Past the Fairway: Indie Music Star Michael Marcagi on Balancing Tour Life and Health

After breaking out together with his emotionally pushed folk-rock sound and viral success on songs like “Scared to Begin,” rising singer-songwriter Michael Marcagi has rapidly develop into one among music’s most talked-about new artists. However whereas his profession is accelerating quick, Marcagi is studying that life on the highway requires the identical self-discipline and endurance as any athlete.

For Marcagi, touring life seems to be quite a bit totally different lately than it did rising up in Ohio. Now primarily based in Boulder, the Midwest native says the transfer has utterly reshaped the best way he approaches well being, health, and restoration whereas balancing a demanding efficiency schedule.

Between mountaineering, working, and spending extra time outside, Colorado’s way of life has been a welcome adjustment.

“Coming from the Midwest, the place winters are chilly and grey, I’m simply having time being outdoors nearly on daily basis,” Marcagi tells Muscle & Health. “It’s been very nice.”

Earlier than music grew to become his full-time profession, Marcagi was a aggressive golfer in faculty, and whereas touring has restricted his time on the course, he’s nonetheless taking part in at an elite stage.

“My handicap has most likely gone up a tiny bit,” he says with fun. “However I’m most likely nonetheless round scratch, which I’ll take.”

That aggressive background, nonetheless, nonetheless shapes the best way he prepares for performances right now.

Touring Is ‘Exhausting on the Physique’

Marcagi says one of many largest misconceptions about touring is how bodily demanding it may be.

“Lots of people don’t discuss it, however being on tour is difficult on the physique,” he explains. “Particularly for me, I’ve to sing each night time. You need to discover methods to handle your voice, whether or not that’s what you eat or how a lot sleep you’re getting.”

Marcagi admits it may be simple for artists to fall into unhealthy routines whereas touring. Particularly when your “workday” doesn’t actually start till the afternoon and adrenaline retains you awake lengthy after a present ends.

“It’s very simple to fall into the ‘2 a.m. Uber Eats’ cycle,” he says. “Your complete schedule will get thrown off as a result of your day begins later than most individuals’s.”

As an alternative, the singer has develop into more and more intentional about creating construction whereas on the highway. That features being selective about backstage catering requests, prioritizing actual meals over snack meals, and attempting to not let his sleep schedule utterly spiral whereas touring.

“There’s solely so many nights in a row you may eat potato chips,” he jokes.

The bodily preparation additionally extends to defending his voice, one thing he says has develop into a serious precedence during the last yr and a half. Marcagi revealed he not drinks whereas touring and as a substitute focuses on routines that assist him keep constant from present to indicate.

“I simply attempt to eat regular meals and handle myself,” he says. “When you begin caring for your voice like that, the nervousness of the present truly goes down.”

That preparation has helped him mentally settle into performing night time after night time, particularly as his audiences proceed rising.

“You understand you’re by no means going to be excellent on stage,” Marcagi says. “Errors occur, and typically these develop into essentially the most memorable components of a present.”

Full Swing with a Wholesome Neighborhood

Lengthy earlier than life as an artist, Michael Marcagi was competing on the golf course for the College of Cincinnati, the place he performed collegiate golf earlier than finally pursuing music full-time.

Even now, with a quickly rising touring schedule, the game stays a serious a part of his way of life. The singer is already eyeing loads of future rounds throughout his upcoming tour with Noah Kahan, who Marcagi says has just lately develop into obsessive about the game himself.

“He texted me already and was like, ‘We have to play golf on daily basis on tour,’” Marcagi says.

Marcagi has additionally hung out {golfing} with Wesley Schultz of The Lumineers, describing the rounds as laid-back and easygoing, precisely the form of atmosphere he enjoys now that golf is not tied to competitors.

“He’s tremendous mellow, and we at all times have a very good time on the market,” Marcagi says.

When requested to construct his dream golf foursome, Marcagi didn’t hesitate. Alongside Kahan and Schultz, he says skilled golfer Jason Day would full the group.

