Rocky Feola Uses Music to Help His Community
Rocky Feola is my pal. I see him all the time. He’s out there playing, smiling, making friends.
All the while he’s generating a great benevolence for his community. Singer-songwriter Feola has raised thousands of dollars simply by donating his “gig money” to a number of recipients in his suite of beneficiaries. 
My old friend Joe Rathburn refers to people like this as “Little Suns,” because they take a loving thing and through sheer joy of doing so – create more of it. They radiate. And Rocky Feola is one of those people.
Chuck Schiele: How did you get started and for how long have you been playing music? Tell us about what you do.
Rocky Feola: I’ve honestly never considered myself a musician before. I started playing in my early 20’s, toward the end of college at Syracuse. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew I didn’t want to pursue anything in Broadcast Journalism, which is what my degree is in. I have several close friends and relatives who play guitar, and I’ve always loved to sing. The first songs I wrote were just me writing the lyrics and melody, and then my cousin would help me put a guitar part to it since I didn’t know how to play yet. Somewhere there’s a couple of old cassette tape recordings that would be fun to listen to. After a while, I got sick of waiting around for other people to play the guitar part for me, so I decided to try and learn myself. I bought my first guitar in 2002, but I had been learning on friends’ guitars for about a year by then. In the end both the first song that I wrote with help and the first song that I wrote on my own were for a girl I loved…a lot of them are.
CS: You like writing songs. Please tell us about Rocky the songwriter.
RF: I do like writing songs…it’s cathartic for me. It was never something I intended to do in front of crowds on a stage. I’ve always just played in my living room or on my porch, as a way to let off steam. I know a lot of my songs are sad but who needs to vent about happy stuff? I hear things like, “You need to write a happy song,” a lot from people. While I don’t disagree with them, I think the best songs come from the heart, and if the heart isn’t feeling happy when you’re writing the song, you can write the happiest song in the world, and it’s probably not going to be that great because it doesn’t resonate with you. Music is something you have to feel in order to truly appreciate it. Happy Birthday is probably the most often played song in history, and nobody can deny that it’s a happy song, but does it ever move you? Do you ever really feel it when you sing or hear Happy Birthday? Just because a song is happy doesn’t mean it’s good. I write with the emotions and feelings that move me at that moment. Of course, it’s not ideal when some of your best songs are about the worst moments in your life, but I’ve had many people approach me to tell me that they related to my song or that it helped them in some way. A stranger once told me that he struggles to express his emotions and it really helped him to see someone show such raw emotion on stage. That kind of thing really keeps me going. Am I the greatest songwriter in the world? No, but if I have helped even one person through my music, it was worth it.
CS: Please share with us a bit about your path in music.
RF: I’ve always loved music. My parents exposed my brother and sister and I to great music of every genre from an early age and my siblings are both talented musicians. My family is full of talented musicians and music has always been an integral part of family parties. I really just wanted to write and sing, but the guitar eventually became a bit of a necessity to learn. The first instrument I ever tried to learn was drums, but I was in fifth grade. Eventually I had to choose between basketball practice and band practice, and back then basketball was my passion. If only I had known! I probably should have considering I was about 3 feet tall at the time and I’m still only 5’9”! I finally got back to music through the drama club in high school, participating in the school musical each year and singing in concert choir. When I went to college, I really didn’t have time to be in choirs or other musical groups, but I wish now that I had made time. Life simply gets busy, which is why my musical endeavors turned more personal as I got older and needed a different way to keep musicianship in my life. I’ve always been able to sit and watch someone else play the guitar and sing for hours, and some of the most fun times of my life have been at concerts and music festivals, so it makes sense to me that music would continue to grow into an even larger part of my life as I get older. I didn’t really ever intend on performing in public, but a good friend of mine, Rachel Mack, had heard some of my songs online and reached out in March of 2023 to ask if I’d be interested in a 3-hour show at the restaurant where she worked at the time, Lakeside Landing at the Oneida Community Golf Course. I thank her every chance I get. I had no experience, but accepted the offer right away and then had to figure out how to do this! I spent the next three months playing and singing for about 6 hours a day, and going to see as many live local musicians as I could. It really paid off. A good friend whom I’ve written music about in the past said to me, “You have nothing to be nervous about. You have put in the time and effort necessary in order to rock it, and you’ll rock it.” I still hear that in my head every day and she was absolutely right. I’m forever grateful for that, as without that encouragement my musical path may have been much shorter.
CS: I see you out a lot. Which means you love, love, love it. What do you love about all this music life?
RF: I love the people I’ve met. I really expected to meet a lot more musicians who were only out for themselves, or maybe more competitive is a better way to put it. I’ve actually encountered very few. What I really love about my musical life is that the people I’ve met genuinely want to help you succeed and get better. Music is a large part of their lives, but only a part, and they truly care about each other as people. The musicians and fans I’ve met in the last couple of years since I started performing have helped me through some of the roughest times of my life and I’m eternally grateful. Of course, the music doesn’t hurt either…I’ve met and even gotten to perform with so many talented musicians. I really love hearing people share their talents and do things I can’t do.
