There have been some pretty special albums released in 2024 and Cory Marks has just released the absolute dark horse album for me this year. “Sorry For Nothing” was released via Better Noise Music on December 6. It’s one of those records that is a captivating listen and demands to be played loud.
Just who is Cory Marks you may ask? Cory is a Canadian country rock singer-songwriter who has three albums under his belt to date. His first album “This Man” was released in 2015. It wasn’t until 2020’s “Who I Am’ and the single ‘Outlaws and Outsiders’ that Cory received his first major break through. ‘Outlaws and Outsiders’ was certified platinum in Canda, gold in the USA and went top 10 at US rock radio and reached number 3 in Germany. Marks is the first Canadian country act to do so.
Meanwhile here in Australia the “Who I Am” album made it to number 16 on the country charts. I got to sit down and chat with Cory about his new album “Sorry For Nothing”. If there is a cross over artist you need to listen to it’s this guy.
Cory : Hey, Andrew, how you doing?
Andrew : Hey, Cory, I’m great, how you going?
Cory : I’m doing well. Thanks, man. Thanks for having me.
Andrew : It’s my pleasure, not a problem at all, brother. First and foremost, welcome to Australia and welcome to The Rockpit. It’s great to chatting with you. I want to congratulate you on the “Sorry For Nothing” record.
Cory : Oh, thank you. Thank you, man. Thank you.
Andrew : What a record. One of the things I do as a part of what I do for The Rockpit is to keep my finger on the pulse of new releases. I got to a point this year where I had my top 10 release list locked in and along comes “Sorry For Nothing” and completely threw a spanner in the works of what I had on my list.
Cory : I’m really happy to hear that and I really appreciate it. Glad you enjoyed the record.
Andrew : It’s such a diverse melting pot of styles that all work really well together. You’ve got your traditional country elements; you’ve got your hard rock elements. You’ve nailed what Nickelback have been trying to do for the last decade with ‘Make My Country Rock’ and the rock side of this album.
Cory : If I could have half the success they’ve had over the last 20 years I’d be pretty happy with that. So, let’s see what happens with this record and see where it takes me here in 2025.
Andrew : You’ve just wrapped up a tour opening for Theory of a Dead Man where you played acoustically. How do you go about translating these songs to an acoustic environment? Obviously, some lend themselves to it automatically, but how do you approach these songs in that kind of environment?
Cory : Honestly, I mean, look like I’ve always been a big Brian Adams fan and I love listening to his unplugged tours and records. When you break it all down, I think it’s really all about the song. It all comes across as something like country rock. It may not be as heavy as the recording, but it starts with the song for me, and I’ve always written and tried to write what I know or know best and what I’ve experienced. No pun intended, but it’s all straight from the heart, no matter if it’s a party song or a breakup or love song. I think that just translates with me, whether I have the full band or It’s just me and an acoustic guitar. My set was really well received on this unplugged tour with Theory Of A Deadman across the US and I had a lot of fun because it kind of brought me back to the roots of how I first started. It’s how it all began for me. I didn’t have a band. I didn’t have nothing. It was just me, a song and the guitar. It’s kind of like the album, what you see is what you get, and it was a great time.
Andrew : Going back to those early days, the start of your career. How did you first start gaining attention for what you’re doing? There is a real honesty to what you put into your music and lyrics. They’re great stories. It’s reminiscent of that classic storytelling from generations past where it was all about telling a story within a song. At the same time, you’ve masterfully been able to put really big hooks and riffs into it as well which is really exciting.
Cory : Well, thank you. I guess it’s just the way I write and the way I want my music to be perceived. I think in most ways my songs and music are very much relatable. Whether that’s hardship, heartache or a great fun Saturday night that you can barely remember on Sunday morning. I’ve always just admired the style. I grew up on Merle Haggard and Brad Paisley. I went all the way back to Buck Owens and Jimmy Rogers, where country music really all started. But I also grew up on Ozzy Osbourne and Rush, of course. Then later on in my teens as a drummer, I really got into bands like Pantera and Lamb of God. I’ve always loved all those genres. Country music like you mentioned for its storytelling, I think is very important.
