Sandro Carbone
A general contractor and entrepreneur by day and a singer by night, Sandro Carbone has been interested in music for as long as he can remember. He first joined an experimental metal band with his brother and a friend after high school. A couple years after they disbanded, he joined his current band which plays a mix of blues and rock, with inspiration from and an infusion of a variety of other music genres.
When Sandro Carbone is not at work or off jamming with his band in a friend’s apartment, he’s spending all the time he can with his wife and three-year-old son.
- What is your hobby?
I sing in a garage band with my friends. We play blues and rock music.
- How did you get started with this hobby? What inspired you?
I always took interest in artists’ voices. I can hear different pitches in a person’s voice and tell if someone is singing on or off key. I’m also always singing in my head.
My brother and I also shared a desire to make music. We rented a studio one day with a friend of ours and it’s just grown from there.
- Tell us what you love about it?
You have five people from completely different walks of life coming together to make music. We improvise all of the time so every second of music is new. We connect in a way that we can set up anywhere, any time and a song will come right out of us. Whenever we complete a song, we are just beside ourselves and completely elated because it came from us, came from our souls.
- What is your favourite thing about your hobby?
Being able to create something from nothing and performing for people. We get together at my friend’s apartment to play, and since my friend is a socialite, he always has people coming in and out of his place. Even if it’s only six people, I love performing for them.
- Have you ever performed in front of an audience elsewhere?
I did a stand-in for my cousin’s band in Sicily, Italy. He was playing a small festival along the beach of about 200 people and I sang two songs. It was amazing.
- How would you say your hobby has changed your life?
Through this band I’ve made lifelong friends. Even if we disband years from now, I know we’ll stay friends for life.
- Are there any groups you’re a part of that you attend related to your hobby?
My band and I like to attend concerts or live performances to get inspiration.
- In what other ways do you or your band find inspiration?
We send each other new music whenever we find something different and interesting. Also, before each session, we all listen to different types of music to get inspired throughout the week. Then when we get together, we create a mix of different sounds to keep our music original. Sometimes I’ll sing a bluesy tone over a Latino style music, yet we can make it work together.
- Were you always a fan of Blues music?
Not always. It came later in life. I liked it enough before I joined my band, but it was the band that truly made me appreciate this style of music.
- What advice do you have for others starting out with this hobby?
It’s not hard but finding success as a musician or singer has a lot to do with luck. As long as you’re passionate about it, you are already halfway there. Just keep your eyes open for any unexpected opportunities that come your way. And if you miss an opportunity, it’s okay, because that urge to play music never dies. You can just go about your life while waiting for the opportunity to come up again.
- Are there any other hobbies you have?
My other hobbies are whatever my three-year-old son’s hobbies are. If he likes trains and monster trucks, I like trains and monster trucks.
For more information: https://medium.com/@sandrocarbone/montreals-jazz-music-experience-453072639ade