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Cory Mon

Mon’s backed by the Starlight Gospel, but their name is deceiving; led by musical prodigy Eric Ellsworth, they’re desert-dwelling rockers, not a church choir.

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Hometown	Orem, UT
Genres	Pop, Rock
Band Members	Cory Mon; Jon Burgoyne; Clark Cannon
Achievements	» more
Upcoming Shows	None

Contact Information:	Manager Dave Eaton dave@myforlornwallet.com 801.319.7923
# Years Experience Performing Live:	6
# Live Perfomances Past Six-months:	36
Market Draw:	Utah: 451-500; Colorado: 201-250; Idaho: 151-200; California: 101-150; Arizona: 101-150
Opener Experience:	JJ Grey & Mofro; Tim Reynolds; Matt Nathanson; Indigenous; Galactic; Derek Trucks; Todd Snider; The Blind Boys of Alabama; Mavis Staples; Sean Hayes; Joshua James
Similar Artists:	Ben Harper; JJ Grey & Mofro; Tom Waits; Mumford & Sons
Performing Rights Society:	ASCAP
Discography:	Turncoats LP—2011; Cory Mon - solo LP—2010; 6 Days in the Devil's Workshop LP—2009

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About the Artist

From the lyrical depth of his songs to his soon-to-be-released album’s title, Mon is the most honest he’s ever been on his new project. “As a songwriter, you want to write good, catchy, fun tunes—or whatever will make people listen—and I kind of said ‘...

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Achievements

Pop Videos Winner, June 2014

Press Coverage

Cory Mon & The Starlight Gospel to Shine at Bubble Lounge by
Cory Mon & The Starlight Gospel to Shine at Bubble Lounge by Rebecca Thoreson Local and regional artists will shine at downtown venues, including Cory Mon & The Starlight Gospel who will shimmer for two shows at the Bubble Lounge, Friday and Saturday nights. Don't be fooled by the name, this ain't no Sunday morning choir. “It’s funny, people ask if we’re gospel singers,” laughs Cory Mon. “But we’re all really outdoors-oriented guys. We’re looking to discover that kind of peace which can be found in nature. It’s not based in any religion, but some of our music is about finding yourself, for sure.” A former backpack rep who has frequented the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in years past, Mon is a well-known Utah singer-songwriter, and the hot young player has put together a smokin’ band that is on the upward spiral. “I played for years and years solo, and definitely built a regional following that way,” Mon explains. “I’ve been working with Eric Ellsworth for about three years now, he plays keyboards electric guitar and does background vocals. We recently added Jacob Skaggs and Devin Devore, and they’re all great players. After we added Jacob and Devin, people started saying the nation has to hear this music!” The response has indeed been tremendous to the new configuration, and Mon says the band may have caught a break. “We’ve got two albums out, and we’re getting ready to put out a third with the new guys,” he explains. "Anyhow, we were shopping around to see where we would do the next album, and it’s turned out we came in contact with Chad Weiss out of Minnesota, who is mostly noted for working with Mason Jennings, Jack Johnson and G. Love on his Brushfire label, so we’re going to be recording with a guy who is huge in our genre. It’s kind of serendipity.” Mon and the Starlight Gospel guys jam out on Mon’s tremendously crafted tunes, and the band gleefully mixes it up, with their funky blend of roots, rock and folk-oriented grooves. Just check out the live DVD Clatter Racket on their myspace page, and you’ll see what the buzz is all about. Cory Mon & The Starlight Gospel are in for two shows, Friday and Saturday nights at The Bubble Lounge. Be there to watch ’em shine.

