Road Signs

Native to Bennington, Vermont, 22 year old Curtis Mariani (@cponyboymariani) is the man behind the music project known as Local Man. Curtis has been writing music since he learned to play the guitar as a sophomore in high school. He recorded his first album, First & Foremost as a senior in college with the help of his brother Joel of Pure and Simple Mastering and the encouragement of his father Bruce, both of whom have been lifelong musicians and personal inspirations. The album is currently in post-production, though a release date has not yet been announced.
With a passion and respect for acoustic song writers, Curtis began writing music as an outlet for artistic expression and his material spans a number of years and multiple levels of musical ability. This artistic progression is clearly visible throughout the first album and stands as a time line of musical and emotional development. “The story of my last 8 years can be heard in these songs. They represent a lot of different emotions felt at various times in my life. While some of them seem trivial and stupid now I can still remember how I felt when I wrote each song and the types artists I was listening too at the time”. 
With influences coming from multiple genres of music, Curtis takes inspiration from acoustic artists of the mid 90’s, such as Hootie and the Blow Fish and the Goo Goo Dolls, and melds it with a punk style stemming from bands such as The Wonder Years, New Found Glory, and Frank Turner. For Curtis the process of writing songs starts with the music. “I find myself starting with a guitar part that I really like, something I can’t stop playing. Everything else flows from that. Lyrics, melody, and any type of emotional message always come after”. With hopes of completing a second album, Curtis’ song writing has become more than just a hobby and his hopes for the future involves continuing to write and play music for as many people that are willing to listen. 
