December 6, 2024 • 46 mins
Cory Marks is a Canadian country-influenced hard rock singer, but he was doing it before the names Hardy and Jelly Roll were mainstays on the rock charts. As his new album Sorry For Nothing hits the streets and the streams, I caught up with the Outlaws and Outsiders singer in between acoustic gigs opening for Theory of A Deadman.
His story starts like most Canadians, on the ice, then to the air, and now to rock and roll stardom.
His story starts like most Canadians, on the ice, then to the air, and now to rock and roll stardom.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Attention please, and no Cutters rock.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Cast Corey Marks joining us. Dude, It's it's a pleasure
to meet you. Obviously. You know we we've uh, we've
had some songs from you on the radio over the
last couple of years with various guests. And that's weird
kinda because technically you're a country artist. But I'm not
mad about it because you're very good at what you do.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Appreciate that.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Thanks Cutter, well, thanks for having me, Thanks for playing
the music, support the music and letting this country boiler
rock and roll soul you know, at the airwaves.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
It's been fun.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
What part of Canada are you from?
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Just north of Toronto, three hours north of Toronto, I'm
from North Bay, Ontario.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
Okay, North Bay. There you go. Hockey, right, that's big,
big hockey.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Lots of hockey, my my, Unfortunately, you know it's it's
such a great sport and you know, we love it
so much. But now I'm starting to feel the wrath
of all those years on the ice because sitting in
cars and buses while traveling the back knees and everything else,
not loving it so much.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
Oh, come on, that's what the whiskey's for.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
I guess there you go.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Yeah, but that hockey culture, your friends, your your brother,
your dad are gonna be like because your brother played
for a lot of years, right.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Yeah, he played thirteen or fourteen years pro and now
he's on his fourth year as an assistant coach. He
was in Seattle and WHL Thunderbirds's coach there, and now
he's actually back home after twenty one years away. He
left at sixteen for hockey and oh wow, thirty seven
now and doing and you know, coaching is first season
(01:42):
at home, back at home, so it's good to have
the big fellow back.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Hell yeah, the parents got to be crazy for that, right,
like like a one kid left at sixteen for hockey
and the other ones on the road trying to be
a rock star.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Well, i'll see.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
When I was he's two years older than me, So
I actually stayed home till I was, you know, my
late late teens, but I still played. I played hockey
as well, so I was gone quite a bit. And
then you know, there's the music thing after that. But
I was kind of all over the place between the
pilot thing hockey music, and then finally kind of started,
(02:16):
you know, the first couple of years doing this. I
was still I was not living at home but in
my hometown, so you know, I got I got to
see Mom and Dad quite a bit, and I still do.
Is I live about thirty minutes from from Mom and Dad,
so I usually coming down and go to the gym and.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Try to pop in, even if it's just to say
hi or go raid the fridge.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
That never stops. That never stops. My parents in their
eighties now when I go to their house, I still
read the fridge.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Oh yeah, man, It's it's funny.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
And my parents just just rebuilt, well not rebuilt, but
they just built a brand new home.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
So they have been in the same.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
House for thirty three or thirty four years and they
just they just you know, built their dream house finally,
well deserved.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
So stoked about that.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
But you know, it's they've been there, they haven't even
been there for a year, and it's like I go there,
it's like just at home and go and go walk
right to the fridge.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
So I was to day you know.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Never ends. That's awesome.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
So at what point then, because I mean you're playing hockey,
you know, uh, you did the pilot thing in military
all that, So at what point do you did you go,
you know what, I'm going to be a musician.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
I'm going to play music.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Well that was always, you know, I was, I was
a drummer before before it was my real first love.
I mean just hockey came that naturally. So I was
on skates at like two or three years old. But
you know, my dad being from Toronto, and that's obviously
being Canadian. Uh, you know, we grew up to a
lot of rush, but like a lot of deep purple,
a lot of you know, a lot of great you
(03:48):
know rock bands and progressive rock fans.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
Oh yeah, so I.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Got my you know, my first drum kid at ten
years old, so I was that was that was my
obsession then. I mean remember even in the in the
dressing room, you know, get ready for games and put
on they'd be like, put on the rush drum solo
and you should watch some air drumming. So I'd be
like in the room getting everyone you know, jacked up
for the game by by air drumming rush, you know,
(04:13):
and they'd be like, he does every note, kind of
having flashbacks.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Now, it's been a while to talk about that, but.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
You know, and then I didn't pick up a guitar
till I was you know, my you know, almost done
high school really, but I've always I've always loved playing live.
I was in some bands and high school, the high
school band, was in high school band, and even before
I was old enough to go to the bars up
in Canada, you know, I was, I was playing drums
and doing background vocals for just like a top forty
cover cover band.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Had a lot of fun doing that.
Speaker 4 (04:44):
We're all starting to cover band.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
That's right, you know, it's yeah, you know, it's funny.
We uh we wrote though too, it was it was
kind of cool. So that's and even like doing the
singer song or anything. When I was first starting bands,
you know, the bands, first starting the bars, I was,
you know, even though we did thirty five forty songs
a night, there's probably you know, at least at least
anywhere from four to six songs that were on my
(05:08):
own that no one would know unless they hurt them,
you know, I got them out on.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Like YouTube or something. So but it was fun. It's
good times.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
So what made you switch then from from drums to
being the front man, singer, songwriter, guitar player, singer and
all of that.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
You know, I I always used to you know, I
was used to write, but I never really knew that
it was a good song.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Whatever.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
When I went away to college basically was when I started.
I started singing a little bit in high school. I'm
in trans like, man, you're you're good, and a lot
of my a lot of my bandmates act you got
to start singing, you know, But I was way too shy,
and I was comfortable behind the kits, singing harmonies and
stuff behind the kid forget about this up front, you know,
(05:53):
worrying about all the lyrics kind of thing. But then,
you know, when I was at m see Roal Military
College of Canada, Kingston, Ontario, I I was starting to
post like on Facebook and YouTube, just covers, right, and
some originals.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
I was writing originals.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Then I was like a closet you know, closet guitar player, singer.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
You know, I wasn't sure what the hell I was doing.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
I was just seeing, you know, what kind of reactions
I would get from it. And you know, we'd go
to this bar called the Brass Kingston every every.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Night, but close to it, I guess, but I figured
what they was. Every Wednesday or so, Smithy.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
He's a local legendary and you know, he sings for
four or five hours. And my band, my bandmates, see
my teammates, would you know, they went and talked to him, like, hey,
when you take your break, you should get Cory up.
Sunshine was my call signer nickname there because I was
the only guy on a military team with long hair.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Because I was actually upgrading, so.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
I wasn't like my uh, you know, academically, I wasn't
so great in high school. It was more about the
parties and hockey and all that fun stuff. But so
I had to do some upgrading. Although I was on
the team, I wasn't able to play games yet until
I got officially like enlisted, I guess.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
And in the second semester.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
So so yeah, they're like, so uh, Spinny was taking
his break. It's like, we're gonna have our friend Sunshine
come up to sing a few songs. And I was like,
did he just say in the whole team? I mean, like,
get up there.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Man.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
I've never sang in front of anyone at this point,
so I'm like, there's no way I'm going up. But
you know, yeah, a little a little liquid courage, and
there I was, and honestly I could say is you
know I do that every once a week. I go
up and sing three four songs and people started coming
up to me like, you know, where else are you playing?
You know, do you have a ceout or anything like that.
So it's like, wait a minute. And then things didn't
(07:49):
really work out over there, and at the time my
brother's my brother's girlfriend at the time, was like, hey,
why don't you you know, you're not sure if you
want to stay there, why don't you come back home
every Wednesday? You can come play the bar manage and
you know, throwing some some you know, a few hundred
bucks and start there. And so that's basically what I did.
And I guess, you know, back in Kicks, and I
guess I could caught the bug and I started really
(08:11):
enjoying it and and then I, you know, play Wednesday
night here. Then I'd be through like a forty minute
set on Thursday at this other bar, and then I
started putting the band together, and you know, the rest
is history.
Speaker 5 (08:21):
Year.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
I am across Canada eight times, in the US two
or three times at this point now, and that's only
in the span.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Of you know, five six years.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
That's amazing. That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Your your music is interesting because it's well, it's country.
It is definitely laden in hard rock. You cannot deny
that influence at all. And to the point where you know,
now you have yet another song and make my country
rock that's being played at rock radio and sell the
earner from God's Mac is on it. Sure, but so
is Travis Tritt. And you've done that before where you
(08:54):
you know, you had the uh what was it? Outlaw
Outlaws and outside sorry thank you?
Speaker 4 (09:01):
Where I even five fingers on it? Old friend?
Speaker 2 (09:04):
And and ohso Travis, But like you know, you it's
so late in hard rock, but yet it's country. Where
does that tie come from? Like being a country artist
per se? But really are you?
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Yeah? I mean the first tour of us ever I
was ever on.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
Was Merle Haggard's in my hometown. So I got to
meet I got to meet my you know, my hero.
So growing up, you know, I was I was very lucky.
I think, you know, you know, there's dad who loved
all this rock stuff, and I remember him showing me
the CD Stigmata or he's like.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Hey, you know, I like this. There's some cool jumping Artist.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
And it was fucking arch Enemy, you know, and I
was like, I was like ten eleven years old, like, god,
that's that's pretty cool. So although I was listening to
a lot of Yeah, Grand Funk, Railroad, Rush, Deep, Purple,
Ozzy Osbourne, Brian Adams, you know, I started like getting
into the you know, getting into the more progressive stuff
because from Russia, you know, there's only you know, the
(10:07):
way they played especially it's like, okay, well there was
dream Theater, you know. So I started playing that stuff
at like fourteen fifteen years old. And around the same time,
you know, there was always you know, there's those bands
like Metallica, but around fourteen fifteen is really were like
Panthera came in Lamb of God for me, and that
I really started really loving that stuff because of you know,
(10:31):
just those drum parts were unique, and for me, there
wasn't really many fourteen I was playing that stuff. So
it was always I guess an outside of that way,
you know, where people like Jimian's blink why you two.
So I'm like, yeah, I've ever heard a fucking you know,
walk with Me and a hell or you know whatever. Yeah,
you know, stuff like that or eleventh hour, you know,
laid to rest, you know, stuff like that. So there
(10:55):
there was that side. But you know, my mom being
from a small you know know farm farmtown, uh two
hours north of where I was born in that bay,
you know, there was and my dad like again on
that one side, he had all this rock element.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
But they were both huge country fans.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
And I remember growing up like and I'm talking like
real country, not like Morgan Wall and the stuff I'm
talking you know, like the real shit, the good the
good stuff, you know, you know, like you know, Merle Haggard.
There's there was Buck Owings, There's Whale Jennings. There's of
course Hank senior and junior. And moving as far back
(11:33):
as like Jimmy Jimmy Rogers, you know, in the Carter family,
which is like, you know, the start of country music
essentially know, in the nineteen twenties thirties.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
So I grew I grew up on all that stuff.
