Personally, I have enjoyed Sammy & Raquel – The Duo during dinner while I was out to eat before, and they are something special. So good, I find myself searching them on Instagram to listen to small clips they post all the time. The Duo have given us some insight on what they have been up to, what they hope their music does for others, and what they have planned for the future.
Please list all members.
Sam Souza and Raquel McCabe.
Where are you from?
Nutley, New Jersey.
How long have you been a duo and how did you get started?
We have been a duo for over six years now. We have known each other since elementary school and didn’t discover each other’s love for music and performing until late high school where we started our duo group. Sammy is a self-taught musician. He learned how to play the guitar at the age of nine by watching his father play songs from the Grateful Dead, Neil Young, etc. I (Raquel) started taking singing lessons in middle school, two years after my father passed away unexpectedly. He was also a singer and aspired to break into the music industry. She felt that the best way to honor his memory was to follow in his footsteps and become a performer.
When we ultimately got together to play music live, we began playing gigs in local restaurants around our hometown of Nutley. We then began booking with clients for private parties, corporate events, cocktail hours, and weddings (and have even written a first dance song for a wedding in 2015, which will be featured on our EP, titled “The Mountain Song”), and have been building up a client list ever since. Although we love playing for these types of events, our true passion/goal is to try and focus more on original music and get it out there for others to hear what we have meticulously worked so hard to put together.
How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard you before?
We like to think that our music is very unique and individualized. We share a passion for music across many decades and genres. When we write original music, we like to incorporate the genres of music that have influenced us such as alternative rock, folk, and blues.
What was your latest release of music and can you talk about that a bit?
We are actually in the midst of writing and recording our very first EP. We have been writing songs for over six years, but with the music we are writing today, and the meaning behind each and every song, we feel that we are most ready to have an audience listen to us.
What is your writing and recording process like?
We have always had a deep-rooted love for relatable and moving music—lyrics that are beyond clever, but clever for a higher purpose. We write and compose our songs from experiences we have had throughout our lives, and also the lives of those around us. I write the lyrics and Sammy writes all of the music. We hope that our music can not only be something to want to listen to for an audience, but something that is extremely relatable and personal for any/everyone. We both individually and collectively, have been in places where we felt very alone and misunderstood. We know that so many other people (like ourselves) have turned to music when they wanted to tune out the noise of things going on around them. We do hope to be the music that they can turn to for not only inspiration, but motivation.
What are current projects you are working on?
Currently we are working on the music for our first EP, but on the side, we perform at local restaurants and private events around New Jersey. We will be performing at Washington Park Tavern in Nutley on February 17, 2017, from 8-11:00 PM.
What are your goals for the future as a duo?
We have big plans of recording our very first full album. We believe wholeheartedly, that everything happens for a reason and that timing is everything. We do not like to rush our writing process as we find that some of our “best” songs come from moments of clarity or being in the moment.
On what music platforms can readers find your music?
We will eventually have our originally music up on our SoundCloud account (SammyRaquelTheDuo), and we do have an Instagram account (@sammyraqueltheduo). Lastly, we have a website set up for our business www.sammyraquel.wixsite.com/entertainment.
Be sure to catch Sammy & Raquel – The Duo at Washington Park Tavern in Nutley on Feb. 17.