I think one, if not the best at it in the country music world was Merle Haggard. He was my favourite. Then you have that rock and roll energy, and again I’m using someone like Brian Adams, his heart and soul goes into his songs and you really get to see that live especially, it’s almost a freedom. And I’ve always been that way. It’s always been about just putting everything I got into it, especially when you’re live. A lot of fans tell me, man, it’s such a high energy show, but for me especially when I was first starting out, when you don’t have pyro, you don’t have a screen, you don’t have all these lights or whatever. I have always tried to be the most entertaining I could be. I think over time and with a lot of practice, you just get better at those kinds of things. Most of all it’s all about just having a lot of fun doing it.
Andrew : You’ve had a cast of amazing people around you, your longtime collaborator, uh, Kevin Churko, whose resume is huge. To guys that you know are a repeat guest artist, like Mick Mars and Travis Tritt. How did those relationships come to be?
Cory : Well, it all started with “Outlaws & Outsiders” in 2019, since then and the relationships have been great. I mean, since then, every Christmas since 2019 I get a nice Christmas card from the Tritt family, and we’ve kept in touch ever since. It’s the same with Mick you know. I’ve spent time at his house and spent time with him as a matter of fact he was the first guy to feature on ‘Make My Country Rock’ because when I wrote that song that week in Nashville we had planned to hang out, so he got to hear it firsthand when it was just a demo. As far as working with Sully Erna, we need and want another rock feature. Once we knew Travis and Mick were on it some names were thrown around. When his came up I don’t think there was a better fit, especially for this song, given it’s country, it’s rock, it’s a little hell, a little heaven. With him being a drummer and myself being a drummer originally to now where we’re both front men and doing drum solos during our live shows.
Both being big Rush fans it was a no brainer. When I found out that he was on there and got that text from Sully Erna thanking me for being on the track and how he probably loves the song more than I do, it was something very special. Over the past several months I’ve gotten to know Sully and we get to chat every now and then and just kind of catch up when we want. It’s a great relationship and friendship; it’s the same thing going back to Travis and Mick Mars. Since “Outlaws & Outsiders” and getting to work with Ivan Moody I got the opportunity to tour with Five Finger Death Punch across the U S in 2022 with Brantley Gilbert. It’s been really cool. I’ve been very fortunate and lucky, obviously having a guy like Kevin Churko in my corner. Were both big fans of country and rock. He just got me and both drummers too. We love Merle, we love Waylon and we love Ozzy of course. It’s just been a perfect fit and I’m grateful for everybody and our friendships.
Andrew : You have DL from Bad Wolves on “Guilty” as well, which was another flavour to add to what you do. When you write, do you have an idea or a thought that there could be something added to or something that could enhance what you’ve done?
Cory : They obviously do because as artists themselves they add their own twist to it. With all of these guys being very successful artists or in successful bands for years I know it’s going to bring something special to the table. I think everybody has their own voice and their own twist of how they do things or how they’re going to do things and it’s been very special. You know, DL is a very talented guy both on guitar and as a vocalist. Bad Wolves have been kicking some ass for the last little while now. It’s just been a lot of fun and having these artists throw their twists on songs that I’ve written and all in all they just make it that much better.
Andrew : Is there a track on “Sorry for Nothing” that’s a particular stand out for you?