And then.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
The cool thing is is so my So my mom's
the baby of eight, I'm the last one born, I
always say, out of the whole litter.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
And I happened to be born on.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
The same busines as my grandfather sixty five years apart
to call us the Evil Twins. So you know, so
every and we're born October eleventh, which is second week
of October, is Katy Thanksgiving differently. So throughout the years
of the twenty four to twenty five years, we got
to share together.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
You know.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
Thanksgiving always landed kind of typically on my birthday, so
are our birthdays. So we would go up to my
you know, my grandparent's house up in that little that
little small town and celebrate Thanksgiving and our birthdays so often,
you know, after dinner and whatnot. You know, that's when
the beers came out, the guitars and and all that stuff.
So my my, my parents, my aunts and uncles are
(12:38):
you know, I'm talking you know, from you know, seven
o'clock till three in the morning, you're playing anything from
George Jones, Whale and Merle Johnny.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
You know.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
So I was, you know, and that's you know, I
was very young then, and so I got to I
got to see witness and hear.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
That stuff at a very young age. You know.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
My dad played in a band with his brother or
my uncle Wolf Wolf Milestone. It's like an old you know,
great yeah, the country Western, you know guy, and yeah,
so I just kind of, you know, I grew up
on I grew up on all this music, you know,
and a lot of people have always said like I'm
an old soul. So like when people were going to
high school dances listening to Usher and Ship like that.
(13:19):
You know, I'm going like, you know, hey, baby, you
ever hear this rush? If you're twenty one twelve?
Speaker 5 (13:24):
The hell is that?
Speaker 3 (13:26):
So? You know, it's always again, I feel like, really
I've always kind of been an outsider that way, where wherever,
like wherever and whenever somebody is listening or this this
is a pot song or artist at the time. It's
like I was always into something else completely pretty much
completely different from what the hell is going on.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
What a great pickup line, Hey, you want to you
want to blow this joint and go listen to Temples
of syrnixs amazing, get out of here and you know,
let me show you my spirit of radio.
Speaker 4 (14:05):
Jesus exactly.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
Well it may not be Tom, but I can if
you want me to.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Well done, We'll ride out in my red bar shut out. Okay, Well,
you know we could do this.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
We could do this all day.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
We could.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
My twelve year old son and I have started having this,
this this conversation where, you know, we just keep going
at each other with song titles. You know it, we'll go,
you know, here's well the other day we're going on
Green Day back and forth, and I looked at him.
He tried to go in Nirvana, and I'm like, are
you sure, like that's from when.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
I was a kid. Yeah, I'm sure you want to
do You're sure you want to play this game.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Don't don't start with the Metallica song titles, or you're
gonna get schooled.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Number one. You're gonna get schooled exactly.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
So you incorporate these two styles together so seamlessly though,
because and I don't remember what song was. I was
listening to you yesterday by You, and I shoot, I
don't remember the title of it, but it's just, you know,
it had this twaying to it, but then underneath you
could hear this down tuned guitar and bass. It's like, yeah,
I understand the Lamb of God reference, because I'm like,
(15:12):
if you took out that Twain and added in a
lead guitar part on a seven string, this is a
Lamb of God song.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Was it guilty? Maybe it's like this, that's pretty.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
I just kind of had it on in the background
while doing some other stuff, knowing that we were going
to talk the.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Lamb of God breakdown in the middle of that.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
Oh yeah, maybe maybe that's what it is.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
It's pretty, it's pretty badass, but that you know, that's
all because it all started with you know, I've always
liked you know, of.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Course this.
Speaker 5 (15:42):
Did it.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
So, you know, the late eighties, early nineties, you know,
when I was born, you know, mixing country was southern rock.
But the whole evolution of metal and stuff, that's that's
you know, obviously been happening over the years.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
You know.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
For me, it was like, well, you know, I remember
going to one of my my dad would drive into
Toronto when I would go on my national writing trips,
and you know, this is back in twenty.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
Eleven, twelve thirteen ish era, and you know my.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Album the year and graduating high school in twenty two
thousand and seven. You know, it was like it was
a black rain Massie and so I was still like
really early on in my you know, figuring out who
Like I was just trying to figure out who the
hell I was right, and what kind of writer, you know,
what do I want to write about? So I wasn't
(16:37):
like involved in, you know, knowing that these producers are
you know, all these these big players. So but I
remember driving to Toronto my dad. We listened that record
two times over and my dad was like, well, this
is produced by this Kevin Cherco guy and he's actually Canadian,
and like, oh, that's really cool. I don't wonder maybe
you know, there's a way we can figure out how
to work with him or whatnot. He's pretty high up
(16:59):
there with Finger and Ozzy Osbourne.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
But I remember teld my dad like, how cool would
it be to have a country record with this kind
of production?
Speaker 3 (17:09):
You know, this kind of writing, this kind of you know,
because I mean like look, I mean you look at
like Ozzie. I mean he's ausy, right, and everyone thinks
like crazy training all this heavy stuff, but he always
had great balance.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
He always had great you know, slower songs and then
they are very beautifully written too, So there was a
softer side as well.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
So I'm saying like, you know, what if we can
kind of not quite as heavy, you know, as Ausy,
but maybe maybe musically, but you know we could do
some you know, figure out a way, you know, some
other vocal melody or whatnot. You know, the different harmonies
that you know, we could still countrify it a little bit.
And you know, long story short, it was about a
(17:47):
year after that conversation my manager at the time we
link up in Nashville and he's like, hey man, I
had this crazy idea.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
I grew up with this guy. You know, he's like
a big time producer.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Will have to wait because it was pretty high up there,
but I think you guys would be the perfect fit
all this stuff, right, And he's like, he produces like
Ozzie and five Finger Death Finds. I'm like, you're talking
about Kevin Shirk. Oh, oh, you know him? And then
I told him the story. He's like, oh my god, no,
I like I know, I yeah, no, we grew up.
So almost six months after that, Kevin Truck Out of the.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
Blue calls my manager.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
He's like, hey man, you know we shot the ship
cause everybody and he's like, I'm kind of I feel record,
I'm kind of demoned doubt. Is there anybody in Canada
up there that you know I probably want to And
that was like dude, I got the guy. So he
sent him like this the current songs that I had
and pictures and whatnot. And it's kind of wild to
think about, but you know, that whole kind of full
(18:45):
circle thing. And I was on tour with Kobe Keith
doing his doing his Canadian dates. But see at that
time I was also doing my The only cover I
had in my set was a medley put together which
started off pull Holy Diver kill Switch Engage style, but
I was singing more liked O but we get half
of you that song, and then you get into footloose
(19:08):
anny log and style. You know, people are like, what
the fuck you know? But so I don't know if
I or not just weak that out and so so anyways,
he goes, So he goes. You know there any shows
I could see, is he's playing on the stags. He's like, no,
but here he's on tour Toby in Canada and actually
one of the one of the stops here in moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Where they're both from.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
So he goes, You know what, I'll go visit my
parents and I'll come up to that show and see him.
I want to see what he's said about after the
show and in my mind and going, no, no pressure.
I'm opening for one of the greatest country artists of
all time, at least in our generation. And I know
that Kevin Churk was gonna be somewhere in the crowd
going like hmmm, do you work with this guy?
Speaker 1 (19:52):
And you know, no pressure at all. And mom and
dad were there, made the trip.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
They'd never been out west, so I'm like, shit, man,
I better have my together. And after the show, I
get backstage and then it's Kevin Churco in my in
my green room with a couple of shots of Jack Dangels.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Waiting for us.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
That's amazing.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
What we got playing nothing was you want to come
down to Vegas and we'll working on this. Hell yeah,
first songs who wrote were out laws and outsiders and
blame it on it.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
So it was a It was a pretty wild, cool,
cool thing.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
The Turcos are awesome.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
They they were on this show with me ago a
year and a half ago, and what a cool conversation
that was to just break down the side of it
and hear their stories and all of that.
Speaker 4 (20:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
Super you know, very talented, great, big hearted people. Uh
you know, I'm really, really grateful to be able to
have the opportunity and have the opportunity to he.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
Worked with them, but calling family, and I was calling
my Vegas family.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
There you go, you know, so yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Okay, so tell me outlaws and outsiders. Obviously it's you
and a bunch of other people. And we talked about
it earlier with you know, Ivan five fingers and it's
all the people that make sense. But how do how
does that song? You already had the song written, So
how does that song come out? And you go, you
know what, let's get Ivan on a verse, Let's get
you know what I mean, like, explain that process.
Speaker 4 (21:21):
Yeah, we've done it again with your new song.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Yeah, well, you know, it's it's kind of one of
those things. So I've in Canada because I even.
Speaker 3 (21:30):
Even before Turco, I had a bit of a rock
a rock sound and obviously, like I said, I Medley
doing you know, Holy Diver mixing with you know, Totlers
it was and I'm needing today it's still hard for
me to get love a Canadian country radio, to get
to get some decent airplay like I've never cracked. I've
never cracked the top fifty at Canadian country radio. But
(21:52):
I feel like i've aside from US at country radio,
you know, I've pretty much done that. I've done in Australia,
you know, top ten, and the US at rock you know,
and all these other countries, but but not in Canada,
you know. And my first single at rock radio, which
was Outlaws and Outsiders, you know, peaks at twelve in
Canada and number ten in the US. But yet you know,
(22:14):
even here, I am at like eleven or twelve, maybe
thirteen singles now at Canadian country radio, and I've never
seen myself inside the top fifty. So that's where even
that I kind of just felt that way when I
wrote that's when that's what we're all transpired Outlaws and Outsiders.
It's about feeling that kind of not rejection, but just
(22:35):
you know, not being understood, trying to do something different
and being unique but not being it's almost like it
wasn't being accepted, you know. So when we were we
wrote the song at that time and we recorded it well,
Kevin had sent we had about five or six songs
at the time, and we sent it off to Better
Knows Music, right, who have five Biggre Death Punch and.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
All these all these Motley Crue.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
And they were you know, I had my my my
face slammed, you know, or the doors slamed on my
face in Nashville, uh, for for years and this was
this is the one label was like, no, we get it,
let's do it. So that being said, you know, I'm
on a label with Motley Cruze, I'm on a label
with Five Finger, Deat Bunch and all these other, you know,
(23:22):
great hard rock acts. So I think Alan had reached
out to Mick about playing guitar on Outlaws and Outsiders.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
And he loved it.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
And then I've been and Kevin I think were working
on the Five Finger record. I forget which one at
this time, and he talked to I haven't just loved
loved the track, and you know, because we talked about
the ideas, here's who we're thinking, I'm like, yeah, absolutely.
