Meet Rich Mangicaro

We were lucky to catch up with Rich Mangicaro recently and have shared our conversation below.

Rich , so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

Being a creative artist, this is indeed a challenge. As artists, we all have ups and downs in our careers and it’s always a challenge to navigate the ‘down-time’. For me, I’ve always felt very blessed to have continual avenues to be able to create my art…whether it be playing live, recording, writing, creating content – I’m always trying to remain productive…even when it’s quiet. After touring for many years, I’ve more recently been writing and recording original music which has been equally fulfilling as when I was playing on the big stages. I do miss playing at the high level I did in the past but I always remain so grateful for having the chance to play with some of the iconic artists whom I grew up listening to. I never take that for granted…as I know so many other would love to have that chance. Now in life, I’m so enjoying writing and recording…just ‘showing up’ to see what transpires!

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

For the past 35 years, along with being a professional musician and composer, I’ve worked for various instrument manufacturers as their Artist Relations Manager and Product Specialist. From 1987-2006, I held that position for the Paiste Cymbal company – a Swiss company, where I worked for their American office. In 2011, I began working for the Gon Bops percussion company as their Artist Relations Manager/Product Specialist and still work for them to this day. I call these my ‘day’ gigs. I manage all their artist endorsement relationships, marketing, social media and am part of their product development. Since I’ve been in Los Angeles, I’ve worked in this industry, along with my music career. In 1998, I joined the Glenn Frey band (of Eagles fame) and remained his percussionists/background vocalist until his passing, in 2016. During that time, I also performed many shows and tours with the Joe Walsh band as well. Also, a local band here in LA called Venice is a project I’ve spent many years with, performing and recording – Venice is a highly respected vocal group comprised of the Lennon Sister’s younger brothers and cousins. In Venice, we’ve performed as the backing band for David Crosby, Jackson Brown, Michael McDonald and many other great artists. I’ve done 4 European tours with Venice over the years as well. When Glenn Frey passed away, I began finally working on my own solo albums…something I’d always wanted to do. In 2018, I release my 1st instrumental album, “Travels”, followed in 2022 by my 2nd album, “Dialogues”. Just this year, I will release my 3rd solo album entitled “A Dream I Had”, in November of 2024. I’m also a composer for a company called “Atomica Music” and have submitted 40 songs to them, which are currently being shopped globally for TV/Film and commercial usage.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Great question! If I had to boil this down to 3 qualities, I would say: Good communication. Mutual Respect. Do your homework. I’ll break those down:
Good communication – In our business, you not only must be proficient as a player, writer, etc…you must be able to be a good business person. You are in fact running a business – and you are the product. In representing yourself, you must be organized, able to communicate with every type of personality and be a good listener. We learn so much from just listening. In the entertainment arts, we tend to get caught up in our own ego – we just remember that there’s ALWAYS something to learn…we never stop learning. This is one of the most exciting things about being a creative artist.
Mutual Respect – This is key when not only coming up in your career, but also maintaining a busy career. Always remember that there are SO many talented people in the world and we can always learn from each other. Never think that you have all the answers or are ‘all that’. You’re not. We all have something to contribute. Respect your colleagues – listen, listen, listen intently to who inspires you and learn from them. The greatest artists I’ve worked for have been the most humble and are kind…and they truly enjoy what they do…and it shows.
Do your homework – Work really hard. Study who inspires you, what they do, how they do it and learn from it. Take lessons, classes, workshops and learn from the masters. Get a solid foundation from which to build upon. Don’t just think that you can learn everything from YouTube. You can’t. There’s a ton of great information on YouTube but combine that with one-on-one collaborations. Play, perform, act, dance – whatever you do, do it with others. Collaborate!

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

I would have to say – and this is still a continual, daily challenge but something that has become kind of like a daily mantra, is learning to ‘let go’. Be IN THE PRESENT. Trying not to be attached to outcome…detach from expectation and put the work out there, sincerely and with love…and then let go. Whomever it attracts, it will be more natural. Create art from a place of love – doing it to make myself feel happy and so that I enjoy it and can keep returning to it without regret. Trying not to create from a place of what is expected from society but rather, from a more sincere, personal place. Trying to truly be myself and not someone else.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.richmangicaro.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richmangicaro/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RichMangicaro
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/atnoon-jc-rm
• Other: my Bandcamp page: https://richmangicaro.bandcamp.com