I’m lucky to meet some amazing people whilst interviewing, including artists delving into new genres, bands discovering new festivals – but one interview which will stay with me is the absolute admiration and passion Cory Marks has for his European fans. Despite this being his first trip over to Scotland, the country rocker sold out the Cathouse in Glasgow for the final night of his European leg. We caught up with the Canadian star about his first time visiting Glasgow, how his latest album has gone down over the pond and what does 2025 hold for an already thriving Cory Marks and co.
Now Cory we have just wrapped up Country 2 Country here in Glasgow and I can guarantee there will be a few sore heads in Scotland today, and people not wanting to look at a pint of beer for a very long time. But us country folk power through! How have you found it being in Europe for Country 2 Country?
You guys are doing it right! Yeah we have been to Rotterdam, Bering, and of course London and it’s hard to fathom what we have experienced in this short time but a lot of shows here in Glasgow is our 11th show in 13 days so yeah 7th country as well it’s been a trip but it has been incredible.
On a scale of 0 to jetlag how ready for a nap are you?
Nah full throttle all the time it’s showtime!
I think especially in Europe; country music has done a full 180 – it’s massive! Have you noticed any similarities with the fans or is it a totally different kettle of fish?
I think it’s totally different experience we have definitely got some amazing fans in the US and Canada too but this is a whole other experience to come here for the very first time 0 I mean I have tours across Canada 7 or 8 times – the US 4 times and to come here for my first time and have venues at capacity or going to places like C2C London and having 1000’s of people piling in front of our stage at 11:40 in the morning and begging for you to come back 0 I mean we want to come back just as much as they want us to come back. I am of course excited to go home, see my family, and see my dog but if we were ready to come back in 2 weeks – I’d be straight there!
What’s really cool at C2C in London is you have multiple stages – we only have 2 stages here at the event in Glasgow – in London there are so many different genres and artists floating about – is there anybody you caught in London who has been added to the playlist or any country reunions?
We ran into a lot of great artists and newer artists. I was really hoping to meet Cody Johnson – we love CoJo baby! He’s keeping real country music alive. I hope 1 day I can collaborate with him – or even just shake his hands – we met a few new artists and just took it all in – we were blown away by the experience and feedback we got from the whole festival and gigs.
I find it crazy this is the first time you have done a European tour we have been waiting and waiting for these dates and then they dropped last minute.
So, for Glasgow we announced this tour and then I told my manager we need to go to Glasgow and they’re like why? What’s the poll – I said look at the comments – my brother played over in this area and if we can get a 400-cap venue, I think it would be cool to sell it out and we’re actually close if not already sold out! My expectation was if we can have this at 60% full on a first visit in different countries the other side of the planet that would be awesome but we’re 80-90% if not more which is incredible and they are already asking for me to come back so that is the plan to return with a bigger and longer tour and longer sets too.
It’s hard to believe that Sorry for Nothing is now four months old – what is the reception that you have had – the European fans are loving it – and across the world.
It’s crazy that in the first month it was over 20 million streams globally which was a shock. The album is a perfect mix of what I do and what I love – which is country music and rock n roll.
Which the fans love and with this record you had the phenomenal Kevin Churko who’s worked with Shania and Ozzy – what did you take away from that producing experience?
Kevin Churko believed in me since the get-go when we first worked together in 2015 – he came to see my show when I was opening for Toby Keith God Bless him. I got to do all his Canadian dates and one of them was in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan – his hometown and he went “why don’t I take a vacation and go and see my parents and then come along to your show?” – so not only am I opening for a country music ICON LEGEND – I now have a massive rock producer at my show – so the pressure is on! At the end of the show – we killed it – so not only did I get to meet Toby before my show but before I got back to my green room and Kevin is sat there with a shot of Jack Daniels and asks when I want to start working together – and the first song we wrote was Outlaws & Outsiders and Blame it on the Devil – and ironically they are the biggest songs on the album. He has pushed me vocally and to get better overall – even as a human being – his family are my Vegas family, and I love them so much. I hope I get to work with him on the next project. He and Kane (Churko) are just incredibly talented – some of the best in the business.
Even reading some of the fans’ comments we have seen a real – as you mentioned there – a development in you as an artist and your sound – but what is the one song that you love playing live and love seeing the fans sing back?
It sounds cliche but I love all the songs on this record they all have a special place in my heart and on the setlist – there’s a couple we’re trying out live – and trying some new stuff – we have restructured the whole setlist – I want to say there are a few in there – Make My Country Rock has been a really fun one to see the crowd amp up for – and lately, Sorry For Nothing – I do it acoustic and watching other fans sing that back to me is pretty special – all the fans are rocking out and it’s great to see.
Well, the Scottish crowd are always ready for a good show and what can Scotland and afar fans expect when Cory Marks takes to the stage?
We are always so ready to give a whole lot of hell raising good time and blow the roof off – we already want to come back to Glasgow, and I hope fans are excited for us – we are amped up and ready to go.
You have had the most insane first few months of 2025 already, so what does the rest of the year hold for Cory Marks and team?
Well after I finish this tour I’m home for 2 weeks and then we are back on the road with Dorethy we’re doing 2 weeks across the US – 15 dates coast to coast – start in Nashville and end up in Colorado and New Mexico so hopefully I get to see California I haven’t seen that in a while so we are doing that – then I am home for 5 days and I start a Canadian 9 date tour through Ontario and Quebec and then that’s the end of May and Festival season kicks off in June – we have a dozen festivals lined up already and then expect believe it or not, some new music!
So, you will be exhausted by Christmas?
We have waited a long time to get this music out so to have it all out end of 2024 and then by mid-2025 is so exciting I hope the fans love it whether they are country or rock or wherever the hell they are in the world – I hope they love it and that we get to continue touring like crazy because from now .. March to May – I am about 50 shows – so I usually do that in a year so to do that in a few months is wild – now that I think of it!
Cory thank you for speaking to me. We are so excited to see you debut in Glasgow and already, we want you back for a larger tour!
Interview by Lauren Page
Photograph by John Brown Photography