Honest C: Cory Mon & The Starlight Gospel think th by Cory Mon won’t lie to you. Well, at least, his mus
By Austen Diamond Cory Mon won’t lie to you. Well, at least, his music won’t lie to you. From the lyrical depth of his songs to his soon-to-be-released album’s title, Mon is the most honest he’s ever been on his new project. “As a songwriter, you want to write good, catchy, fun tunes—or whatever will make people listen—and I kind of said ‘Fuck it’ on this one and wrote exactly what I wanted to say,” says the 31-year-old Orem-based songwriter. Unlike some balladeers, Mon writes almost entirely from experience. “The more and more I write songs, the more and more honest it becomes,” Mon says. “This album approaches darkness more than I ever have, but it’s well expressed and balanced.” The resulting tunes are a glimpse into the psyche of this soulful singer, found in the Western-twinged roots-rock extravaganza that is the new Turn Coats—Mon’s best effort yet. The CD won’t be released until March 2011, unless you attend the Dec. 3 pre-launch party. The album’s raw energy is seasoned with experience, yet is youthfully experimental. This duality shows in his appearance, too. Wearing a tweed blazer and bushy beard, he could pose as a community-college sociology professor, but his eyes have the intensity of a brash, youthful rocker, like he was when he first started. A down-and-out Southern Utah University student in 1998, Mon picked up guitar to save himself from depression, inspired by the musings of Ben Harper. His goal: to learn a few tunes, and maybe write one, as soul therapy. Progressing along, he’d record tracks on his computer. Unbeknownst to him, they were discovered. “My brother snuck into my computer and burned CDs and gave them to people around town ... if they ever surfaced, I’d be so embarrassed,” laughs Mon. “I know [my brother] has a CD somewhere that he’s holding for blackmail purposes.” Mon’s friend Greg McGary got one and forced him on some open-mic stages, which Mon says was thrilling. “Music is so therapeutic for me, I use it to express angers and frustrations that I normally just internalize,” Mon says. “I remember the first open-mic experience was like, ‘Holy shit, that felt good.’ It was such a bigger release.” This, you can imagine, might have been felt exponentially when Mon opened four shows for JJ Grey and Mofro earlier this year. After 12 years and four studio albums, Mon demonstrates his talents with wide-ranging songs and singing styles on the new CD, recorded and engineered in his Orem basement by Chad Weis (tour manager and front-of-house engineer for the likes of Mason Jennings, Martin Sexton and Ben Kweller). Mon’s backed by the Starlight Gospel, but their name is deceiving; led by musical prodigy Eric Ellsworth, they’re desert-dwelling rockers, not a church choir. The band’s lineup has finally solidified after a period of changes during the production cycle—one reason for the album’s title. Bassist Devin Devore was preparing for law school, so they let him play on only four tracks, Mon says. Devore was replaced by Joshua Dunn. Also, drummer Jacob Skaggs was replaced by Bart Olsen for a few tracks; Ronnie Strauss is the current drummer. “There was a lot of turmoil. Artistically, it didn’t work out, but we’re still great friends with everyone,” Mon says. Despite the turbulence, Mon and company still produced an album with an easy flow—except for the transition from mellow “Hold” into the cheesy “Dr. Pleasure MD”—and a little grit. The catchiest, most Western-sounding tracks, opener “3 Step” and “Gyspy,” are the album’s stars. Nearing the album’s end, “Lover Come Home” is the most honest song Mon’s ever written, evolving from another depressed time. “It talks about hurt, deceit, family, friends, questioning God, not questioning God. It’s kind of about everything,” Mon says. “Those are the songs I really enjoy writing, the epic ones. That song captures what I enjoy in music, lyrically and instrumentally.” Its dynamic waxing, waning and eventual build mirror, as a whole, Cory Mon & The Starlight Gospel. CORY MON & THE STARLIGHT GOSPEL w/ Wes Kirkpatrick, Dustin Christensen The State Room 638 S. State Friday, Dec. 3, 8 p.m. $12 advance/$15 day of show