And then of course my manager knew Travis as manager
at the time, I said, well, I want there's anybody
(23:54):
I want him to hear it first and at least
see us or no.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
And the reason why, you know, I didn't. You know,
it's not like that some of these names were brought
up to me.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
But at that let me do some research and the
songs called Outlaws and outsiders. So, you know, Motley Crue,
you don't need to tell their story, right, they were
doing their own thing at a hair metal time. There's
a lot of other great acts of poison and stuff,
but Motley Crue was obviously just doing something a little
(24:24):
different and a little edgier, and a little.
Speaker 4 (24:26):
Period of time they were a cut above, there's no doubt, right.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
So, and then you have someone like Travis Tritt.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
You know, there was obviously whaling prior to him, but
they happened to be great friends, and you know, he
was doing the.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
Southern rock thing. He was.
Speaker 3 (24:39):
He was country, but he was Leonard Skinner and he
was whaling he was, you know, and nobody at the
time was really doing that like him.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
And then of course there's five Finger Death Punch, who.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
You know, got some you know, they got some flak too,
but they're kind of they were kind of taking over
the hard rock scene and now pretty much just completely
have in a great way. So I thought, like we
all have something in common, which I think ties us
all together. You know, we all for our times we're
doing something different or trying to do something different a little.
(25:13):
The fact that they loved the song so much, and
you know, we're like, yeah, I want to be part
of this.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
That was, you know, no brainer, and just super.
Speaker 5 (25:25):
Grateful for for everyone.
Speaker 3 (25:28):
Involved, and especially to be able to call them friends
and having the opportunity to tour with well all of them,
but but Motley obviously haven't toured with them, but you know,
tour with Travis Now I have two of the Five
Finger Death Punch, you know, and so it's been.
Speaker 4 (25:39):
What a what a crazy thing?
Speaker 2 (25:41):
You're touring with Travis Stripp, who my who my parents love,
and five Finger Death Punch, whom all of the sudden loves.
Speaker 4 (25:47):
You know.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
It's uh, you know, so you kind of repeat the
formula right and make my Country Rock, which is your
current single that has sole earning from Godsmack on it
and also Travis Stripp, Yeah, and Mark.
Speaker 3 (26:00):
Exactly and mixed on there too. So when we when
I started writing that song, I wrote that with Zach
malloy and Blair Daily are the four horsemen. Just they
got a lot of a lot of great songs, both
in the country and rock world.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
But you know, we've been writing a lot, and I've
been writing a ship time, and we're kind of like
I need another Outlaws, I need I need another you.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
Know, another great song that's gonna, you know, be accepted
both in country and rock, and how to write that,
and you know, you got you got to make my
country rock, which was really just kind of a stamp
of who I am and what I do in reference
to Outlaws and outsiders and and kind of you know,
(26:45):
other songs like Blaming on the double of Devil's Grin.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
Excuse Me. And at that time we we wrote the song,
recorded it.
Speaker 3 (26:55):
We typically do the demos like all in one day too,
which is crazy.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
And that week I was I was invited to go
see Mick. I went to make mc.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
Mars's house, which was absolutely insane to be like, you know,
mom and daughter.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Fiance's like, so what do you do today?
Speaker 3 (27:10):
I'm like, Oh, I'm actually gonna go to the gym
and then I'm gonna head over to mix house, Mix house.
Speaker 4 (27:14):
M who.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
I'm like, oh, Micks, you know, it's just like like
you're going to this house and a gay you don't me.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
Come over and hang out.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
So so I I drive over there and uh, we
get to his house. It's this beautiful, huge boots place
up in Nashville, and and there he is like standing
outside and I pull into the driveway and come on in.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
So walk into this house is beautiful and just big
open space.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
When we works kind of came into the basement, I guess,
because in Nashville there's no basements, right, and in houses,
right it's only goes up and hiss went like way up.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
But we h So we walk in in his house. Man,
there's like you know.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
People used to have a pictures and stuff and furniture.
It was just like because this was like his his spot.
There was this gun room, which we went and hung
out there later. But walking in and I could tell
there was like on the the side room there was
his studio because you could see his pile of guitars
and monitors and stuff. But the walls, like literally stacked
(28:15):
of the ceiling are just Marshal stacks everywhere, like just hundreds,
probably hundreds of Marshall stacks.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
That's all that was down there.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
And right before we stepped in the studio, he goes, hey,
look that's pretty cool. And I look over and there's
our gold record of Outlaws and Outsiders just in the
middle of all these stacks, sitting on his Marshal lambs
and then in the other wall, you know, there's all
his Motley Crew platinums and golds and whatnot, but ours
(28:44):
just stood alone in between these twenty some Marshal stacks
up on the wall and he's like, come on, let's
go inside the studio and let's hang out. So we
were hanging out and just shooting and ship and then
we started showing.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
I actually got to hear his whole this whole album.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
With him and sure before it ever came out, you know,
and he was telling me that Ray Loser was, you know,
the drummer from corn was was drumming on his record
and a few other big guys in the rock world.
So well, hey, look like I have I have a song,
just want your opinion on it. What do you think?
Speaker 1 (29:17):
You know?
Speaker 3 (29:18):
And it was make my Country Rock and so it's
just a demo and he just said ship, yeah, because
this is this is awesome.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
So well, is it awesome enough for you to for
you to play some more guitar on one of my tracks?
Speaker 3 (29:28):
Was absolutely because I love this, Yeah, absolutely, I'm I
would love to. And so I get micked bring it
to the label, you know, say hey, look we got
Mick on this track, now man, And because they were like,
this is the one. This is going to be like
yourn excelt logs and ship I hope so and of
course then they go, well, we need we need another
country feature.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
So who do I call?
Speaker 3 (29:50):
Right O course, mister Chip and doing a cross Canada
tour earlier this year the first month I think it was, yeah,
February March, and I texted him say look you know
and he goes, absolutely, So I sent the song.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
And he goes, let me call you. I forget what
the date was, so he gives me a call and
he goes, ship Man. He goes, I love this.
Speaker 3 (30:13):
This is really this is me and it's you know,
it's a it's a great song.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
And he goes, hell, we're pretty good the first time. Huh,
so why don't we just do it again?
Speaker 3 (30:23):
And so he's in, So I said, look I got
I got Mick and I got Travis of course you
know labels right, They're like, well we need another rock guy.
I'm like, man, like, who else can we get? There
was a few names that that went by and said
well listen, it's gonna be around the five year anniversary
why don't we Why not a text ivan and just
see what he would say. You know, it's like, dude,
(30:43):
I fucking loved the song, but it's like I'm I'm
on tour in Germany. I can't really, it's just not
it's I'm not gonna work and fully understood, you know,
like I get it. I just wanted him to have,
you know, these first dips, right.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
And and so there are some other great names that
came around and saw the air. His name came up.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
I said, wait, that's like Saliarna of Godsmack. I was like, well,
I know he's a Rush fan, he's a drummer and
he does drum solos during his shows like I do.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
And you know it's God's Smack. So what are the
odds we get him? They're like, well, we could bull
reach out.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
And I waited about a week or two and then
I get this text, you know on your phone. I'm
not sure if youre an iPhone n this is how
it works with other you know, androids or whatever. But
if you don't have that number in and somebody says
something like hey, this is somebody, you know, it'll have
like maybe on top of the text, right, so it's
like maybe Salierna, what the hell I opened the text,
(31:39):
He's got this text like this line. He's basically just like, dude,
this is a great track. It's going to do super well.
Thank you for thinking of me and having me on it.
I'm like, wait, so that's done. You did it already,
you know. And he's like, dude, I love this track
more than you do. And I'm like I'm one hundred
percent and let's fucking do this. And and so there
(31:59):
we have it.
Speaker 5 (32:00):
He reached out something this wonderful texts about how how
much you know, he's very very stoked and thankful and
you know, thanks a lot for you know, for having
me be part of this and I love the song
and if you think it's going to be really great
for you and you know, and at one point, not
in that very text, but we were just chatting about,
you know, the possibility and he was like he digs it. Man,
(32:21):
He's like, I show this that. He's like everybody I
show It's like, it's just gonna this is a hit.
This is a great song. And yeah, it's like I
might even hell, I might even love the song more
than you do, and you know, and and again it's
pretty surreal just to be connecting with with guys like
that and alone have them I don't love your music,
but be part of it, you know, on the recording,
(32:42):
and so it's it's crazy. And now, you know, here
we are a month or so later, and you know,
we're we're we're closing in on top twenty at US
rock radio. So I'm just I'm grateful for all the stations.
I'm grateful for the support and and of course having
these incredible old features on the track again. So it's uh,
(33:03):
it's quite the whirlwind. I waited, you know for four
long years. Uh and and here we are back back
on the charts and kicking butt.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
So it's great, it's amazing, and I'm happy for you, you know,
for all the success. Obviously, do you as a as
a I mean, you have had songs on rock radio now,
and you've had other singles out there obviously, but do
you look to like, do you crave maybe even the
country world kind of coming into you or are you
(33:34):
just like, I don't care, I do what I do
and whatever.
Speaker 5 (33:37):
Well, there's there's there's a bit of that. I mean,
there's a bit of both, you know, because I'm going
to continue doing what I'm doing, and.
Speaker 1 (33:42):
I truly believe that.
Speaker 5 (33:43):
I think I'm I'm giving listeners something a little different,
a little unique. And there's you know, there's other guys
that are starting to do in the country world now,
with guys like Hardy and Jelly World, you know, and
some interviews it's like, oh, so you're doing the Hardy thing.
It's like actually before he was, before he was ever
on a rock radio shark, there was this kid from
North Bay, Ontario, Canada. You've got a top ten in US,
(34:06):
you know, and three in Germany and top twenty in
Canada as a country artists, and I'm very proud to
say that. I'm I'm definitely I'm the first to do
so as a Canadian country act to ever have a US,
you know, top ten single at rock radio, so you know,
but i mean, obviously you know they're doing it now.
I mean, they have a lot of country hits, but
they're they're starting to get on rock radio now too,
(34:28):
and probably have one or two right so far. And
I mean, I would I would love to have, you know,
I've always one of the best of both worlds because
it's just truly who I am, not only as a
person but as an artist, and I love I love Beaugendres.
But you know, especially in the country world, it's it's
just such a a boxed in.
Speaker 3 (34:50):
Genre right now and has been for quite quite a
while where you gotta gotta look, act and sound a
certain way. But and that's that's my problem is that's
why it all sounds exact same, right because there's there's
a lot of great talent. There's a lot of great
songs out there, but not all of them are getting,
you know, the radio play that maybe they deserve, you know,
or that you would think should be considering that, you know,
(35:11):
a lot of the stuff in the top forty. Sometimes
you can just be like, is this wait, is this
the same song?
Speaker 1 (35:16):
You know?
Speaker 5 (35:16):
So? But I you know, I've always I've always been like, man,
I want to change that. I And I think that
if if people, if the people, whether the country or rock,
can hear my songs, like the amount of times on
this theory of a Dead Man tour that I'm like,
I hate country man, but dude, I love your shit.
