UPDATED: Jan. 30, 2018 at 11:33 p.m.

A year ago, Marcus Suraci was struggling to stay afloat when he found his “lifejacket” in a room the size of a closet. The small music studio has opened a new world for Suraci as he explores his newfound sense of relief: music.

An artist, volunteer, father and zombie aficionado, Suraci produced his first album, “Eyes to the Sky,” with Milwaukee-based music label NiceFM in late 2017. He goes by the stage name of King Makis and draws inspiration from electronic, house and vaporwave music and hip-hop.

But six months ago, Suraci didn’t even know how to make music, let alone think it would become his career. Everything changed for the 32-year-old when, in search of something to keep him busy, he discovered the Central Library Makerspace at the Onondaga County Public Library.

“I started taking like every free class they offered,” Suraci said. “I was like a sponge … I started booking studio time to try and just mess around with the microphones and recording.”

Once Suraci had a few songs under his belt, he began promoting his work on social media, where he caught the eye of NiceFM. Soon after, the label set a release date for his debut album and began connecting Suraci with other artists to collaborate. Suraci’s music is now available on Spotify, iTunes, Bandcamp, SoundCloud and Google Play.

But things haven’t always worked out for the artist.

“I started trying to be an adult at a very young age and didn’t have a lot of guidance, so I made some very poor decisions,” Suraci said. “I found drugs to be an outlet … I was in and out of rehabs and in and out of halfway houses.”

Suraci ran into legal trouble when he was sentenced for up to seven years in prison for a felony charge. He endured a traumatizing experience in the prison system, and was soon devastated again when his best friend, Charlie, killed himself.

The two had gone through a lot together: Suraci considered Charlie his little brother and Charlie’s mother his “second mom.”

It took about a year for Suraci to get closure on Charlie’s death, said Patricia Triffo, Suraci’s mother. That peace came through music.

“Marcus wanted to go back and find out who Charlie really was inside, so he would go to his house and try to play some of his music,” Triffo said.

Suraci found a way to keep his friend’s memory alive at the Central Library in downtown Syracuse. He was looking to take classes at the Makerspace — where he’s now a regular at Friday knitting classes — when he found an intro to GarageBand workshop. Using public resources, Suraci pursued a developing dream without having to buy private studio time, which can be a costly deterrent for beginning artists.

“I made this commitment to myself after (Charlie’s) passing that I will figure out how to make music,” Suraci said. “It was one of those things … I knew I couldn’t let it go. I didn’t want to let it go with him.”

Since then, Suraci has delved into all the space has to offer: video and audio equipment, 3D printers, sewing machines, music marketing, yoga and poetry classes and open mic nights. He also teaches a few classes — one of which focuses on how to survive a zombie apocalypse.

“Hollywood zombies are a no-go … if it’s a running zombie, we’re done,” he said.

 

Angela Ricciardi | Contributing Photographer

 

When Suraci speaks about the librarians and those involved with the program, his face lights up. Librarians and people involved with the Makerspace said they’ve seen Suraci grow over the last six months and view his progress as their end goal.

“I think it goes along with our mission, which is offering access for everybody and empowering people to do the best they can do,” said Kathy Coffta Sims, communications director for Onondaga County Public Libraries.

Empowering resources and people are not hard to come by in Syracuse, Suraci said, but things could have just as easily gone in the wrong direction.

“(I) could either choose to do horrible things in Syracuse or I could do lovely things,” Suraci said. “Once I found a healthy outlet, Syracuse became a great place for someone like me to flourish.”

Triffo understands how different Suraci’s life could be had things not gone this way.

“I could’ve just as easily been Charlie’s mother, but I’m Marcus’ mother,” Triffo said.

She added that the people in Suraci’s life have done so much for him, and it’s given him “a purpose, it gave him a reason. It’s almost like he’s fighting for Charlie.”

Suraci said he hears Charlie in his music and knows that his friend would have supported him every step of the way. As for now, the artist is focusing on producing his next album, collaborating with local rappers and volunteering at the library.

Suraci said: “People would always tell me: ‘You’re going to do something. You’re going to be something.’ And no one could really tell me what it was.”

Support — The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). A free, 24/7 confidential service that can provide people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, or those around them, with support, information, and local resources. Crisis Text Line: 741-741. This free text-message service provides 24/7 support to those in crisis. Text 741-741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor right away.

Published on January 30, 2018 at 10:12 pm

Contact Lydia: lnilesst@syr.edu