Cory Mon & The Starlight Gospel Choir brings you t by
Salt Lake Tribune The release date of Cory Mon & The Starlight Gospel’s sophomore album, “Turncoats,” is almost here, finally. “I’ve never been happier,” said Mon, 33, of Orem. It’s not hard to believe him, after what he has been through. In between the roots-rock band’s 2009 album and this one, his band broke up. And he went broke after putting every dollar into the recording. In addition, he’s had crushing relationship problems. And he has had to put the rest of his life on hold as he dealt with periodic bouts with depression, an illness that has plagued him since college. It’s no surprise, then, that Mon readily admits that among the new album’s 11 songs are some of the darkest he’s ever penned. But happiness comes to the musician when he has a guitar in his hands, prompting a ready smile that curls up in the middle of a wispy ginger beard. “The best way to get through bad times is to write about it,” he said. “I’ve had ups and downs, and music has helped me deal with depression. It’s a way to harness it.” Mon was born in Chicago, but moved to Orem when he was about 5. His parents and siblings are in dentistry, and Mon went to Southern Utah University with an idea of following his family’s footsteps. But it was there that he first struggled with depression, and he turned to the guitar to take his mind off the ominous ideas in his head. Inspired by Ben Harper, he learned how to play and began writing songs. One thing led to another, and Mon isn’t a dentist. After serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Arkansas, Mon returned and got married. Eight months later, he got divorced. But things started to turn around about five years ago, when he found a comrade who has helped him turn introspective acoustic guitar songs into Western-tinged roots rock that swings and swerves. The comrade was Eric Ellsworth, a Nashville transplant and multi-instrumentalist. Ellsworth had served a Mormon mission in Pocatello, then moved to Utah (where he courted and eventually married a singer in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir). Mon and Ellsworth found a successful songwriting process. Mon wrote the lyrics and the skeleton of a song, and then turned it over to Ellsworth, who would flesh out the song with robust arrangements. The band was launched in the Provo music scene, playing alongside acts such as Neon Trees, Joshua James, Parlor Hawk and Fictionist. Besides being a musical comrade, Ellsworth became one of Mon’s best friends and understood the darkness of Mon’s lyrics. “The darkness comes from getting older,” Ellsworth said. “[It comes] when you’re 30 and living in Orem. When you’re 30, you’ve had a lot of bad relationships.” Ellsworth also cheers his friend on when Mon get discouraged and says something like, “I should go work for a corporation and get health care.” (Health care wouldn’t be a bad idea. Mon had open-heart surgery when he was 15 to treat aortic stenosis, a condition in which the aortic valve does not open fully. He has had to postpone further treatment because of lack of funds.) In 2009, the band released “6 Days in the Devil’s Workshop,” but the musicians are more proud of “Turncoats,” with an album title prompted after two band members left during recording. Now Mon’s band is a tight foursome, thanks to the addition of Joshua Dunn on bass and Ronnie Strauss on drums. In the past two years, things have been looking up for the band, having opened for JJ Grey & Mofro, Todd Snider, Derek Trucks, Mavis Staples, Tim Reynolds, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Matt Nathanson and Mike Farris. Most important, Mon won the 2010 Telluride Blues & Brews Festival Acoustic Competition, which led to more Colorado gigs as well as Utah shows. Darin Piccoli, co-owner of The State Room in Salt Lake City, is also a fan, and has booked Cory Mon & The Starlight Gospel six times in the past year. “I think his music has a cool blend of folky rock-meets-spaghetti Western,” he said. Corey Fox, owner of the Provo club Velour, was an early fan, and is touting the band’s new album. “This new album finally captures what they are like live,” Fox said. “Their other records don’t do them justice. They’ve really stepped up their game.” “Turncoats” was recorded in January 2010 and will be released on Tuesday. The cover depicts three of the band members in coffins. Don’t worry. They’re not really dead. Just dark. dburger@sltrib.com

Jam of the Day | Cory Mon & The Starlight Gospel by
How can I say this best? Today's JOTD is Western roots-rock. Yup. You probably guessed that from the picture posted above, or at least it had you thinking, "What the hell is this?" Well, let's all get out of our comfort zones and enjoy some Cory Mon & The Starlight Gospel! The first time I played this (in the interest of full disclosure -- I flat out blasted it in my house, windows open and everything), my dogs ran upstairs and went straight to their beds. I'm not sure what that means, but hey, I dig the sound of "3 Step." It sort of makes me think of what Crazy Horse would sound like if they went all Western on my ass. See, now you're interested. Turncoats, the sophomore release from Cory Mon & The Starlight Gospel, is available now. It's dark, it's daring, it's sort of like the soundtrack to the weirdest days of your life. So far, anyway.