Cory : There’s a few, it’s really hard to say. I’ve said this before, each song for the most part was written at different times in my life. They all have their special meaning for me and my heart, obviously the title track, ‘Sorry For Nothing’ was one I wrote with Riley Thomas and Aaron Gillespie, we really dug deep for this one. It’s a song that’s about my life looking back, what I’ve been through, where I’ve been, where I’ve come and where I am now. That one is a bit of a reflection and nostalgia for me. It was a chance to look back through the young and wild and crazy times that ultimately make me who I am today both as a person and an artist. So that’s a special one, but there’s songs like ‘Tough To Be Strong’. That was one very personal to me and something I know that the world can relate to with the problems we have with drugs and addiction and mental health. That one stands personally as a really deep track for me due to the meaning behind it and the thought process behind it. I’ve lost friends over the last few years due to those circumstances. One in particular got lost being in with the wrong people and got themselves caught up in some crazy stuff, which ultimately changes them. That song is as much as you care and love them, it’s tough to be strong and sometimes you just gotta let them go their own way. Right. And let them figure what they got to figure out, whatever that is. So, yeah, there’s that. Again all these songs have their special moments and meanings, but those, those two in particular, I think are pretty personal. Of course, there’s ‘Make My Country Rock’ because it’s really who I am. It’s Cory Marks, it’s country, it’s rock, it’s a little metal and what you see is what you get.
Andrew : It’s funny that you mentioned ‘Tough To Be Strong’ because that’s one of the two songs that really resonated with me lyrically, ‘17’ was the other one. You struck something in those two, the content is relatable and forms a connection, I think that’s the magic of great songwriting and storytelling.
Cory : Well, thank you, and I mean that because those are honestly, like I said really hard to pick between because I really do love all these songs. I’m glad you mentioned ‘17’. ‘17’ is honestly one of my favourites, probably top three or four on this album. It’s so hard to pick for me, I just love the melody in particular and of course the storyline behind it takes you for a little ride back to when you’re 17 and your first love. Thinking that it’s the one, and for some it ends up being that, but for many it just, it just doesn’t end up that way. It’s new, it’s young and for the most part it’s just a memory. That’s really what that song is about. A look back and maybe a smirk at the end, just reminiscing on those good, fun, young, loving times.
Andrew : That’s where it took me too. It’s like, yeah, I feel this, I relate to this, I know this and it’s nice to be reminded.
Cory : I love that. Yeah, that’s, that’s beautiful.
Andrew : From a live standpoint what’s in store with touring behind this record?
Cory : Right off the hop, we announced a European tour where we plan a few of the C2C festivals in the UK, Netherlands and Berlin. Just today we announced a smaller tour up in Quebec, Canada which will be a lot of fun. But you know ever since ‘Outlaws and Outsiders’ was released there were some opportunities that came before COVID happened, one of them was to make my way down under and see the beautiful country that is Australia. The world went to hell and everything just stopped for a bit, but It’s been a dream of mine and I’m really hoping that in 2025, we find our way there and make it the best year yet.
Andrew : For those of us that haven’t experienced Cory Marks live, what can we expect from a live show?
Cory : There have been a lot of people that have come to see a show comment on the energy, a lot of people, especially the ones that are front row will mention how they could really tell that I’m putting all I have into every song, that moment and the show, that’s something I’ve always took pride in. You’re going to get some pretty cool melodies and medley’s, that will just take you for a ride. You’re going to hear some metal, you’re going to hear some Haggard, you’re going to hear a little bit of everything. I think for me, I just always thought it’s a really cool moment for the listener, for the fan, you’re going to hear a little bit of everything and you’re really going to get a show. I don’t stand still on stage that’s for certain. I’m always on the go you know, I’ve had cameramen say like, Man, do you ever just like sit still for a second? It’s really hard for me to stay still, especially when I’m singing songs like ‘Guilty’ and some other ones. I just go up there and I give you everything, I give them my heart and soul and I just try to have as much fun as possible and hope that whatever you’re seeing and hearing is making you feel the exact same way.
Andrew : I do have to say in listening to the album I took nothing by the song title, but you cover the Foo Fighters, ‘Learn To Fly’ and what version. I absolutely love what you’ve done with it; you’ve made it your own.
Cory : Thank you.
Andrew : What made that the choice of song to cover? There are a billion songs out there that have influenced us all in one way or another. What made you decide on that one?
