ZOCO is an international rock group founded and led by Marco Zocco. Pioneering a bold, genre-bending approach, ZOCO ushers rock music over the red carpet into a stylised modern age, with both Sprezzatura and Aperol Spritz in hand. A virtuoso multi-instrumentalist, poetic lyricist, and stylish performer, Marco blends European style with rock edge, a regal and rebellious blend that is mirrored in ZOCO’s sound: a dynamic blend of alternative rock and pop with nods to metal, SoundCloud rap, electronica, latin, dance and blues. Cinematic yet vulnerable, technical yet heartfelt.
ZOCO tracks bring iconic guitar riffs back to the forefront, layered with piano, synth work, bass, and drums. Every song takes the audience on an unexpected musical journey, relevé with violins, organs, saxophones, rhythm, key changes and grandiose sonic detours. David Bowie, System of a Down, Green Day, Lil Peep and The Cars breaking into a studio with a case of Barolo and jamming would approximate ZOCO’s sound. To create this unique style, ZOCO merges classic studio recording with guest artists and modern music craftsmanship, re-imagining the beauty of guitar-centric music.
Born and raised in Geneva, Switzerland to American and Italian parents, Marco embodies an international identity. With three passports, Marco is fluent in four languages and is deeply influenced by the diverse cultures that shaped him. Before recording ZOCO’s debut album LUMANISTA in Los Angeles in 2024, Marco earned an engineering degree from Stanford University with a minor in music composition and a personal focus on philosophy. These disciplines continue to inform his intricate, thought-provoking songwriting.
Marco writes and performs all of ZOCO’s material, guitar, piano, bass, drums, vocals and lyrics, often alongside his two younger brothers, Paolo and Matteo, and a revolving door of talented collaborators who help bring his creative vision to life. For ZOCO’s debut album LUMANISTA, Marco featured rock greats Carmine Rojas (David Bowie, Rod Stewart) on bass guitar, Theron “Neff-U” Feemster (Dr. Dre, Eminem, Michael Jackson) on piano, London Hudson(Return to Dust, Suspect208) on drums, Gunnar and Matthew Nelson (Nelson, Ricky Nelson Remembered) on backing vocals, Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats) on brush drums, JJ Wallace on drums (Jorja Smith), Katja Reickermann (Rod Stewart) on saxophone, and worked alongside expert mentors and friends Gunnar Nelson (Nelson, Ricky Nelson Remembered) and Kerry Brown (The Smashing Pumpkins) as official producers & executive production respectively for the album LUMANISTA. Marco also prototyped and co-produced LUMANISTA with the help of his talented studio engineer and friend Jacob Pace, and mixed the album with skilled New Jersey mixing engineer Stephen DeAcutis. Legendary bassist and musical director Carmine Rojas was also an instrumental mentor in honing Marco’s arrangement and production instincts, contributing generously in time, energy and experience to advising Marco on the LUMANISTAproject. LUMANISTA was mastered by legendary mastering engineer Howie Weinberg, in both analog and digital formats for streaming and vinyl, and with instrumental and karaoke versions. His friends and family are central to his work, appearing in ZOCO’s music videos, collaborating on content, and shaping the intimate and universal themes of ZOCO’s songs.
ZOCO’s catalogue explores Marco’s view on the search for purpose, the quest for love, the need to unplug from digital noise, and the beauty of simply being alive, balanced by a wild, humorous, and unfiltered energy that makes their work unmistakably authentic. Real music for real music fans, created with friends and family. In an age dominated by quick, shallow, and divisive media, ZOCO’s mission is to create timeless music with lasting meaning - music that unites, uplifts, and invites listeners to reflect on themselves and the world around them.
Marco’s own musical journey began with classical piano, studying Rachmaninoff, Chopin, and Beethoven before his path accelerated when he discovered the game Rock Band 3. His mastery of the game earned him an invitation from Electronic Arts in 2011 to test the next version of the game alongside top global players, an experience that sparked his transition to other instruments. At age 13, he found an acoustic in his family attic and taught himself guitar, followed by drums and bass. His summers attending and volunteering at the Montreux Jazz Festival introduced him to legends like Santana, Quincy Jones, Billy Gibbons. He even had the pleasure of playing the last piano Freddie Mercury ever touched at founder Claude Nobs’ chalet.