Like that's great. It's it's both, but it's it doesn't
sound like everything else you hear on country radio. You know,
(35:38):
that is kind of like for me. I mean, that's
that's a sign, you know. I mean, you know, the
streams aren't aren't doing so bad either, you know, So
it's I mean, I'd love to have country radio support,
and knowing that I have the rock radio support already,
so I'm just I'm grateful and happy to have that
and just excited to see where this crazy ride takes me.
Speaker 4 (36:01):
You know. It's funny.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
I had Jelly Roll on the show as dead Men
Walking was was breaking, and he was so genuine I mean,
he's an excitable guy anyway, but he was so genuinely
excited about that song potentially you know, hitting top five
and number one, which eventually did at rock radio. And
(36:24):
to be like he basically said, I'll never forget as
long as I live. Fuck you, Nashville, I'm gonna have
a number one country song. I don't have a number
one rock song and have a number one pop song,
and you can all fuck off, you know. Like that's amazing,
And he did it, you know, and and to see
that these mashups of genres, right, we've seen it with
(36:46):
rap and metal, We've seen it with you know, punk
and hip hop and and you know, rockabilly and whatever.
It's to see it all come together and go listen,
this is what we listened to, and this is what
we like. And I don't care, this is what I
sound like. I'm all for it. I'm all for it,
and good on you for continuing to do it well.
Speaker 1 (37:05):
I think.
Speaker 5 (37:06):
I think, man, I've said this many times. I think
it's our job as artists. That's why they call it artists.
I mean, we got to create art. We got to
create something unique, create something different, create something that's again
it's going to stand out a little bit.
Speaker 1 (37:20):
I think.
Speaker 5 (37:20):
I really, I personally take that job seriously, you know,
and I just yeah, I just kind of do my
thing and hopefully, you know people people love it and
it's it's worked out pretty pretty well so far, and
hopefully just keeps getting better and bigger. And like I said,
(37:40):
just see where this crazy ride takes me. But I
think it's it's very important to none of that. You know,
you can get pushed around, especially in especially in the
town like Nashville and and you know industry, or they're
gonna try to force force your hand on what you
should sound like and what what song is going to
be the song? You know, but it's like you got
to be able to put your foot down some time
to say, look, it's it's me going out on the road.
(38:03):
It's it's me going out and singing these songs every night,
you know, so and this is this is what I
want to this is what I want to do because
ultimately it's it's me and my crew that are that
are out there doing that, you know, putting in that roadwork.
So I think it's important.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
To do that.
Speaker 4 (38:17):
Awesome.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
Speaking of playing live, I know you just did the
acoustic thing with Theory of a dead Man, but you
mentioned earlier about you played a drum solo during the
live sets.
Speaker 5 (38:28):
Yeah, yeah, so we have I think we have six
six shows left here on the Unplugged tour with Here
of a dead Man and yeah, with with my band.
When i'm you know, when I'm doing my headliner shows,
whether it's up in Canada or some some here in
the US, anytime I have enough time. Really, For example,
(38:49):
I was direct support for Travis Tripp during the Buffalo
Chip and Sturgis, and I didn't even like we were
kind of like, you know, if we're going to open
for Travis's probably either you know, forty five minutes or
maybe an hour set, you know, but we got a
full ninety so I did. I did my full show,
which includes a drum solo and excusual so you know,
(39:11):
I do an acoustic part too, to bring it all
down to where it all started, you know, just me,
guitar and a song, and then I go up you
know where it really started for me on the drums,
and and.
Speaker 1 (39:20):
I do this.
Speaker 5 (39:20):
My dad always calls it Neil to Neil, write a
tribute to Neil Pier and man. When I was doing this,
when I was doing this crazy part of the solo
near the end, I could literally hear this thunder like sound.
I'm kind of going, like, what the hell is this ship?
And when I do the solo due, I hit my
final note and I throw the sticks up in the air.
(39:41):
I walk up the stage. I'm thinking, I walk off
to the drum rise and I'm still hearing the sound
and I pull up my ears. I put my ear
right back in because it was so loud.
Speaker 1 (39:49):
It was.
Speaker 5 (39:50):
It was the bikers revn their engines, and Travis told me,
this is going to be something. This is going to
be something you've never experienced before, know life, He says. Listen,
they don't. They won't re to cheer the crowd, the
thousands of people in front of you evil cheer. But
what you're really going to hear, if you're doing a
good job, you're going to hear the bikers just red
their engines. That's what they do. And really, man, we
(40:11):
heard that quite quite often throughout the set, which is
very nice to hear, especially the sign off during Outlaws
and Outsiders. They were just going wild and they knew
the song, so it was it was. It was very special.
But yeah, I do uh, I do a drum solo.
As I said, my dad calls it the the Neil
to Neil. My tribute to Neil peered throughout my set.
Speaker 2 (40:32):
Hey man, as a as a biker who has been
to Sturges, I can't confirm that that that is true,
and it is an amazing thing to be a part of.
Speaker 4 (40:42):
That's awesome.
Speaker 5 (40:44):
It was truly something special. And again, I hope to
come back to play the Buffalo Chip many many times
in the future. And uh, that's one festival I can't
I can't wait to.
Speaker 1 (40:55):
Headline one day.
Speaker 5 (40:57):
And you know what a biker. You know, that's really
the only license I don't have. You know, I've got
my obviously my car license, voating license, pilot's license, and
I've ridden on some dirt bikes and four wheelers. But
I got some friends that the biker seem like, dude,
you would love it. I'm like, I know I would,
But at this point in my life, I'm like, I
think I do enough crazy ship right now that uh,
(41:18):
you know, my might you know, do that one day,
get the license and get myself a nice, you know,
nice Harley just to just a cruise on. You know,
I go fast enough on the plane, so I think
the bike would be a nice a nice touch.
Speaker 1 (41:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:33):
One of my uh, one of my really close friends,
he his his wife is a big biker, and he's not,
but he's got a you know, he's got his old
Challenger and he's cool with the with the classic car.
But he also has his pilot's license. And it's hilarious
because I'm like, you you you're getting up in a plane.
He's like, yeah, but the cool thing is I can
(41:54):
bring our kids with me.
Speaker 4 (41:55):
She can't. And I said, is that cool? Or is
she going? He can bring his kids with them. I can't.
Speaker 5 (42:02):
Yeah, hey, exactly.
Speaker 1 (42:05):
Yeah, that's that's funny.
Speaker 4 (42:06):
That's amazing. Man. Well, if if you're on it.
Speaker 2 (42:09):
I haven't been a Surgeons the last couple of years,
but if you if you're playing again next year, I'll
make sure to get to where you're playing.
Speaker 1 (42:15):
Oh man, that'd be amazing.
Speaker 4 (42:16):
My brother, My brother and I just started planning the route, so.
Speaker 5 (42:20):
Okay, cool. I think that's really cool. You know, all
these all these bikers, you know, they so they heard,
they plan, they plan, they plan routes and they you know,
it's a huge weekend thing and oh yeah, guys, probably
some of some of them. Dude, there was there were
people there from my hometown. Oh sure, that's just crazy,
(42:40):
Like it's nuts.
Speaker 1 (42:41):
Like all over the world people were.
Speaker 5 (42:43):
Talking about it.
Speaker 1 (42:44):
It was nuts. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (42:45):
They trail of their bikes and they get to a
certain spot and then they just ride there.
Speaker 4 (42:49):
Man.
Speaker 5 (42:50):
It's it's it's unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (42:51):
Yeah, I live about it's about twelve and a half
hours from my driveway to Sturges.
Speaker 1 (42:58):
Okay, so do you do it all?
Speaker 2 (42:59):
On the last time I went, we trailered only because
we had a very finite amount of time and we
wanted to. We wanted to be able to drive through
the night and not have to stop. And I know
a lot of people that do that. But we were leaving,
Like the buddy I rode with h he's DJ's at
strip clubs. But I did that two part time for
(43:22):
a little while. But and he taught me how to
do it and we became friends. But anyway, he's like,
we left after his shift at like three in the morning,
so you know, we put them in trailers and went.
This time, we're riding and it's not bad, you know
what I mean. You just get up early in the
morning and you go. Last year, I went from here
to New Orleans, you know, and made it about half
(43:46):
a state away, so in one trip.
Speaker 5 (43:48):
So I mean, you know, yeah, yeah, that's that's one
place that I I yet to to see. I'm gonna
say I've probably seen or been in at least thirty
five well close to the forty states at this point,
you know, but New Orleans is one place.
Speaker 1 (44:08):
I've I've heard.
Speaker 5 (44:10):
It's beautiful and obviously a huge country not country, but
I tach music, you know, play so.
Speaker 3 (44:16):
The music natural tons and and you know, New Orleans
is something I'd love to.
Speaker 2 (44:22):
Experience soon, just hanging out on a Tuesday night at
some place watching an old blues band play in New Orleans,
you know, not even on Bourbon, but off of Bourbon.
And I'm an idiot radio DJ who has been I
got into this because I play guitar and I got
asked to go sit in. I'm like, you don't know
who I am, what I do, if I can even
(44:43):
do this, and you're asking. So that's the kind of
that's the kind of music inclusivity that's in that city,
and it's it's it's infectious.
Speaker 5 (44:51):
It's a wonderful thing.
Speaker 1 (44:52):
Man.
Speaker 2 (44:53):
Absolutely well, listen, Corey dude, this has been a pleasure.
I've taken up way too much of your time already.
This has been a great conversation.
Speaker 3 (44:58):
Man.
Speaker 5 (44:59):
That's all good man, And it's uh, it's passing ship.
But we only got we got thirty minutes left in
this in this trip, so there you go before we
hit a Hampton. So it's fucking great man. And I
have the I have the album coming out December sixth,
Sorry for Nothing, and it's fourteen fourteen new new tracks.
And when it comes out, make sure to give it
a lesson man, and I hope you hope you love it,
(45:21):
and and yeah, it'd be great to great to finally
meet you in person, uh you know, in the new year.
And yeah, Buffalo Chip happens, that'd be that'd be real.
Speaker 1 (45:31):
It'd be great.
Speaker 2 (45:32):
Hell yeah, absolutely, Corey Marks, dude, thank you for this
so much.
Speaker 4 (45:35):
Man. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (45:37):
Tyler, thank you man. All the best and happy Thanksgiving
you and your family. And I know we probably won't
talk for a little while yet, so meryor Christmas too.
It might be early, but uh, you know, why not.
Speaker 2 (45:48):
Hey, Hey to you guys. Hey, happy holidays. You know,
then it covers everything.
Speaker 5 (45:53):
Yeah, there you go, Happy holidays.
Speaker 1 (45:54):
Man.
Speaker 5 (45:55):
Well, thank you, brother, I really appreciate your time.
