Two,” Vaughn expresses, “Can you hear me now brother…/Lead me home/Where I came from/I’ll write you a song/for all the times we lost.” It’s a touching song that could have been a soft piano ballad, but is transformed into a fun reggae beat with some animated guitar work and shakers. My favourite track in particular, “Save My Soul,” reminded me of John Frusciante’s solo work with its dirty electro-static movements and low moans it’s the perfect blend of folk art and contemporary pop. (Independent) - PopJournalism.com


Discography

Ceiling Noise - (9 tracks) Self recorded/produced. Internet radio airplay still in effect.

Here In Your Arms (Single) - Internet radio airplay in effect

29 Days (Single) - Internet radio airplay in effect

Photos

Bio

Marcus Vaughn’s neighbors hate him. You can’t blame them. Recording an entire nine-song debut album in an apartment bedroom tends to generate some hard feelings with the folks next-door and downstairs. The set, appropriately entitled “Ceiling Noise,” is the culmination of almost two years woodshedding on protools, songwriting and vocals for the 25 year-old. While stylistically diverse, the record’s underlying theme revolves around Marcus’ relationships—with his girlfriend, father, a brother who passed away, the world he’s experienced and himself—and explores his connection to his musical influences that run the gamut from Johnny Cash to My Morning Jacket to Sigur Ros.

A guitarist by trade, Marcus moved to Nashville from Los Angeles in 2009 after the second of his two hyped bands broke up. It wasn’t to pursue a career in country but simply to be in a town that had an affinity for music in its soul and, frankly, cheaper rent. Once he arrived, Marcus eschewed playing out for staying in…and focusing not only on crafting songs for himself but also finding his voice: literally as a lead singer and figuratively as a solo artist—something he hadn’t done to this point as a lead guitarist and sideman.

The result is a collection of songs that reveal not only what he had to say as an artist but also what he was learning as a craftsman through experimentation with various recording techniques, sounds and styles. If one was to put a label on the result it would be alt-country, Americana or singer-songwriter; but Marcus’ mix of acoustic guitars with programmed keyboards, drums loops and layered vocal harmonies reaches beyond those musical borders.

All the songs except one are originals. And that one, “Newport Beach Memory,” is more of an adaptation than a cover. It’s a song Marcus’ father wrote in the 1980s and that he re-recorded adding some new lyrics and reworking the arrangement. It, along with two others (“I Walk For Two” and “Your Blood in Mine”), are odes to his family, which experienced the death of his younger brother a few weeks after his birth, making Marcus an only child. The dichotomy of familial emptiness and closeness caused by that tragedy certainly shaped Marcus’ outlook and is reflected in tracks such as “We Are Here,” “While The World Falls Apart,” “Save My Soul,” and “Shine On,” which was inspired by a conversation he had with Patrick Swayze at a guitar shop in L.A. shortly before the actor passed.

While the seeming darkness of the material is balanced with lyrical hopefulness, “Ceiling Noise” is definitely steeped in introspection making it the ideal debut for a musician who has decided to follow his own vision after years of collaboration and artistic compromise.

This album is a good beginning for Marcus, who’s not sure where it will lead other than the road for as many gigs as he can get. And regardless of what they think of his music, that’s something neighbors will very much appreciate.

Marcusvaughnmusic.com

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Contact: Seth Keller • SKM Artist Management, • 310.617.0700 • seth@skmartists.com