Marcelo Guimaraes

"A moment of fear. A victory. A broken heart. Loneliness. Desire. The stuff that allows us to be different from one another and yet forces us to be the same." These are the elements of inspiration Marcelo draws upon for his music.His thoughtful smile and warm eyes are a welcome indication of the music Marcelo has in store for you.

His work taps into a cross-section of genres, from bossa nova to jazz to rock. An exceptional guitarist and budding composer originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Marcelo’s love for guitar began as a teenager.

“I started singing in a choir in high school, back in Rio, and picked up the guitar at the age of 14,” he says.

“It was only a year later that I realized I was teaching myself how to play it upside down—lefty. It felt natural, of course.”

Marcelo, who now calls Penfield, NY, home, in suburban Rochester, describes himself as “an engineer by training and a musician by soul.” He says he discovered when he was very young that music and poetry were the most meaningful ways for him to express himself.

“Music and words have been a constant love in my life,” Marcelo says. “Women came and went. Music and words stayed.”

He talks about his music as a gateway—one that introduces listeners to his observations as an artist—and a labyrinth that welcomes people to sit down and listen. Even if only for a song or two.

Marcelo's first album, "Mind the Music," encompasses elements of bossa nova, jazz, rock and pop.He draws his inspiration from “people, situations, universal aspects of the human soul,” he says. “A moment of fear. A victory. A broken heart. Loneliness. Desire. The stuff that allows us to be different from one another and yet forces us to be the same. This incredibly complicated puzzle that we assemble and take apart everyday, all over the world, simply by being alive.”

His 2006 debut album, “Mind The Music,” is a rich blend of light, sensual and pulsating compositions that cover a range of emotions. By the time you're through listening, you'll have an audible portrait of a deeply passionate, yet centered, musician who surely has many more stories inside him.

In addition to playing out at some of Rochester's lower-key hangouts, Marcelo has also helped other people tell stories through the Rochester indy filmmaking scene—as a composer. He wrote the score for the short film, “Drug Dealer” in 2009. By the way, he also had an acting role in the piece, shot entirely at Rochester's Bamba Bistro. (see video below)

And what he doesn't find a way to share musically, he puts into prose.

“I also have plans to publish a book of short stories,” he says, “Paranormal. Scary stuff. Sometime soon.”

And another chapter unfolds.

See more: www.marcelomusica.com and on Facebook

Say hi: marcelo@marcelomusica.com

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Marcelo wrote the music score in "Drug Dealer," from Rochester's Speed Hump Pictures. He also acted in the film.