Speaker 1 (45:57):
Carter's rock Cast. Don't get to tune in being I
think
Attention please, and no Cutters rock.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Cast Corey Marks joining us. Dude, It's it's a pleasure
to meet you. Obviously. You know we we've uh, we've
had some songs from you on the radio over the
last couple of years with various guests. And that's weird
kinda because technically you're a country artist. But I'm not
mad about it because you're very good at what you do.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Appreciate that.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Thanks Cutter, well, thanks for having me, Thanks for playing
the music, support the music and letting this country boiler
rock and roll soul you know, at the airwaves.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
It's been fun.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
What part of Canada are you from?
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Just north of Toronto, three hours north of Toronto, I'm
from North Bay, Ontario.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
Okay, North Bay. There you go. Hockey, right, that's big,
big hockey.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Lots of hockey, my my, Unfortunately, you know it's it's
such a great sport and you know, we love it
so much. But now I'm starting to feel the wrath
of all those years on the ice because sitting in
cars and buses while traveling the back knees and everything else,
not loving it so much.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
Oh, come on, that's what the whiskey's for.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
I guess there you go.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Yeah, but that hockey culture, your friends, your your brother,
your dad are gonna be like because your brother played
for a lot of years, right.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Yeah, he played thirteen or fourteen years pro and now
he's on his fourth year as an assistant coach. He
was in Seattle and WHL Thunderbirds's coach there, and now
he's actually back home after twenty one years away. He
left at sixteen for hockey and oh wow, thirty seven
now and doing and you know, coaching is first season
(01:42):
at home, back at home, so it's good to have
the big fellow back.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Hell yeah, the parents got to be crazy for that, right,
like like a one kid left at sixteen for hockey
and the other ones on the road trying to be
a rock star.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Well, i'll see.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
When I was he's two years older than me, So
I actually stayed home till I was, you know, my
late late teens, but I still played. I played hockey
as well, so I was gone quite a bit. And
then you know, there's the music thing after that. But
I was kind of all over the place between the
pilot thing hockey music, and then finally kind of started,
(02:16):
you know, the first couple of years doing this. I
was still I was not living at home but in
my hometown, so you know, I got I got to
see Mom and Dad quite a bit, and I still do.
Is I live about thirty minutes from from Mom and Dad,
so I usually coming down and go to the gym and.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Try to pop in, even if it's just to say
hi or go raid the fridge.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
That never stops. That never stops. My parents in their
eighties now when I go to their house, I still
read the fridge.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Oh yeah, man, It's it's funny.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
And my parents just just rebuilt, well not rebuilt, but
they just built a brand new home.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
So they have been in the same.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
House for thirty three or thirty four years and they
just they just you know, built their dream house finally,
well deserved.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
So stoked about that.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
But you know, it's they've been there, they haven't even
been there for a year, and it's like I go there,
it's like just at home and go and go walk
right to the fridge.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
So I was to day you know.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Never ends. That's awesome.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
So at what point then, because I mean you're playing hockey,
you know, uh, you did the pilot thing in military
all that, So at what point do you did you go,
you know what, I'm going to be a musician.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
I'm going to play music.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Well that was always, you know, I was, I was
a drummer before before it was my real first love.
I mean just hockey came that naturally. So I was
on skates at like two or three years old. But
you know, my dad being from Toronto, and that's obviously
being Canadian. Uh, you know, we grew up to a
lot of rush, but like a lot of deep purple,
a lot of you know, a lot of great you
(03:48):
know rock bands and progressive rock fans.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
Oh yeah, so I.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Got my you know, my first drum kid at ten
years old, so I was that was that was my
obsession then. I mean remember even in the in the
dressing room, you know, get ready for games and put
on they'd be like, put on the rush drum solo
and you should watch some air drumming. So I'd be
like in the room getting everyone you know, jacked up
for the game by by air drumming rush, you know,
(04:13):
and they'd be like, he does every note, kind of
having flashbacks.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
Now, it's been a while to talk about that, but.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
You know, and then I didn't pick up a guitar
till I was you know, my you know, almost done
high school really, but I've always I've always loved playing live.
I was in some bands and high school, the high
school band, was in high school band, and even before
I was old enough to go to the bars up
in Canada, you know, I was, I was playing drums
and doing background vocals for just like a top forty
cover cover band.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
Had a lot of fun doing that.
Speaker 4 (04:44):
We're all starting to cover band.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
That's right, you know, it's yeah, you know, it's funny.
We uh we wrote though too, it was it was
kind of cool. So that's and even like doing the
singer song or anything. When I was first starting bands,
you know, the bands, first starting the bars, I was,
you know, even though we did thirty five forty songs
a night, there's probably you know, at least at least
anywhere from four to six songs that were on my
(05:08):
own that no one would know unless they hurt them,
you know, I got them out on.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
Like YouTube or something. So but it was fun. It's
good times.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
So what made you switch then from from drums to
being the front man, singer, songwriter, guitar player, singer and
all of that.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
You know, I I always used to you know, I
was used to write, but I never really knew that
it was a good song.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Whatever.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
When I went away to college basically was when I started.
I started singing a little bit in high school. I'm
in trans like, man, you're you're good, and a lot
of my a lot of my bandmates act you got
to start singing, you know, But I was way too shy,
and I was comfortable behind the kits, singing harmonies and
stuff behind the kid forget about this up front, you know,
(05:53):
worrying about all the lyrics kind of thing. But then,
you know, when I was at m see Roal Military
College of Canada, Kingston, Ontario, I I was starting to
post like on Facebook and YouTube, just covers, right, and
some originals.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
I was writing originals.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Then I was like a closet you know, closet guitar player, singer.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
You know, I wasn't sure what the hell I was doing.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
I was just seeing, you know, what kind of reactions
I would get from it. And you know, we'd go
to this bar called the Brass Kingston every every.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Night, but close to it, I guess, but I figured
what they was. Every Wednesday or so, Smithy.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
He's a local legendary and you know, he sings for
four or five hours. And my band, my bandmates, see
my teammates, would you know, they went and talked to him, like, hey,
when you take your break, you should get Cory up.
Sunshine was my call signer nickname there because I was
the only guy on a military team with long hair.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Because I was actually upgrading, so.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
I wasn't like my uh, you know, academically, I wasn't
so great in high school. It was more about the
parties and hockey and all that fun stuff. But so
I had to do some upgrading. Although I was on
the team, I wasn't able to play games yet until
I got officially like enlisted, I guess.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
And in the second semester.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
So so yeah, they're like, so uh, Spinny was taking
his break. It's like, we're gonna have our friend Sunshine
come up to sing a few songs. And I was like,
did he just say in the whole team? I mean, like,
get up there.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Man.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
I've never sang in front of anyone at this point,
so I'm like, there's no way I'm going up. But
you know, yeah, a little a little liquid courage, and
there I was, and honestly I could say is you
know I do that every once a week. I go
up and sing three four songs and people started coming
up to me like, you know, where else are you playing?
You know, do you have a ceout or anything like that.
So it's like, wait a minute. And then things didn't
(07:49):
really work out over there, and at the time my
brother's my brother's girlfriend at the time, was like, hey,
why don't you you know, you're not sure if you
want to stay there, why don't you come back home
every Wednesday? You can come play the bar manage and
you know, throwing some some you know, a few hundred
bucks and start there. And so that's basically what I did.
And I guess, you know, back in Kicks, and I
guess I could caught the bug and I started really
(08:11):
enjoying it and and then I, you know, play Wednesday
night here. Then I'd be through like a forty minute
set on Thursday at this other bar, and then I
started putting the band together, and you know, the rest
is history.
Speaker 5 (08:21):
Year.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
I am across Canada eight times, in the US two
or three times at this point now, and that's only
in the span.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Of you know, five six years.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
That's amazing. That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Your your music is interesting because it's well, it's country.
It is definitely laden in hard rock. You cannot deny
that influence at all. And to the point where you know,
now you have yet another song and make my country
rock that's being played at rock radio and sell the
earner from God's Mac is on it. Sure, but so
is Travis Tritt. And you've done that before where you
(08:54):
you know, you had the uh what was it? Outlaw
Outlaws and outside sorry thank you?
Speaker 4 (09:01):
Where I even five fingers on it? Old friend?
Speaker 2 (09:04):
And and ohso Travis, But like you know, you it's
so late in hard rock, but yet it's country. Where
does that tie come from? Like being a country artist
per se? But really are you?
Speaker 1 (09:21):
Yeah? I mean the first tour of us ever I
was ever on.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
Was Merle Haggard's in my hometown. So I got to
meet I got to meet my you know, my hero.
So growing up, you know, I was I was very lucky.
I think, you know, you know, there's dad who loved
all this rock stuff, and I remember him showing me
the CD Stigmata or he's like.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Hey, you know, I like this. There's some cool jumping Artist.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
And it was fucking arch Enemy, you know, and I
was like, I was like ten eleven years old, like, god,
that's that's pretty cool. So although I was listening to
a lot of Yeah, Grand Funk, Railroad, Rush, Deep, Purple,
Ozzy Osbourne, Brian Adams, you know, I started like getting
into the you know, getting into the more progressive stuff
because from Russia, you know, there's only you know, the
(10:07):
way they played especially it's like, okay, well there was
dream Theater, you know. So I started playing that stuff
at like fourteen fifteen years old. And around the same time,
you know, there was always you know, there's those bands
like Metallica, but around fourteen fifteen is really were like
Panthera came in Lamb of God for me, and that
I really started really loving that stuff because of you know,
(10:31):
just those drum parts were unique, and for me, there
wasn't really many fourteen I was playing that stuff. So
it was always I guess an outside of that way,
you know, where people like Jimian's blink why you two.
So I'm like, yeah, I've ever heard a fucking you know,
walk with Me and a hell or you know whatever. Yeah,
you know, stuff like that or eleventh hour, you know,
laid to rest, you know, stuff like that. So there
(10:55):
there was that side. But you know, my mom being
from a small you know know farm farmtown, uh two
hours north of where I was born in that bay,
you know, there was and my dad like again on
that one side, he had all this rock element.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
But they were both huge country fans.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
And I remember growing up like and I'm talking like
real country, not like Morgan Wall and the stuff I'm
talking you know, like the real shit, the good the
good stuff, you know, you know, like you know, Merle Haggard.
There's there was Buck Owings, There's Whale Jennings. There's of
course Hank senior and junior. And moving as far back
(11:33):
as like Jimmy Jimmy Rogers, you know, in the Carter family,
which is like, you know, the start of country music
essentially know, in the nineteen twenties thirties.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
So I grew I grew up on all that stuff.