CORY MON & THE STARLIGHT GOSPEL Art. Commerce. Con by
March 1, 2011 sees the release of Cory Mon & The Starlight Gospel's Turncoats, produced, recorded and engineered by Chad Weis (Mason Jennings, Martin Sexton, The Bad Plus, Ben Kweller). Helmed by singer/songwriter Cory Mon (vocals, keys, harmonica, guitar), The Starlight Gospel features Eric Ellsworth (vocals, keys, harmonica, electric guitar), Joshua Dunn (standup and electric bass), and Ronnie Strauss (drums & percussion). Written and recorded at Mon's home studio, Turncoats will be released on Mon's own label, My Forlorn Wallet. Given the proliferation of DIY, self-released, self-financed albums with the advent of independent digital distribution through companies such as Bandcamp and CDBaby, Amplifier has asked Mon to give its readers the nitty gritty on the pros and cons of controlling his own destiny. Amplifier: Why put out your own music on your own label? Cory Mon: Our own label, My Forlorn Wallet Records, came out of absolute necessity. 1: we retain all the profit (in our current "struggling to be heard and noticed' situation this is absolutely necessary) 2: we play by our own rules, create our own image and create the music we wish to create. And 3: It gives us a professional platform from which to pitch and expose our music to the music industry. In today's world of music it seems that there are less labels looking and, of those labels looking, they have become extremely conservative with the "risks" or bands that they are taking a chance on. It also seems that the "little guy" has more opportunities than in the past. It's still loads and loads of work but an independent, or one's "own" record label, seems to hold a bit more clout these days. But maybe that's just because our music and professional representation of such has improved. ;) We created My Forlorn Wallet Records (which is essentially a community of musicians, artists and good folks) as a support system. There are a lot of amazing artists and musicians out there that have absolutely no idea as to how to move forward with the business side (much like myself and Wes Kirkpatrick, co-founder My Forlorn Wallet, many years ago) so we created this label to assist one another in the process of not only getting our music out there to radio stations, but also online and to store-fronts. Q: Are radio and retail (physical CDs) still of major importance to an indie artist? A: Radio is still golden. Sure, there are many other avenues for finding music, but radio play is still important. Thus the reason we will run a radio campaign for our coming record release...campaigns are spendy and guarantee nothing, but we feel it's still important enough to scrummage up enough money to run a campaign. I believe in the album we just recorded; now we hope some stations latch onto it. Retail (physical CDs) - personally I love to have the hard copy of a band that I really like. Call me old school, but I love how an album is not only about the music but is a piece of art at the same time. If you see the two records we are releasing in March 2011 under My Forlorn Wallet Records, they are both beautifully packaged. Turncoats is a work of art; our music and the art/photography of Jake Buntjer and Corey Fox. That being said, retail physical distribution seems to have lessened... I remember the days of racks and racks of physical albums. It's rare to find stores that can carry a vast amount of albums and still make money. We have not focused on getting our albums in physical retail stores. There are independent record stores in the cities we have followings in that stock a few of our albums but that is about it. Our physical distribution is weak to say the least. I wish I had more answers here... Q: Do you have any specific marketing plan? A: Marketing plan... hmmm. Step 1: Record an album that we are ultra pleased with. Step 2: Hire a great publicist and radio representation. Step 3: Tour, scrape and fight for shows that are most advantageous to finding a true following. Let's be honest we are artists that are still hungry to be seen, heard and represented by the right folks... Q: How did you go about finding the right publicist and radio rep? A: Word of mouth. We asked any and every connection we had, gathered a lists and worked our way down the lists with interviews etc. For example, our publicist Monica Hopman at Think Press was recommended to us through Jerry Lima at Monterey International. We have worked with Jerry and Monterey opening for a handful of their bands. We were asking specifically for a publicist that would give us 'personal' attention, one who would fit well with our 'family of artists' concept. Jerry highly recommended Monica and, in the end, after chatting with a handful of publicity companies and agents, we were positive that Monica/Think Press was the right fit. Q: How much will you tour behind this album? A: As vague as the answer is: a solid amount of touring. Touring is a tricky one. You have to have clout in an area to book a gig 'worth' playing. We are a regional band that can book a solid and meaningful string of shows through a handful of the western United States. We plan to tour the markets we do well in, along with adding a handful of those we are hoping to establish. We, of course, are chasing the dream as well... we are chatting with a handful of management teams and booking agencies. We are hoping to land a solid string of support shows with a like-sounding national/international touring band. We have been somewhat fortunate in the past and continue to put most of our eggs in this basket as it