Outlaws & Outsiders (featuring Travis Tritt, Ivan Moody and Mick Mars) is the SIZZLING debut track from Better Noise Music Nashville’s flagship artist, Cory Marks, sitting in the top 10 of the iTunes Country singles chart since release on Friday.
The track mixes the passion and honesty of country music with the explosive energy of rock & roll and boasts guest appearances from country icon Travis Tritt, metal icon Ivan Moody from Five Finger Death Punch and rock icon Mick Mars from Motley Crue. It embodies the similarities between country and rock music and their fans.
The official music video for the track also released on Friday has already had over 100,000 views on YouTube – check it out below!
“Outlaws & Outsiders is a song for anyone who’s ever felt different or like an outsider, period,” Cory explains. “You can be an outlaw in many different ways and as an artist, for me, it’s simply creating something different, something unique and out of the box. It is doing my own thing and telling my own story.”
Helping him tell his story is one of his country idols, Travis Tritt, Five Finger Death Punch vocalist, Ivan Moody – who is no stranger to Rock/Country collaborations with his band’s #1 hit at US and Canadian Alt Radio, Blue On Black (featuring Kenny Wayne Shepard, Brantley Gilbert and Brian May), and newly minted Nashville resident/guitar God, Mick Mars.
“Growing up on country and rock music – being inspired by songs like The Rolling Stones’ Honky Tonk Woman, bands like Deep Purple and the iconic Ozzy Osbourne, the original outlaws and outsiders, Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings, shaped my musical style. It’s a true honor to be working with the country music outlaw of my generation the great Travis Tritt,” explains Cory. “He is such a down to earth guy and a great pleasure to work with, he’s the real deal and I’m very thankful to be working with him.“
The session was Tritt’s first recording in 14 years. “I was flattered to be asked to contribute my vocals to the Cory Marks single, Outlaws and Outsiders. I’m excited to see what the future holds for this talented young artist,” Tritt says.
Marks recorded the song with award-winning producer Kevin Churko. The two worked together in Churko’s Las Vegas studio, capturing the energy and electricity of Cory’s live show. It was a natural partnership. Like Cory, Kevin had grown up playing drums, eventually expanding his career to include collaborations with country artists like Shania Twain and rock icons like Ozzy Osbourne.
“We both appreciate country music greats like Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings, but we love the heavier side of rock & roll and metal, too,” Cory says of his producer and mentor. “We decided to mash it all together. It’s funny, because when I was growing up, my favorite records were Ozzy records. I dreamt of having that kind of production on one of my own records. Sure enough, seven years into my career, I’ve partnered with the producer who worked on all those albums. What a cool circle.”
Full of autobiographical storytelling, guitar-driven anthems, drinking songs, and breakup ballads, Cory Marks’ songs are rooted in the influence of his hometown, where he grew up surrounded by the salt-of-the-earth residents of North Bay, Ontario. It was there where he began playing drums at ten years old. Whenever he wasn’t banging along to songs by Deep Purple, Ozzy Osbourne, and Rush, he was listening to his parents’ country records, developing a deep appreciation for outlaws like Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard. Those two genres — classic country and amped-up rock — would eventually join forces in Marks’ own music, earning him a string of gigs with heavyweights like Toby Keith and Brantley Gilbert along the way.
Cory is due to hit the road with beloved Canadian country star, Gord Bamford on Bamford’s #Rednek Music Fest Tour, touring throughout Canada from Spring to Summer 2020. Bamford has 26 Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) awards, multiple JUNO nominations and two Country Music Association (CMA) Global Country Artist awards.