Cory : That’s the great Kevin Churko. If you’ve heard my EP ‘I Rise’ there’s a song on there called ‘Flying’ and of course there’s the cover of ‘Jet Airliner’and then there was this one because at that time, during that 2021 to 2023 period, we were doing multiple writing trips with Kevin and Kane in Las Vegas and Mount Charleston, Nevada. Being a pilot and huge aviation guy, we wanted to try to write songs that were kind of relevant to that in a cool way. After a writing trip and a recording trip, about a week later he had put this together and I think we both agreed it’d be really cool to hear a little more steel on a Foo Fighter song. Then I thought to myself, well, I grew up on this song too. I did a little research on it and I reading through the lyrics it’s just a cool song. I think that the song is so well crafted and written in a unique and of course awesome Dave Grohl way, but then, uh, you know, before even thinking of putting this song on the record and really falling more in love with it.
I watched an interview where Dave’s talking about how he always wanted to be a pilot. I can’t remember which show it was, but that’s really what that song was about. It was about him wanting to fly and that experience. At that time, I had finally finished my private pilot license, so it kind of just all went hand in hand and it was just the perfect fit. Kevin just did such a great job with it, I just did my thing. I heard that song so many times growing up and still do hear it on the radio. It is probably one, if not my favourite Foo Fighters song. It just made perfect sense to record it and put my spin on it.
Andrew : It’s a great version and I do urge people to have a listen to that along with the whole record. It’s an amazing journey and that’s what I found this record to be, is that it wasn’t just one style of music, the same song rewritten as I find with some artists and albums. It is just a whole fresh smorgasbord of styles that really do work well together and show so many sides of you.
Cory : Thank you. Even going back to the whole live show, with an album I’ve always tried to do that with every album that I’ve recorded. “Who I Am” the first record is a bit of the same, I want to open up with a bang and then a few songs in, I want people singing along and you bring it down and that’s just it. I want to take the listener for a ride and it’s a good example of what my live show is like. It’s, it’s going to be big, it’s going to be loud, but I’m going to try to be a little more sentimental, a little more personal and hopefully make you really feel something a lot deeper than just a good song and then take you back up and end with a bang, hopefully making you want a whole lot more. I think we did just that with this album.
Andrew : I can’t believe how many minutes have flown by Cory and we are pretty much out of time. There’s so much I’d like to dig into and go back deeper into earlier on in your career. The one final question is how do you think you’ve grown personally over the course of these three albums?
Cory : Well, I think life is just a wild ride. It’s a journey. I’ve had a lot of ups, lots of downs, lots of love and lots of loss. I write about what I know, what I’ve experienced and try to do that the best I can. And I think with the relationships that I’ve made and the friendships, like the feature artists, the bands and artists that I’ve had the opportunity to tour with over the last few years and working with guys like Kevin Shurko, I like to think I’ve become a better songwriter and a little more in depth, a little more thought out. I’ve tried to craft my show a little bit better too and all with maintaining that, that energy. I think it’s really important to, no matter what you do to, to continue growing and continue learning as much as you can. Especially when it’s something that you love and love doing. I hope that that transpires to the listeners and whoever stumbles upon my music. I hope it makes them want to come, come see a show and see it over and over again.
Andrew : Absolutely. On that note, we’ll leave it for there. I’d like to wish you a safe and happy holiday season. I really do look forward to seeing and hearing more of you in 2025. Thank you for your time, thank you for the chat and thank you first and foremost for a great record. So, congratulations on all fronts.
Cory : Thank you, Andrew. I appreciate your time and I’m glad we were able to make this work. I wish you a very Merry Christmas and all the best in 2025 and I can’t wait to meet you in person and play live in Australia. I’m sure there’s going to be a lot more new music as well. I’m just so glad you, you love the record and, uh, you wanted to take the time to talk to me. I appreciate it, Andrew. All the best to you in 2025 and I’m sure I’ll be seeing you soon and we should do another one of these and we could, we could get more in depth of whatever it is. If there’s a specific song or like you said, looking back on my life and how it started and going a little more in depth on there, I’d love to chat with you again, man. It was great.
Andrew : Perfect. All right, Corey, thank you again for your time, buddy. Stay safe. We’ll talk again. I can guarantee.
Cory : Thanks, man. You betcha.
Andrew : Thank you, brother. All the best.
Cory : Bye for now. Thanks