produces the maximum amount of positive results. Q: How do you and the band handle the ‘daytime job’ thing if you have to pack up and leave to tour for several weeks...are there a lot of situations where you just can't play due to job commitments? A: Not a problem for 3 out of the 4 of us. Eric Ellsworth (my musical companion for over 6 years now) teaches guitar for his day job and runs the whole show himself, so rearranging and taking time off is easy. It's quite 'cool' to his students when their teacher needs to postpone lessons because he is going on tour. My day job is a 'come-and-go-as-I-please thing'. Ronnie Strauss has a similar work situation to mine. Joshua Dunn is Director of Marketing at LifeVantage. This has been more flexible than one would think but we have found it necessary to find a substitute bass player for a string of shows from time to time. The Starlight Gospel consists primarily of the four of us but we do have many other musicians we consider a part of the band... both past members and substitutes... once again, family. Q: Do you book your own shows/tours? A: Yes and No. We have folks that help and assist with booking tours (contacting, negotiating, etc.) but yes, for the most part, it is myself that is initially setting things up, mapping things out etc. It's a funny thing (but I understand it) that in the music biz it seems, for the most part, booking agents, managers, and clubs want to hear from the musicians’ professional representation. If they hear from someone other than the artist it means that someone else cares and is invested; they are not just talking to Joe Tibidoe Schmoe artist that is ALWAYS trying to promote/book his own crap music. So yes we have folks that represent us with some direction. Q: What is your number one rule when dealing with club bookers? A: Hmmm... you can get frustrated when booking... resiliency and understanding that each club is run different is the key in my opinion. I don't believe in promises when booking shows. I feel that you can forecast draw potential but that you can never promise. Q: Does touring generate enough revenue to cover your costs? A: Depends. In some markets (the one's we have taken time and money to establish) yes. (remember these took time and losing money in the first place to establish) But if we are playing markets we are trying to break into, it becomes more difficult to not lose your shirt. If we want to play bar to bar gigs, then yes. But we prefer to play clubs with reputations of great music. So touring can be tricky; you have to mix 'money' gigs with 'establishment' gigs. Q: What's the difference between "bars" and "clubs"? Which are the "money gigs"? A: Bars: 3 hours plus of music where no one really cares who is playing the music, etc -- they pay you to be the background music for the night. Clubs/venue: listening rooms where folks are showing up to see the band... now this can be bars that are known for live music and have a crowd that is ready to participate in a show. Money gigs: can be both, depends on how the club/bar runs things -- a bar: typically pays a flat rate for you to play music for the night = easy money. A club/venue: pays typically on ticket sales plus alcohol sales, etc. = you have to work to get folks there but if you do draw you can make more than a bar (problem is you have to draw). Q: Who is a typical Cory Mon & the Starlight Gospel fan? A: To be honest, we used to have an answer for this, but over the last 2 years that answer has drastically expanded. It used to be college age, roots, hippie loving folks, but age has become less of a factor these days... we have fans that range from the teens to the 60's. It actually seems our demographic has grown to the point where we are slightly struggling to pinpoint it. If I had to describe the die-hards: Outdoor Music Festival goers - good souls, outdoorsey, they like their music dirty and thought-invoking. Q: How difficult was it to find the musicians who ended up in your band? A: Not difficult at all. They all gravitated towards the band. Eric Ellsworth and I met 6-7 years ago and started playing together. I knew he was the proper match immediately. Joshua Dunn - played in the same local music scene and became one of our best friends, so it was a natural transition when we were looking for a new bass player in January 2010. Ronnie Strauss - young, bad-ass, slightly hippie type rock drummer gets back from studying at MI in Los Angeles. I don't really remember if he found us or we found him. It's all been quite easy to find the right folks. It's about feeling rather than thinking... Q: How much money do you have invested in this album? A: Good question. Tough answer. My Forlorn Wallet Records is a family of sorts, a community of like-minded, like-souled artists, musicians, sound engineers and music biz folks looking to support and assist one another, so the album has been significantly cheaper than it would have been had we just paid one another what was deserved. With engineering, mixing, mastering, replication, art, publicity, and radio we are sitting somewhere around $18K. Q: Do you have any idea what the number would be for the same album w/o the Forlorn Wallet community...say, if it had been done on a decent size indie label? A: At least twice as much if not three times... Q: How many units will you have to sell to break even? A: Also tricky considering that the physical copies go for $15.00 and digital for $10.00. 