Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Paul D’Agostino. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Paul thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

When I was 14 I went to a friends house after school. This particular friend was a drummer and had a drum set in his basement. So he a a few of my other friends that played guitar all started jamming. Since I didn’t know how to play guitar or any instrument, I sat and watched them in envy wanting so badly to be playing with them. It was at that point that I knew I wanted to learn guitar. That was almost 30 years ago. Playing guitar opened up so many doors for me, in particular collaborating with other talented musicians and playing in a number of bands.
To speed up the learning process of not only playing guitar but also playing in a band, I would try and learn from other musicians that are more experienced than you. Never be embarrassed to ask a question pertaining to music.
To play in a band I believe that you need not only the skill to play your instrument but also people skills. Patience, understanding, and listening are vital skills to have when you are dealing with the psychology of a band.
Like everything, life gets in the way sometimes of pursuing your passion. When my first child was born I hung up my guitar for 2 years and didn’t play in any bands. However after a few years I had such a yearning to get back into music that I joined my current band Canamara. That was over 10 years ago.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Canamara was started back in 2010 as a hard rock original band. It has gone through many changes throughout the years but has always kept its goal- making kickass hard rock original music for the masses to enjoy! Canamara has played all over New Jersey including The Stone Pony, Dingbatz, Brighton Bar, Anchor Rock Club, and many other venues.
We are constantly writing newer material for all to enjoy and are very proud that we have never deviated from writing really great riffs, awesome beats, and lyrics that will surely move you.
A year ago Canamara was lucky enough to be blessed with a female vocalist named Niki. Having a female frontwoman changed the whole dynamic of Canamara. The songs take on a different meaning, the energy is stronger, and Niki provides such feeling when she sings.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me personally, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the fact that I can share my talents with other very talented musicians and create music. One thing that has always struck me as being so cool is the fact that when Canamara writes a song, no one in the world except for the 5 of us has heard this song before. Its a feeling that only a musicians can have. I always got butterflies when the crowd claps for us at the end of our songs. It feels to me like all of the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the songs that we wrote was worth everything.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

One of the biggest gut punches of being in a band is playing a show to an empty room. Its unfortunate that the internet and music streaming services have saturated us with so much music at our fingertips that most people don’t really care about new music from underground artists. The best thing to do is ALWAYS support local artists. If you are in a band and playing first, stay until the end of the show and support every band. Tag them on social media, share pics and vids of them, stay in close contact.
I like to spread the word to our fans and ask them to not only support Canamara but to also support the other artists that we play with.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canamaraband/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/canamaraband/?tsid=0.1261725833163797&source=result
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCU4x8Pgy8H6LKqcLhQugOiw
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5p9bN1442S0AIPn6tvGE8a?si=qoxFa_BQSnCK9VMVmtzCbg Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/canamara/1483707000