And then.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
The cool thing is is so my So my mom's
the baby of eight, I'm the last one born, I
always say, out of the whole litter.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
And I happened to be born on.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
The same busines as my grandfather sixty five years apart
to call us the Evil Twins. So you know, so
every and we're born October eleventh, which is second week
of October, is Katy Thanksgiving differently. So throughout the years
of the twenty four to twenty five years, we got
to share together.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
You know.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
Thanksgiving always landed kind of typically on my birthday, so
are our birthdays. So we would go up to my
you know, my grandparent's house up in that little that
little small town and celebrate Thanksgiving and our birthdays so often,
you know, after dinner and whatnot. You know, that's when
the beers came out, the guitars and and all that stuff.
So my my, my parents, my aunts and uncles are
(12:38):
you know, I'm talking you know, from you know, seven
o'clock till three in the morning, you're playing anything from
George Jones, Whale and Merle Johnny.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
You know.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
So I was, you know, and that's you know, I
was very young then, and so I got to I
got to see witness and hear.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
That stuff at a very young age. You know.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
My dad played in a band with his brother or
my uncle Wolf Wolf Milestone. It's like an old you know,
great yeah, the country Western, you know guy, and yeah,
so I just kind of, you know, I grew up
on I grew up on all this music, you know,
and a lot of people have always said like I'm
an old soul. So like when people were going to
high school dances listening to Usher and Ship like that.
(13:19):
You know, I'm going like, you know, hey, baby, you
ever hear this rush? If you're twenty one twelve?
Speaker 5 (13:24):
The hell is that?
Speaker 3 (13:26):
So? You know, it's always again, I feel like, really
I've always kind of been an outsider that way, where wherever,
like wherever and whenever somebody is listening or this this
is a pot song or artist at the time. It's
like I was always into something else completely pretty much
completely different from what the hell is going on.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
What a great pickup line, Hey, you want to you
want to blow this joint and go listen to Temples
of syrnixs amazing, get out of here and you know,
let me show you my spirit of radio.
Speaker 4 (14:05):
Jesus exactly.
Speaker 1 (14:08):
Well it may not be Tom, but I can if
you want me to.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Well done, We'll ride out in my red bar shut out. Okay, Well,
you know we could do this.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
We could do this all day.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
We could.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
My twelve year old son and I have started having this,
this this conversation where, you know, we just keep going
at each other with song titles. You know it, we'll go,
you know, here's well the other day we're going on
Green Day back and forth, and I looked at him.
He tried to go in Nirvana, and I'm like, are
you sure, like that's from when.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
I was a kid. Yeah, I'm sure you want to
do You're sure you want to play this game.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Don't don't start with the Metallica song titles, or you're
gonna get schooled.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Number one. You're gonna get schooled exactly.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
So you incorporate these two styles together so seamlessly though,
because and I don't remember what song was. I was
listening to you yesterday by You, and I shoot, I
don't remember the title of it, but it's just, you know,
it had this twaying to it, but then underneath you
could hear this down tuned guitar and bass. It's like, yeah,
I understand the Lamb of God reference, because I'm like,
(15:12):
if you took out that Twain and added in a
lead guitar part on a seven string, this is a
Lamb of God song.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Was it guilty? Maybe it's like this, that's pretty.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
I just kind of had it on in the background
while doing some other stuff, knowing that we were going
to talk the.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Lamb of God breakdown in the middle of that.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
Oh yeah, maybe maybe that's what it is.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
It's pretty, it's pretty badass, but that you know, that's
all because it all started with you know, I've always
liked you know, of.
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Course this.
Speaker 5 (15:42):
Did it.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
So, you know, the late eighties, early nineties, you know,
when I was born, you know, mixing country was southern rock.
But the whole evolution of metal and stuff, that's that's
you know, obviously been happening over the years.
Speaker 1 (15:58):
You know.
Speaker 3 (15:58):
For me, it was like, well, you know, I remember
going to one of my my dad would drive into
Toronto when I would go on my national writing trips,
and you know, this is back in twenty.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
Eleven, twelve thirteen ish era, and you know my.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Album the year and graduating high school in twenty two
thousand and seven. You know, it was like it was
a black rain Massie and so I was still like
really early on in my you know, figuring out who
Like I was just trying to figure out who the
hell I was right, and what kind of writer, you know,
what do I want to write about? So I wasn't
(16:37):
like involved in, you know, knowing that these producers are
you know, all these these big players. So but I
remember driving to Toronto my dad. We listened that record
two times over and my dad was like, well, this
is produced by this Kevin Cherco guy and he's actually Canadian,
and like, oh, that's really cool. I don't wonder maybe
you know, there's a way we can figure out how
to work with him or whatnot. He's pretty high up
(16:59):
there with Finger and Ozzy Osbourne.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
But I remember teld my dad like, how cool would
it be to have a country record with this kind
of production?
Speaker 3 (17:09):
You know, this kind of writing, this kind of you know,
because I mean like look, I mean you look at
like Ozzie. I mean he's ausy, right, and everyone thinks
like crazy training all this heavy stuff, but he always
had great balance.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
He always had great you know, slower songs and then
they are very beautifully written too, So there was a
softer side as well.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
So I'm saying like, you know, what if we can
kind of not quite as heavy, you know, as Ausy,
but maybe maybe musically, but you know we could do
some you know, figure out a way, you know, some
other vocal melody or whatnot. You know, the different harmonies
that you know, we could still countrify it a little bit.
And you know, long story short, it was about a
(17:47):
year after that conversation my manager at the time we
link up in Nashville and he's like, hey man, I
had this crazy idea.
Speaker 1 (17:55):
I grew up with this guy. You know, he's like
a big time producer.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Will have to wait because it was pretty high up there,
but I think you guys would be the perfect fit
all this stuff, right, And he's like, he produces like
Ozzie and five Finger Death Finds. I'm like, you're talking
about Kevin Shirk. Oh, oh, you know him? And then
I told him the story. He's like, oh my god, no,
I like I know, I yeah, no, we grew up.
So almost six months after that, Kevin Truck Out of the.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
Blue calls my manager.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
He's like, hey man, you know we shot the ship
cause everybody and he's like, I'm kind of I feel record,
I'm kind of demoned doubt. Is there anybody in Canada
up there that you know I probably want to And
that was like dude, I got the guy. So he
sent him like this the current songs that I had
and pictures and whatnot. And it's kind of wild to
think about, but you know, that whole kind of full
(18:45):
circle thing. And I was on tour with Kobe Keith
doing his doing his Canadian dates. But see at that
time I was also doing my The only cover I
had in my set was a medley put together which
started off pull Holy Diver kill Switch Engage style, but
I was singing more liked O but we get half
of you that song, and then you get into footloose
(19:08):
anny log and style. You know, people are like, what
the fuck you know? But so I don't know if
I or not just weak that out and so so anyways,
he goes, So he goes. You know there any shows
I could see, is he's playing on the stags. He's like, no,
but here he's on tour Toby in Canada and actually
one of the one of the stops here in moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Where they're both from.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
So he goes, You know what, I'll go visit my
parents and I'll come up to that show and see him.
I want to see what he's said about after the
show and in my mind and going, no, no pressure.
I'm opening for one of the greatest country artists of
all time, at least in our generation. And I know
that Kevin Churk was gonna be somewhere in the crowd
going like hmmm, do you work with this guy?
Speaker 1 (19:52):
And you know, no pressure at all. And mom and
dad were there, made the trip.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
They'd never been out west, so I'm like, shit, man,
I better have my together. And after the show, I
get backstage and then it's Kevin Churco in my in
my green room with a couple of shots of Jack Dangels.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
Waiting for us.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
That's amazing.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
What we got playing nothing was you want to come
down to Vegas and we'll working on this. Hell yeah,
first songs who wrote were out laws and outsiders and
blame it on it.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
So it was a It was a pretty wild, cool,
cool thing.
Speaker 4 (20:29):
The Turcos are awesome.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
They they were on this show with me ago a
year and a half ago, and what a cool conversation
that was to just break down the side of it
and hear their stories and all of that.
Speaker 4 (20:43):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
Super you know, very talented, great, big hearted people. Uh
you know, I'm really, really grateful to be able to
have the opportunity and have the opportunity to he.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
Worked with them, but calling family, and I was calling
my Vegas family.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
There you go, you know, so yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Okay, so tell me outlaws and outsiders. Obviously it's you
and a bunch of other people. And we talked about
it earlier with you know, Ivan five fingers and it's
all the people that make sense. But how do how
does that song? You already had the song written, So
how does that song come out? And you go, you
know what, let's get Ivan on a verse, Let's get
you know what I mean, like, explain that process.
Speaker 4 (21:21):
Yeah, we've done it again with your new song.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Yeah, well, you know, it's it's kind of one of
those things. So I've in Canada because I even.
Speaker 3 (21:30):
Even before Turco, I had a bit of a rock
a rock sound and obviously, like I said, I Medley
doing you know, Holy Diver mixing with you know, Totlers
it was and I'm needing today it's still hard for
me to get love a Canadian country radio, to get
to get some decent airplay like I've never cracked. I've
never cracked the top fifty at Canadian country radio. But
(21:52):
I feel like i've aside from US at country radio,
you know, I've pretty much done that. I've done in Australia,
you know, top ten, and the US at rock you know,
and all these other countries, but but not in Canada,
you know. And my first single at rock radio, which
was Outlaws and Outsiders, you know, peaks at twelve in
Canada and number ten in the US. But yet you know,
(22:14):
even here, I am at like eleven or twelve, maybe
thirteen singles now at Canadian country radio, and I've never
seen myself inside the top fifty. So that's where even
that I kind of just felt that way when I
wrote that's when that's what we're all transpired Outlaws and Outsiders.
It's about feeling that kind of not rejection, but just
(22:35):
you know, not being understood, trying to do something different
and being unique but not being it's almost like it
wasn't being accepted, you know. So when we were we
wrote the song at that time and we recorded it well,
Kevin had sent we had about five or six songs
at the time, and we sent it off to Better
Knows Music, right, who have five Biggre Death Punch and.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
All these all these Motley Crue.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
And they were you know, I had my my my
face slammed, you know, or the doors slamed on my
face in Nashville, uh, for for years and this was
this is the one label was like, no, we get it,
let's do it. So that being said, you know, I'm
on a label with Motley Cruze, I'm on a label
with Five Finger, Deat Bunch and all these other, you know,
(23:22):
great hard rock acts. So I think Alan had reached
out to Mick about playing guitar on Outlaws and Outsiders.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
And he loved it.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
And then I've been and Kevin I think were working
on the Five Finger record. I forget which one at
this time, and he talked to I haven't just loved
loved the track, and you know, because we talked about
the ideas, here's who we're thinking, I'm like, yeah, absolutely.
And then of course my manager knew Travis as manager
at the time, I said, well, I want there's anybody
(23:54):
I want him to hear it first and at least
see us or no.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
And the reason why, you know, I didn't. You know,
it's not like that some of these names were brought
up to me.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
But at that let me do some research and the
songs called Outlaws and outsiders. So, you know, Motley Crue,
you don't need to tell their story, right, they were
doing their own thing at a hair metal time. There's
a lot of other great acts of poison and stuff,
but Motley Crue was obviously just doing something a little
(24:24):
different and a little edgier, and a little.