CS: Under the file-heading of “random and deliberate acts of kindness,” I understand you do something very special at your shows involving a great unselfishness in the form of your own bold personal generosity.
RF: I don’t know how bold it is, but yes any money I make from my performances or merchandise sales goes to a different charity each month. Instead of choosing a charity, I choose a different supporter of mine each month and let them choose a charity that matters to them. Through this I’ve been able to get to know my friends and family better and get involved with amazing charities I would have never discovered otherwise. I’m very proud to say that in the last two plus years of performing I have not made a single cent, but I do feel I’ve become incredibly rich from the friendships I’ve made.
CS: First of all…”Thank you.” I think it’s very important to have people like you in their midst…their neighborhood. And the reason I think this is because when people like you extend a benevolence – such that you have – not only are you doing a very powerful thing in the act itself, you are also silently giving permission to others to do the same. Dude, I think the world needs more of that and much less rockstar ambition.
To me what you’re doing is rockstar.
RF: So…what went through your head, goes through your head? How did this happen? I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to explain that. I don’t feel like a rockstar. The biggest rockstars I’ve met were the people running the food pantries we donated to, the people who build beds for children sleeping on the floor, and all of the other amazing volunteer workers in our community who often go unnoticed. I just set up my PA system and have fun singing. They’re doing the real work. They’re the real rockstars. The best way I can explain my charity work is this: Playing original songs in public can be really difficult. It’s like reading your diary to people on stage. My songs are really personal, it can be traumatic to sing about such negative experiences from your past, but I wrote what I wrote. I don’t always feel like I deserve to profit off of my music…as I said, I’ve never really thought of myself as a musician, and I know I don’t compare to many in the local scene in terms of talent. I often feel selfish and I don’t really like the whole, “Look at me!” aspect of all this. Simply put, there are plenty of times when performing my songs in public doesn’t really help me. When I can’t figure out how to help myself, my go to alternative is to help others. If people are willing to pay to hear me perform my music, I’ll keep doing it as long as I can use it to help others in some way. The charity aspect of what we’ve done is really one of the only reasons I’ve kept going.
CS: And what do you get out of it?
RF: I get to be involved in my community more. I get to meet literal saints walking the earth who are doing the real work our local communities need. I get to feel slightly less selfish about my life and who I am. I get to hear my friends tell me how much my Open Mic nights have helped them progress as musicians. I get to live out a literal dream every time I get on a stage to perform, and I get to help others while I do it. What more could I want?
CS: What are some of the highlights along the way?
RF: Oh wow, there are honestly so many. Organizing a fundraiser for Wounded Warriors with my good friend Jackie Pop was definitely a highlight. We hosted a live performance at Villa Verona Vineyards and raised close to $1000 for charity that day. Plus I got to play my favorite original song with Jackie, who is just an incredible talent and possibly the kindest person I know. Meeting her and Dave Brown is definitely a highlight of my life, let alone my musical endeavors. I also was asked to perform at the Rome Capital Theater last November for a really cool event called, “Guitars Along the Mohawk.” You can find the entire show on YouTube if you want to check it out. I was included in a lineup of really talented musicians and our original music was highlighted. It was amazing to play in front of hundreds of people in a legit theater. I also think that being able to play live for my parents and the rest of my family as many times as I have is a huge highlight for me. My brother, Ross, is a way more talented musician than I am. To have him tell me how proud he is of me after my first show is something I will never forget and always value, much more than any money I could make from any of this.
CS: What are your thoughts on the Syracuse music scene?
RF: We’re blessed. That’s really all you can say. It’s filled with talent, generosity, and genuinely kind spirits. It’s a community, a family, and one that took me in with open arms. Everyone likes music of some kind. Get out and see these local musicians. They’re so much fun and they love to interact with you! There are great free shows all over Syracuse and the surrounding areas every day of the week. I’m honored that so many musicians consider me to be part of the scene here, because I’m usually in awe of them.
CS: What’s coming up for you this fall?
RF: Right now I’m winding down my summer events and mostly fall consists of Open Mics. I host the “Thankful Thursday” Open Mic Night at the Blind Squirrel Pub in Oneida, where I grew up. It happens every Thursday night from 6-9pm and we donate any money made to our monthly charity. I’m possibly playing in Cleveland, NY to benefit the Cleveland Spirit Committee in October, as long as it works out with my work schedule, but otherwise I’m looking to add additional shows to my fall schedule so that we can keep helping amazing charities!
CS: How can we stay in touch with you and your music and all good things?
RF: You can find me on Facebook, YouTube, Sound Cloud, and Instagram (Rocky Feola/Rocky Feola Music). You can also find me every Thursday night at the Blind Squirrel Pub in Oneida, or reach out to me at rockyfeolabooking@gmail.com.
CS: Thank you, Rocky! This has been a pleasure. Thank you so much for sharing your spirit and your generosity with our community. I for one am proud to know we have you as our friend in our great city.
RF: Thank YOU, Chuck. I’m very proud to know you too and I’m really grateful for this opportunity and your friendship.
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