“I’ve at all times wished to play with Jason Day,” he says. “I really feel like he’d have some unimaginable tour tales.”

Today, golf represents one thing a lot totally different for Marcagi than it as soon as did. What was an intensely particular person sport has develop into extra about connection, dialog, and neighborhood.

“I’m undoubtedly extra extroverted,” he says. “It’s simpler to encourage your self and luxuriate in it extra whenever you’ve obtained folks round you.”

Why Working Turned Important for His Psychological Well being

Whereas golf stays a ardour, working has quietly develop into Michael Marcagi’s largest wellness outlet on tour, one thing he says was closely impressed by his girlfriend, Gabbi Jennings, who’s an expert runner. What initially began as a technique to keep energetic rapidly developed into an vital psychological reset in the course of the chaos of touring life.

Throughout a six-week European run earlier this yr, Marcagi and his tour supervisor constructed a constant morning routine centered round getting outdoors earlier than the day grew to become consumed by venues, buses, and efficiency prep.

“We’d attempt to run three to 5 miles on daily basis,” he says. “While you’re touring, you’re both on a bus, in a inexperienced room, or on stage. You’re not at all times hanging out in essentially the most lovely indoor locations on the earth.”

For Marcagi, the runs grew to become much less about coaching and extra about creating stability. Touring can typically depart artists remoted indoors for hours at a time, working on irregular schedules whereas carrying the psychological stress of nightly performances. The morning runs helped create construction in a way of life that hardly ever feels predictable.

He admits there was a interval when the nervousness surrounding a efficiency would eat his total day.

“I used to spend the entire day enthusiastic about the present,” he says. “Your complete day felt like work as a result of I used to be solely targeted on performing later that night time.”

Now, he approaches touring in another way.

“If I can get out and run, seize lunch, and clear my head just a little bit, I really feel method higher mentally and bodily,” Marcagi explains. “It helps me compartmentalize issues as a substitute of letting the present take over each thought all day.”

The routine has additionally helped him handle the emotional swings that naturally include performing in entrance of hundreds of individuals night time after night time. Marcagi says the adrenaline spike earlier than strolling on stage is actual, and the crash afterward might be simply as intense.

“You stroll off stage utterly amped up,” he explains. “Your physique doesn’t actually know course of that adrenaline.”

As an alternative of staying overstimulated after reveals, Marcagi and his crew have developed smaller methods to decompress and return to normalcy as soon as the efficiency ends.

“Afterward, we’ll play video video games, watch a film, or simply do one thing to calm ourselves again down,” he says. “You need to discover methods to deliver your self again all the way down to earth since you’re going to get up and do it yet again the following day.”

That stability between motion, routine, and restoration has develop into one of many largest causes Marcagi feels extra grounded on tour now than he did earlier in his profession.

“It provides me a greater psychological house,” he says. “I really feel like I’ve extra power and I’m not so one-track minded all day.”

Crimson Rocks Is Nonetheless the Dream

After acting at stadiums, together with his hometown NFL venue for the Cincinnati Bengals, Marcagi says one bucket-list venue nonetheless stands above the remaining: Crimson Rocks Amphitheatre.

“Now that I’m residing in Colorado, attending to play Crimson Rocks can be unimaginable,” he says. “That’s undoubtedly the dream venue.”

Till then, Marcagi continues balancing touring life with mountaineering journeys, highway adventures, and out of doors restoration at any time when potential. Locations like Rocky Mountain Nationwide Park and the Grand Teton Nationwide Park stay excessive on his record.

However past the music, health, or journey, Marcagi says his motivation at all times comes again to the followers exhibiting up night time after night time.

“Tickets are costly. Individuals get babysitters. Individuals have work the following day,” he says. “I by no means take as a right that individuals are placing effort into coming to a present.”

That mindset, he says, is what retains him disciplined.

“I simply need folks to depart feeling prefer it was value their time.”