Speaker 4 (24:26):
Period of time they were a cut above, there's no doubt, right.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
So, and then you have someone like Travis Tritt.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
You know, there was obviously whaling prior to him, but
they happened to be great friends, and you know, he
was doing the.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
Southern rock thing. He was.
Speaker 3 (24:39):
He was country, but he was Leonard Skinner and he
was whaling he was, you know, and nobody at the
time was really doing that like him.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
And then of course there's five Finger Death Punch, who.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
You know, got some you know, they got some flak too,
but they're kind of they were kind of taking over
the hard rock scene and now pretty much just completely
have in a great way. So I thought, like we
all have something in common, which I think ties us
all together. You know, we all for our times we're
doing something different or trying to do something different a little.
(25:13):
The fact that they loved the song so much, and
you know, we're like, yeah, I want to be part
of this.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
That was, you know, no brainer, and just super.
Speaker 5 (25:25):
Grateful for for everyone.
Speaker 3 (25:28):
Involved, and especially to be able to call them friends
and having the opportunity to tour with well all of them,
but but Motley obviously haven't toured with them, but you know,
tour with Travis Now I have two of the Five
Finger Death Punch, you know, and so it's been.
Speaker 4 (25:39):
What a what a crazy thing?
Speaker 2 (25:41):
You're touring with Travis Stripp, who my who my parents love,
and five Finger Death Punch, whom all of the sudden loves.
Speaker 4 (25:47):
You know.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
It's uh, you know, so you kind of repeat the
formula right and make my Country Rock, which is your
current single that has sole earning from Godsmack on it
and also Travis Stripp, Yeah, and Mark.
Speaker 3 (26:00):
Exactly and mixed on there too. So when we when
I started writing that song, I wrote that with Zach
malloy and Blair Daily are the four horsemen. Just they
got a lot of a lot of great songs, both
in the country and rock world.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
But you know, we've been writing a lot, and I've
been writing a ship time, and we're kind of like
I need another Outlaws, I need I need another you.
Speaker 3 (26:24):
Know, another great song that's gonna, you know, be accepted
both in country and rock, and how to write that,
and you know, you got you got to make my
country rock, which was really just kind of a stamp
of who I am and what I do in reference
to Outlaws and outsiders and and kind of you know,
(26:45):
other songs like Blaming on the double of Devil's Grin.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
Excuse Me. And at that time we we wrote the song,
recorded it.
Speaker 3 (26:55):
We typically do the demos like all in one day too,
which is crazy.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
And that week I was I was invited to go
see Mick. I went to make mc.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
Mars's house, which was absolutely insane to be like, you know,
mom and daughter.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Fiance's like, so what do you do today?
Speaker 3 (27:10):
I'm like, Oh, I'm actually gonna go to the gym
and then I'm gonna head over to mix house, Mix house.
Speaker 4 (27:14):
M who.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
I'm like, oh, Micks, you know, it's just like like
you're going to this house and a gay you don't me.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
Come over and hang out.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
So so I I drive over there and uh, we
get to his house. It's this beautiful, huge boots place
up in Nashville, and and there he is like standing
outside and I pull into the driveway and come on in.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
So walk into this house is beautiful and just big
open space.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
When we works kind of came into the basement, I guess,
because in Nashville there's no basements, right, and in houses,
right it's only goes up and hiss went like way up.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
But we h So we walk in in his house. Man,
there's like you know.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
People used to have a pictures and stuff and furniture.
It was just like because this was like his his spot.
There was this gun room, which we went and hung
out there later. But walking in and I could tell
there was like on the the side room there was
his studio because you could see his pile of guitars
and monitors and stuff. But the walls, like literally stacked
(28:15):
of the ceiling are just Marshal stacks everywhere, like just hundreds,
probably hundreds of Marshall stacks.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
That's all that was down there.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
And right before we stepped in the studio, he goes, hey,
look that's pretty cool. And I look over and there's
our gold record of Outlaws and Outsiders just in the
middle of all these stacks, sitting on his Marshal lambs
and then in the other wall, you know, there's all
his Motley Crew platinums and golds and whatnot, but ours
(28:44):
just stood alone in between these twenty some Marshal stacks
up on the wall and he's like, come on, let's
go inside the studio and let's hang out. So we
were hanging out and just shooting and ship and then
we started showing.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
I actually got to hear his whole this whole album.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
With him and sure before it ever came out, you know,
and he was telling me that Ray Loser was, you know,
the drummer from corn was was drumming on his record
and a few other big guys in the rock world.
So well, hey, look like I have I have a song,
just want your opinion on it. What do you think?
Speaker 1 (29:17):
You know?
Speaker 3 (29:18):
And it was make my Country Rock and so it's
just a demo and he just said ship, yeah, because
this is this is awesome.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
So well, is it awesome enough for you to for
you to play some more guitar on one of my tracks?
Speaker 3 (29:28):
Was absolutely because I love this, Yeah, absolutely, I'm I
would love to. And so I get micked bring it
to the label, you know, say hey, look we got
Mick on this track, now man, And because they were like,
this is the one. This is going to be like
yourn excelt logs and ship I hope so and of
course then they go, well, we need we need another
country feature.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
So who do I call?
Speaker 3 (29:50):
Right O course, mister Chip and doing a cross Canada
tour earlier this year the first month I think it was, yeah,
February March, and I texted him say look you know
and he goes, absolutely, So I sent the song.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
And he goes, let me call you. I forget what
the date was, so he gives me a call and
he goes, ship Man. He goes, I love this.
Speaker 3 (30:13):
This is really this is me and it's you know,
it's a it's a great song.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
And he goes, hell, we're pretty good the first time. Huh,
so why don't we just do it again?
Speaker 3 (30:23):
And so he's in, So I said, look I got
I got Mick and I got Travis of course you
know labels right, They're like, well we need another rock guy.
I'm like, man, like, who else can we get? There
was a few names that that went by and said
well listen, it's gonna be around the five year anniversary
why don't we Why not a text ivan and just
see what he would say. You know, it's like, dude,
(30:43):
I fucking loved the song, but it's like I'm I'm
on tour in Germany. I can't really, it's just not
it's I'm not gonna work and fully understood, you know,
like I get it. I just wanted him to have,
you know, these first dips, right.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
And and so there are some other great names that
came around and saw the air. His name came up.
Speaker 3 (31:00):
I said, wait, that's like Saliarna of Godsmack. I was like, well,
I know he's a Rush fan, he's a drummer and
he does drum solos during his shows like I do.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
And you know it's God's Smack. So what are the
odds we get him? They're like, well, we could bull
reach out.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
And I waited about a week or two and then
I get this text, you know on your phone. I'm
not sure if youre an iPhone n this is how
it works with other you know, androids or whatever. But
if you don't have that number in and somebody says
something like hey, this is somebody, you know, it'll have
like maybe on top of the text, right, so it's
like maybe Salierna, what the hell I opened the text,
(31:39):
He's got this text like this line. He's basically just like, dude,
this is a great track. It's going to do super well.
Thank you for thinking of me and having me on it.
I'm like, wait, so that's done. You did it already,
you know. And he's like, dude, I love this track
more than you do. And I'm like I'm one hundred
percent and let's fucking do this. And and so there
(31:59):
we have it.
Speaker 5 (32:00):
He reached out something this wonderful texts about how how
much you know, he's very very stoked and thankful and
you know, thanks a lot for you know, for having
me be part of this and I love the song
and if you think it's going to be really great
for you and you know, and at one point, not
in that very text, but we were just chatting about,
you know, the possibility and he was like he digs it. Man,
(32:21):
He's like, I show this that. He's like everybody I
show It's like, it's just gonna this is a hit.
This is a great song. And yeah, it's like I
might even hell, I might even love the song more
than you do, and you know, and and again it's
pretty surreal just to be connecting with with guys like
that and alone have them I don't love your music,
but be part of it, you know, on the recording,
(32:42):
and so it's it's crazy. And now, you know, here
we are a month or so later, and you know,
we're we're we're closing in on top twenty at US
rock radio. So I'm just I'm grateful for all the stations.
I'm grateful for the support and and of course having
these incredible old features on the track again. So it's uh,
(33:03):
it's quite the whirlwind. I waited, you know for four
long years. Uh and and here we are back back
on the charts and kicking butt.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
So it's great, it's amazing, and I'm happy for you, you know,
for all the success. Obviously, do you as a as
a I mean, you have had songs on rock radio now,
and you've had other singles out there obviously, but do
you look to like, do you crave maybe even the
country world kind of coming into you or are you
(33:34):
just like, I don't care, I do what I do
and whatever.
Speaker 5 (33:37):
Well, there's there's there's a bit of that. I mean,
there's a bit of both, you know, because I'm going
to continue doing what I'm doing, and.
Speaker 1 (33:42):
I truly believe that.
Speaker 5 (33:43):
I think I'm I'm giving listeners something a little different,
a little unique. And there's you know, there's other guys
that are starting to do in the country world now,
with guys like Hardy and Jelly World, you know, and
some interviews it's like, oh, so you're doing the Hardy thing.
It's like actually before he was, before he was ever
on a rock radio shark, there was this kid from
North Bay, Ontario, Canada. You've got a top ten in US,
(34:06):
you know, and three in Germany and top twenty in
Canada as a country artists, and I'm very proud to
say that. I'm I'm definitely I'm the first to do
so as a Canadian country act to ever have a US,
you know, top ten single at rock radio, so you know,
but i mean, obviously you know they're doing it now.
I mean, they have a lot of country hits, but
they're they're starting to get on rock radio now too,
(34:28):
and probably have one or two right so far. And
I mean, I would I would love to have, you know,
I've always one of the best of both worlds because
it's just truly who I am, not only as a
person but as an artist, and I love I love Beaugendres.
But you know, especially in the country world, it's it's
just such a a boxed in.
Speaker 3 (34:50):
Genre right now and has been for quite quite a
while where you gotta gotta look, act and sound a
certain way. But and that's that's my problem is that's
why it all sounds exact same, right because there's there's
a lot of great talent. There's a lot of great
songs out there, but not all of them are getting,
you know, the radio play that maybe they deserve, you know,
or that you would think should be considering that, you know,
(35:11):
a lot of the stuff in the top forty. Sometimes
you can just be like, is this wait, is this
the same song?
Speaker 1 (35:16):
You know?
Speaker 5 (35:16):
So? But I you know, I've always I've always been like, man,
I want to change that. I And I think that
if if people, if the people, whether the country or rock,
can hear my songs, like the amount of times on
this theory of a Dead Man tour that I'm like,
I hate country man, but dude, I love your shit.
