Marc Scibilia @ The Strand
by Juliette Paige
2017-11-26
Marc Scibilia
November 7, 2017 @ The Strand (Providence, RI)
By: Juliette Paige
Marc Scibilia opened for Mexican classical guitar duo, Rodrigo y Gabriela at The Strand in Providence, and is touring the east coast until the end of November. Scibilia began his career when his concerned high school guidance counselor sat him down and asked, “What are you going to do? Go to Nashville and write songs?” Scibilia promptly took her advice, moved from Buffalo to Nashville, and began his journey as a singer-songwriter. Since then, he has thrived as an independent artist by releasing singles, covers, and collaborations. His influences as a singer-songwriter are so fluid that it has led him to tour with diverse artists such as James Bay, Gavin James, John Oates, Robin Schulz, and now Rodrigo y Gabriela.
When I entered The Strand, which is normally a standing concert venue, I was surprised to see the bottom General Admission floor lined with chairs. The venue was filled with an older crowd, all whom seemed to be loyal Rodrigo y Gabriela fans, but everyone respectfully gave Scibilia their attention when he walked on stage and began his opening solo set. Scibilia started on the piano with an acoustic version of his newest collaboration with German DJ Robin Schulz, ‘Unforgettable.’ Having been used to the upbeat, pop version of the song, the stripped-down version was not only refreshing to hear, but also set a calm vibe for the concert.
Scibilia then played a number of songs off of his debut album, Out of Style, including ‘Better Man’ and ‘When the World Breaks,’ which transitioned into a surprising cover of Drake’s ‘Hotline Bling.’ While the audience may not have been loyal folk singer-songwriter fans, Scibilia made an effort to connect with the audience by telling stories about his career and family between songs. He spoke about his bold move from Buffalo to Nashville, how he and his brother grew up in a family musicians, and how his mom (A.K.A. his number one supporter) recently made an Instagram account and loves seeing his journey as a musician.
He continued with an acoustic version of ‘How Bad We Need Each Other,’ a more upbeat song that had everyone smiling and nodding along to the lyrics, “Time will show, show, show / That people gonna be okay / Storms never come to stay / They remind us how bad we need each other.”
His set closed with ‘Jericho’ and finished with an intense guitar outro that definitely grabbed the audience’s attention. While Marc Scibilia’s music is vastly different from Rodrigo y Gabriela’s, I feel that Scibilia strategically picked his acoustic set to give a wholesome taste of his folk, pop, and country influences. It definitely was a tough crowd to please, but Marc’s charming and approachable personality made it easier to connect with the audience. Overall, Marc Scibilia’s talent and humbleness was a pleasure to watch, and I hope to see him live again with a full set and band.
