“Listening to Marcos made me feel like I was rediscovering Keith Urban. I couldn’t believe it – Marcos was f*cking cool!”
– José Bulevar, for Sala Galileo TV.
Born in Madrid (Spain) on May 20th 2000, Marcos Cabanas is a native of Rolle (Switzerland) – town in which he first picked up a guitar. Heavily inspired by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, U2, and more recently Chris Stapleton, Cabanas writes about the life and struggles of the common man, inhabiting positions in middle-class, American culture. In a mix of Southern and Heartland Rock, Cabanas was nurtured with the music of older generations, from where his distinct sound has developed. At only 23 years old, Cabanas has already released three studio albums – The Godfather (2017), Solitary Nights (2018), and From the Town of Lincoln, Nebraska (2020).
After spending some time away from music to serve in the Swiss Air Force and finish his engineering degree, Cabanas is back with his latest studio work, which dives into a 12 minute long songwriting production titled “Priest From Terre Haute”, having already garnered critical attention from 4x Grammy award winning artist Lyle Lovett, and leading industry executives.
Cabanas played what he considers his “first show ever” in 2012, in his native town of Rolle. From then on, he regularly performed at local bars and events. In 2014, his first major-break occured, as he co-headlined the Gilly Pop-Rock Festival, along with Gérald de Palmas and Chi Coltrane. From then on, even without a recorded demo under the arm, he was offered to co-headline multiple different festivals, including the Caribana Festival 2015 (co-headlining with Marilyn Manson, Bastille, John Newman, and Mika among others).
In 2014, Cabanas was awarded the ‘Mérite Rollois’ prize for his contributions to local music.
In 2016, after forming The Attic Band with fellow classmates, Cabanas headed to the studio for the first time, to record what would end up being his first EP, ‘The Godfather’. Recorded in a garage-studio in Geneva, on a very limited budget, and in only two days, this recording proved to be the launch of Cabanas’ international career as his music became increasingly popular in Spain.
The EP contained five songs, all written over the span of 3 years, and focused on the topics of loneliness and abandoning one’s roots, something very prevalent in Cabanas’ life at the time. The EP was released in February 2017. Later that year, in May, The Attic Band played their last performance together, before splitting up – this was due to the majority of the band leaving Switzerland to attend university. That same summer, Cabanas performed his first ever show in Spain, at the Sala Galileo Galilei in Madrid, to a sold-out audience. This marked his first time onstage since the split of The Attic Band. Cabanas also conceded his first TV interview, where he revealed what had led up to and encouraged this performance outside of Switzerland.
Merely 10 months after the release of his first EP, he was back in the studio, but this time in Spain, to record a second album. With the help of producer Raul Puente, as well as José Bulevar, Cabanas managed to assemble a group musicians with backgrounds within the music industry – this included musicians for Jose Luis Perales, Revolver, Lou Marini, and Rosa.
In his own words, “Unlike the first EP, where I limited myself to a classic ‘studio-like’ recording, here I’ve tried to maintain the raw, compact sound of a live show – the only way to determine the quality of an artist is through his performance, and a recording doesn’t reflect that. But we can approach that by avoiding Spector-like recordings and additional effects that can’t be recreated in a show. That’s why the EP sounds so raw yet so powerful: guitar, bass, drums, piano, and organ. That’s it.”
The album was completed in 5 months, and was recorded at Iya Estudios (Las Rozas, Spain) and 1180 Studios (Tannay, Switzerland). Solitary Nights was released on June 5th 2018. The album was presented on September 7th, in a sold-out show at the Honky Tonk Bar in Madrid. This day also marked the release of the first physical copies (CD) of the record.
During 2019, Cabanas only played sporadic shows. He later revealed that he had taken time off to focus on other endeavors (including songwriting), but that he had started recording his third album. Titled “From The Town of Lincoln, Nebraska”, the album was released in December 2020, after over one entire year of production.
“This album is my attempt at conveying social stigmas that unfortunately still live amongst us today. I’ve tried to place a little bit of everyone on the record, so that each and every listener will, in one way or another, be able to see himself reflected in the music. It is my personal collection of songs about love, death, and self-reflection.”
Highly inspired by the music of John Prine, Colter Wall, and Townes Van Zandt, the album takes a 180° twist on previous works, to let the stripped-down lyrics do most of the talking, as they become the centerpiece of the record.
Summer ’22 rolled around, and Cabanas joined his native Switzerland’s Air Force as an Aircraft Rescue Operator, where he will seasonally serve until 2028.
In early 2023, Cabanas played his first official show overseas, at the Transparent Clinch Gallery in Asbury Park (New Jersey), accompanied by friends Jake Thistle & Bobby Mahoney, to play acoustically for a sold-out crowd. Cabanas also released – on his 23rd birthday – a new 12-minute single titled “Priest From Terre Haute” which has already garnered critical attention for its storytelling and musical imagery.
Apart from music, Cabanas holds a strong affinity for flight and aeronautics – in 2023, he graduated with a degree in Aerospace Engineering from Delft University of Technology.
Testimonials
“I met him on Instagram a few years ago and met him and his wonderful family in person in 2019 at the O2 in London. He is a gifted singer and songwriter. I’m grateful for their friendship and for their work.”
Lyle Lovett (American singer-songwriter)
“He’s amazing. What a damn powerful voice!”
Manuel Carrasco (Spanish singer-songwriter)
“We came across [a song of his]. Awesome performance! What an outstanding song. Absolutely love his voice!”
Tim Westergren (Co-founder of Pandora Radio, ex-CEO of Pandora Media)
“Wow. His lyrics are great and the music is cool. I usually do not like [this style of music] but here, I love it.”
Johnny Pisano (Bassist for Ryan Adams, Marky Ramone and Willie Nile)
“Amazing work. I think his songs are tremendous. I love his evolution and the texture that his voice has formed over the years.”
Luis Javier Martinez (CBS Records, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Studios)
“Cabanas takes you on a ride that is sure to help you understand certain aspects of your own life. If a guy from Switzerland can deliver a Heartland Folk Americana sound and inhabit his characters to the fullest, he provides a path for you to do the same.”
Taylor Davis (American singer-songwriter)
“Beautiful melodies and amazing voice. Yes sir!”
Ramon Arroyo (Guitarrist for Spanish band “Los Secretos”)
“His albums are excellent! He’s amazing. Had so many folks ask me about him.”
Dave Rotella (Founder and CEO of Light Of Day Canada)
“I love his vision! His voice and lyrics are really powerful. The combination of electric and acoustic is always a risky turn, but it works!”
Sandra Rotondo (Ariola Records, Island Records, RCA Records, Prisa Radio)
Marcos Cabanas 