Like that's great. It's it's both, but it's it doesn't
sound like everything else you hear on country radio. You know,
(35:38):
that is kind of like for me. I mean, that's
that's a sign, you know. I mean, you know, the
streams aren't aren't doing so bad either, you know, So
it's I mean, I'd love to have country radio support,
and knowing that I have the rock radio support already,
so I'm just I'm grateful and happy to have that
and just excited to see where this crazy ride takes me.
Speaker 4 (36:01):
You know. It's funny.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
I had Jelly Roll on the show as dead Men
Walking was was breaking, and he was so genuine I mean,
he's an excitable guy anyway, but he was so genuinely
excited about that song potentially you know, hitting top five
and number one, which eventually did at rock radio. And
(36:24):
to be like he basically said, I'll never forget as
long as I live. Fuck you, Nashville, I'm gonna have
a number one country song. I don't have a number
one rock song and have a number one pop song,
and you can all fuck off, you know. Like that's amazing,
And he did it, you know, and and to see
that these mashups of genres, right, we've seen it with
(36:46):
rap and metal, We've seen it with you know, punk
and hip hop and and you know, rockabilly and whatever.
It's to see it all come together and go listen,
this is what we listened to, and this is what
we like. And I don't care, this is what I
sound like. I'm all for it. I'm all for it,
and good on you for continuing to do it well.
Speaker 1 (37:05):
I think.
Speaker 5 (37:06):
I think, man, I've said this many times. I think
it's our job as artists. That's why they call it artists.
I mean, we got to create art. We got to
create something unique, create something different, create something that's again
it's going to stand out a little bit.
Speaker 1 (37:20):
I think.
Speaker 5 (37:20):
I really, I personally take that job seriously, you know,
and I just yeah, I just kind of do my
thing and hopefully, you know people people love it and
it's it's worked out pretty pretty well so far, and
hopefully just keeps getting better and bigger. And like I said,
(37:40):
just see where this crazy ride takes me. But I
think it's it's very important to none of that. You know,
you can get pushed around, especially in especially in the
town like Nashville and and you know industry, or they're
gonna try to force force your hand on what you
should sound like and what what song is going to
be the song? You know, but it's like you got
to be able to put your foot down some time
to say, look, it's it's me going out on the road.
(38:03):
It's it's me going out and singing these songs every night,
you know, so and this is this is what I
want to this is what I want to do because
ultimately it's it's me and my crew that are that
are out there doing that, you know, putting in that roadwork.
So I think it's important.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
To do that.
Speaker 4 (38:17):
Awesome.
Speaker 2 (38:18):
Speaking of playing live, I know you just did the
acoustic thing with Theory of a dead Man, but you
mentioned earlier about you played a drum solo during the
live sets.
Speaker 5 (38:28):
Yeah, yeah, so we have I think we have six
six shows left here on the Unplugged tour with Here
of a dead Man and yeah, with with my band.
When i'm you know, when I'm doing my headliner shows,
whether it's up in Canada or some some here in
the US, anytime I have enough time. Really, For example,
(38:49):
I was direct support for Travis Tripp during the Buffalo
Chip and Sturgis, and I didn't even like we were
kind of like, you know, if we're going to open
for Travis's probably either you know, forty five minutes or
maybe an hour set, you know, but we got a
full ninety so I did. I did my full show,
which includes a drum solo and excusual so you know,
(39:11):
I do an acoustic part too, to bring it all
down to where it all started, you know, just me,
guitar and a song, and then I go up you
know where it really started for me on the drums,
and and.
Speaker 1 (39:20):
I do this.
Speaker 5 (39:20):
My dad always calls it Neil to Neil, write a
tribute to Neil Pier and man. When I was doing this,
when I was doing this crazy part of the solo
near the end, I could literally hear this thunder like sound.
I'm kind of going, like, what the hell is this ship?
And when I do the solo due, I hit my
final note and I throw the sticks up in the air.
(39:41):
I walk up the stage. I'm thinking, I walk off
to the drum rise and I'm still hearing the sound
and I pull up my ears. I put my ear
right back in because it was so loud.
Speaker 1 (39:49):
It was.
Speaker 5 (39:50):
It was the bikers revn their engines, and Travis told me,
this is going to be something. This is going to
be something you've never experienced before, know life, He says. Listen,
they don't. They won't re to cheer the crowd, the
thousands of people in front of you evil cheer. But
what you're really going to hear, if you're doing a
good job, you're going to hear the bikers just red
their engines. That's what they do. And really, man, we
(40:11):
heard that quite quite often throughout the set, which is
very nice to hear, especially the sign off during Outlaws
and Outsiders. They were just going wild and they knew
the song, so it was it was. It was very special.
But yeah, I do uh, I do a drum solo.
As I said, my dad calls it the the Neil
to Neil. My tribute to Neil peered throughout my set.
Speaker 2 (40:32):
Hey man, as a as a biker who has been
to Sturges, I can't confirm that that that is true,
and it is an amazing thing to be a part of.
Speaker 4 (40:42):
That's awesome.
Speaker 5 (40:44):
It was truly something special. And again, I hope to
come back to play the Buffalo Chip many many times
in the future. And uh, that's one festival I can't
I can't wait to.
Speaker 1 (40:55):
Headline one day.
Speaker 5 (40:57):
And you know what a biker. You know, that's really
the only license I don't have. You know, I've got
my obviously my car license, voating license, pilot's license, and
I've ridden on some dirt bikes and four wheelers. But
I got some friends that the biker seem like, dude,
you would love it. I'm like, I know I would,
But at this point in my life, I'm like, I
think I do enough crazy ship right now that uh,
(41:18):
you know, my might you know, do that one day,
get the license and get myself a nice, you know,
nice Harley just to just a cruise on. You know,
I go fast enough on the plane, so I think
the bike would be a nice a nice touch.
Speaker 1 (41:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:33):
One of my uh, one of my really close friends,
he his his wife is a big biker, and he's not,
but he's got a you know, he's got his old
Challenger and he's cool with the with the classic car.
But he also has his pilot's license. And it's hilarious
because I'm like, you you you're getting up in a plane.
He's like, yeah, but the cool thing is I can
(41:54):
bring our kids with me.
Speaker 4 (41:55):
She can't. And I said, is that cool? Or is
she going? He can bring his kids with them. I can't.
Speaker 5 (42:02):
Yeah, hey, exactly.
Speaker 1 (42:05):
Yeah, that's that's funny.
Speaker 4 (42:06):
That's amazing. Man. Well, if if you're on it.
Speaker 2 (42:09):
I haven't been a Surgeons the last couple of years,
but if you if you're playing again next year, I'll
make sure to get to where you're playing.
Speaker 1 (42:15):
Oh man, that'd be amazing.
Speaker 4 (42:16):
My brother, My brother and I just started planning the route, so.
Speaker 5 (42:20):
Okay, cool. I think that's really cool. You know, all
these all these bikers, you know, they so they heard,
they plan, they plan, they plan routes and they you know,
it's a huge weekend thing and oh yeah, guys, probably
some of some of them. Dude, there was there were
people there from my hometown. Oh sure, that's just crazy,
(42:40):
Like it's nuts.
Speaker 1 (42:41):
Like all over the world people were.
Speaker 5 (42:43):
Talking about it.
Speaker 1 (42:44):
It was nuts. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (42:45):
They trail of their bikes and they get to a
certain spot and then they just ride there.
Speaker 4 (42:49):
Man.
Speaker 5 (42:50):
It's it's it's unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (42:51):
Yeah, I live about it's about twelve and a half
hours from my driveway to Sturges.
Speaker 1 (42:58):
Okay, so do you do it all?
Speaker 2 (42:59):
On the last time I went, we trailered only because
we had a very finite amount of time and we
wanted to. We wanted to be able to drive through
the night and not have to stop. And I know
a lot of people that do that. But we were leaving,
Like the buddy I rode with h he's DJ's at
strip clubs. But I did that two part time for
(43:22):
a little while. But and he taught me how to
do it and we became friends. But anyway, he's like,
we left after his shift at like three in the morning,
so you know, we put them in trailers and went.
This time, we're riding and it's not bad, you know
what I mean. You just get up early in the
morning and you go. Last year, I went from here
to New Orleans, you know, and made it about half
(43:46):
a state away, so in one trip.
Speaker 5 (43:48):
So I mean, you know, yeah, yeah, that's that's one
place that I I yet to to see. I'm gonna
say I've probably seen or been in at least thirty
five well close to the forty states at this point,
you know, but New Orleans is one place.
Speaker 1 (44:08):
I've I've heard.
Speaker 5 (44:10):
It's beautiful and obviously a huge country not country, but
I tach music, you know, play so.
Speaker 3 (44:16):
The music natural tons and and you know, New Orleans
is something I'd love to.
Speaker 2 (44:22):
Experience soon, just hanging out on a Tuesday night at
some place watching an old blues band play in New Orleans,
you know, not even on Bourbon, but off of Bourbon.
And I'm an idiot radio DJ who has been I
got into this because I play guitar and I got
asked to go sit in. I'm like, you don't know
who I am, what I do, if I can even
(44:43):
do this, and you're asking. So that's the kind of
that's the kind of music inclusivity that's in that city,
and it's it's it's infectious.
Speaker 5 (44:51):
It's a wonderful thing.
Speaker 1 (44:52):
Man.
Speaker 2 (44:53):
Absolutely well, listen, Corey dude, this has been a pleasure.
I've taken up way too much of your time already.
This has been a great conversation.
Speaker 3 (44:58):
Man.
Speaker 5 (44:59):
That's all good man, And it's uh, it's passing ship.
But we only got we got thirty minutes left in
this in this trip, so there you go before we
hit a Hampton. So it's fucking great man. And I
have the I have the album coming out December sixth,
Sorry for Nothing, and it's fourteen fourteen new new tracks.
And when it comes out, make sure to give it
a lesson man, and I hope you hope you love it,
(45:21):
and and yeah, it'd be great to great to finally
meet you in person, uh you know, in the new year.
And yeah, Buffalo Chip happens, that'd be that'd be real.
Speaker 1 (45:31):
It'd be great.
Speaker 2 (45:32):
Hell yeah, absolutely, Corey Marks, dude, thank you for this
so much.
Speaker 4 (45:35):
Man. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (45:37):
Tyler, thank you man. All the best and happy Thanksgiving
you and your family. And I know we probably won't
talk for a little while yet, so meryor Christmas too.
It might be early, but uh, you know, why not.
Speaker 2 (45:48):
Hey, Hey to you guys. Hey, happy holidays. You know,
then it covers everything.
Speaker 5 (45:53):
Yeah, there you go, Happy holidays.
Speaker 1 (45:54):
Man.
Speaker 5 (45:55):
Well, thank you, brother, I really appreciate your time.
Speaker 1 (45:57):
Carter's rock Cast. Don't get to tune in being I
think
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