With the artisanality of the Renaissance painters and the grit of the Sunset Strip rockers, ZOCO balances innovation and traditionality. ZOCO’s influences range from Avenged Sevenfold, Metallica, System of a Down, Queens of the Stone Age and Green Day to Prince, CCR, Paul Simon, Elton John, David Bowie, Santana, Buena Vista Social Club, Lil Peep, and Avicii, a spectrum that fuels his eclectic composition for ZOCO.
Valentina Spada
ZOCO tracks bring iconic guitar riffs back to the forefront, layered with piano, synth work, bass, and drums. Every song takes the audience on an unexpected musical journey, relevé with violins, organs, saxophones, rhythm, key changes and grandiose sonic detours. David Bowie, System of a Down, Green Day, Lil Peep and The Cars breaking into a studio with a case of Barolo and jamming would approximate ZOCO’s sound. To create this unique style, ZOCO merges classic studio recording with guest artists and modern music craftsmanship, re-imagining the beauty of guitar-centric music.
Born and raised in Geneva, Switzerland to American and Italian parents, Marco embodies an international identity. With three passports, Marco is fluent in four languages and is deeply influenced by the diverse cultures that shaped him. Before recording ZOCO’s debut album LUMANISTA in Los Angeles in 2024, Marco earned an engineering degree from Stanford University with a minor in music composition and a personal focus on philosophy. These disciplines continue to inform his intricate, thought-provoking songwriting.
Marco writes and performs all of ZOCO’s material, guitar, piano, bass, drums, vocals and lyrics, often alongside his two younger brothers, Paolo and Matteo, and a revolving door of talented collaborators who help bring his creative vision to life. For ZOCO’s debut album LUMANISTA, Marco featured rock greats Carmine Rojas (David Bowie, Rod Stewart) on bass guitar, Theron “Neff-U” Feemster (Dr. Dre, Eminem, Michael Jackson) on piano, London Hudson(Return to Dust, Suspect208) on drums, Gunnar and Matthew Nelson (Nelson, Ricky Nelson Remembered) on backing vocals, Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats) on brush drums, JJ Wallace on drums (Jorja Smith), Katja Reickermann (Rod Stewart) on saxophone, and worked alongside expert mentors and friends Gunnar Nelson (Nelson, Ricky Nelson Remembered) and Kerry Brown (The Smashing Pumpkins) as official producers & executive production respectively for the album LUMANISTA. Marco also prototyped and co-produced LUMANISTA with the help of his talented studio engineer and friend Jacob Pace, and mixed the album with skilled New Jersey mixing engineer Stephen DeAcutis. Legendary bassist and musical director Carmine Rojas was also an instrumental mentor in honing Marco’s arrangement and production instincts, contributing generously in time, energy and experience to advising Marco on the LUMANISTAproject. LUMANISTA was mastered by legendary mastering engineer Howie Weinberg, in both analog and digital formats for streaming and vinyl, and with instrumental and karaoke versions. His friends and family are central to his work, appearing in ZOCO’s music videos, collaborating on content, and shaping the intimate and universal themes of ZOCO’s songs.
ZOCO’s catalogue explores Marco’s view on the search for purpose, the quest for love, the need to unplug from digital noise, and the beauty of simply being alive, balanced by a wild, humorous, and unfiltered energy that makes their work unmistakably authentic. Real music for real music fans, created with friends and family. In an age dominated by quick, shallow, and divisive media, ZOCO’s mission is to create timeless music with lasting meaning - music that unites, uplifts, and invites listeners to reflect on themselves and the world around them.
Marco’s own musical journey began with classical piano, studying Rachmaninoff, Chopin, and Beethoven before his path accelerated when he discovered the game Rock Band 3. His mastery of the game earned him an invitation from Electronic Arts in 2011 to test the next version of the game alongside top global players, an experience that sparked his transition to other instruments. At age 13, he found an acoustic in his family attic and taught himself guitar, followed by drums and bass. His summers attending and volunteering at the Montreux Jazz Festival introduced him to legends like Santana, Quincy Jones, Billy Gibbons. He even had the pleasure of playing the last piano Freddie Mercury ever touched at founder Claude Nobs’ chalet.
With the artisanality of the Renaissance painters and the grit of the Sunset Strip rockers, ZOCO balances innovation and traditionality. ZOCO’s influences range from Avenged Sevenfold, Metallica, System of a Down, Queens of the Stone Age and Green Day to Prince, CCR, Paul Simon, Elton John, David Bowie, Santana, Buena Vista Social Club, Lil Peep, and Avicii, a spectrum that fuels his eclectic composition for ZOCO.
Valentina Spada
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