Singer in New Milford Tween Band to Perform at Amateur Night at the Apollo

Matt DeMarco, the 14-year-old lead singer and guitarist of the band Radio Activity, has won a spot to compete at Amateur Night this spring on the stage of Harlem's famed Apollo Theater.

DeMarco, currently in the eighth grade at Selzer Elementary School in Dumont, formed the Bergen County-based pop/rock band Radio Activity with three other eighth graders from  two years ago. New Milford bandmates include Polo Itona on bass, Stefo Hunter on guitar, and Tyler Becker on drums. 

DeMarco stood in line for hours on a cold, rainy March morning outside the landmark Apollo Theater in Harlem, waiting for a chance to audition for the theater's famed "Amateur Night at the Apollo." Some Amateur Night performers have included Ella Fitzgerald, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, and Aretha Franklin.

The audition process is limited to the first 300 hopefuls. Matt braved the rain and "got there early enough that I was given number 13," he recalls.

"I was nervous while I was singing, so when I finished and they called me over to the judges' table, I didn't even realize what was happening until my father explained to me that I had made it," he exclaimed.

Matt, a self-taught guitarist and vocalist, first picked up a guitar in the fifth grade. After only a few months of playing he told his parents that he had decided to perform in his school's talent show.

"My husband and I looked at each other, more than a little surprised," Matt's mother, Karen DeMarco, said.

"Matt had gone through speech therapy for five years. He had never, ever sang in front of anyone before, other than playing a karaoke video game. So, we really didn't know what to expect."

But Matt wowed the audience with his performance and decided that he wanted to form a band with three of his friends. That band, Radio Activity, has reached almost 1,400 "likes" on Facebook.  

In addition to performing with his band, DeMarco is also pursuing a career as a solo artist, and writing and performing his own songs, as well as covers. Matt said that his approach is to "earn his stripes" by playing in as many different venues as often as possible, to gain real-world experience and improve his performing skills under fire.

In the past year and a half, Matt has performed solo at numerous venues—Burke's Restaurant in Westwood, the Cornerstone in Hillsdale, and Session Bistro in Maywood, and taverns such as the BLVD Bar & Grill in Elmwood Park and the Whiskey Cafe in Lyndhurst. DeMarco has also performed in cafes and coffeehouses like Cool Beans in Oradell and the Malelani Cafe in Ventnor outside of Atlantic City.

"When we're on vacation down the shore, I bring my guitar and ask my dad to find me places to play," DeMarco said.

Last September DeMarco played at the prestigious Paul Robeson Center for the Arts in Princeton, a performance that was televised on local cable in the Princeton area.

"That was a great place to play, and it was awesome to be on TV," DeMarco said. "But it was a very rough night for me."

"It was late by the time I got on stage, their lights were really close and very hot, and I felt like I was going to pass out from the heat," DeMarco recalls.

DeMarco is also dedicated to using his music for positive change and social good. In 2011, his charitable performances included two separate events for victims of the Japan tsunami and earthquake, as well as a fundraiser for a local family whose husband/father passed away unexpectedly, leaving the family under sudden financial pressure.

On April 28, DeMarco and his Radio Activity bandmates will be performing at the Rape and Violence Eradication (RAVE) walk at Bergen Community College to increase awareness of violence against women and raise funds for Shelter Our Sisters and the YWCA Bergen County Rape Crisis Center. DeMarco has also performed at senior centers and town celebrations.  

As for his upcoming performance at the Apollo, DeMarco says, "No matter how the competition turns out, I'm honored that I'll actually be standing on that same stage as some of the all-time greats in music."

"I'll be happy as long as I do justice to the Amateur Night tradition."

To learn more about Matt DeMarco, click here. To follow DeMarco on Facebook click here. To become a fan of Radio Activity, click here.