1,800 digital or 1,200 physical. Not too bad for recoup. Q: How many physical CDs did you manufacture? Getting back to a previous question, depending on your retail distribution, are CDs still a vital component of the marketing plan? Can you see doing a "digital-only" release? A: 2,000 for our first initial run. CDs are great for the road and for those who love to have the physical packaging... still essential in my mind. Call me old school but I don't see myself doing just a "digital-only" release. That being said, I have a solo recording that was never ‘officially’ released that is only available in digital format. ;) Q: Music-Creation vs. Music-Business; What's the time consumption pie chart look like? A: In total, about 50/50 - but the business side is the bulk of the work these days. I feel like with all the contacting and orchestrating I do on the business end that I don’t have the time I would really like to have for focusing on the music. But I have to do the business side or eventually the music will fade because it won't be able to support itself. Then I'm just a dude writing music that is never to be heard. Catch 22 of this whole 'run-your-own' deal. Q: Do you have a job outside of “musician” and “record label owner”? A: Yes, well, sort of. I come and go as I please (when I am in need) working sales and marketing for a small company that does all things websites for dentists and doctors(http://patientdocs.com). I was working at Black Diamond (a ski, climbing gear, tent manufacturer out of Salt Lake City) 3 years ago and when they wouldn’t give me enough time off for the summer tour we had planned. I quit, intending to never work a side job again. A few months after returning from the tour my buddy called and said "come work for me, you can come and go as you please". A nice set-up. Q: Can you see yourself doing anything for a living besides music...long term? A: No Q: Have you tried to exploit your music via publishing for film, TV, etc.? A: We have tried to partner with publishing companies... nothing has stuck. Here's to hoping we land something this time! We are still looking for one company to 'represent' us. There are plenty of companies out there that will take your music and pitch it if you pay them (lots of sharks out there looking to 'sell' you on the idea that they can sell your music if you will just pay them a load of cash); not something we have been interested in. We’re still looking for the right publishing deal... we’re still quite lost here. Q: Are you active in the social networking community…with regards to your music? A: Yes, Facebook is huge these days (although its effectiveness in promotion is deteriorating). Twitter, Linked In, Myspace, BandCamp, are others we use. Q: How proficient are you with regard to social networking? That is, do you keep up with new media, new technologies, new ways to communicate via the web? A: We follow the trends. We try to keep up with the latest, but are not the greatest at it. When we hear of a new site etc., we will check it out and assess from there. Q: Who does your website…design and maintenance? Do you pay for this or is the service bartered in any way? A: Website maintenance and programming: a friend Josh Knell, whose art is maintaining and programming sites. Design: Jake Buntjer (album artwork and photos for Turncoats) whose art is amazing. We work out payment, we are family. We have also introduced both to additional (i.e. better paying) clients. So yes it's a family approach; we support one another with equal vigor. Q: If all goes according to plan with Turncoats, what will be your next step? A: World Domination. Joking aside, we'd love to land contracts with the right management and booking teams. We want to be constantly touring, constantly making friends and contacts, but we want to play it smart all at the same time. We are working to make the Starlight Gospel and My Forlorn Wallet Records a family that can effectively lift, assist and build artists and musicians in the manner that they wish to grow. Q: So you're looking for that perfect marriage of art and commerce? A: Wouldn't that be nice? Q: What area(s) of expertise do you find lacking as a result of doing this album on your own? A: Too many to list but let's try: 1- Publishing; we are lost here until we can make a solid, solid contact with a publishing company, outlet etc. 2- Distribution; we have no real chain other than using CD Baby, Bandcamp and other digital distribution companies. But what music is in stores these days? It depresses me to walk through the music sections of stores these days and see small racks with only pop radio bands displayed. Q: Do you think there’s a viable business plan for musicians seeking to control their own destiny as a working musician? A: Yes it can be done. But it takes loads of sacrifice and work, and I don't know many musicians that are willing to work that hard to 'sell' themselves. It's not easy, but can be done. I know that I am not the best example of a musician 'in business' for himself. To be completely honest, I'm barely making this work. We, as a band, seem to be coming out of 'the red' but me, as a person, I have put in so much money and time that may possibly never be recouped. Most musicians I know that are trying to build something similar are building as an "incubation" period. Waiting, working, hoping for the big brother label/manager to pick them up and move them forward from there. I hope for something similar but know that it is most likely that I will continue to build this on my own. And the beauty that lies therein is that yes, for now, I can somewhat control my own destiny. But no one really ever wholly controls anything. --Compiled and edited by Joe Joyce.

Music Review: Cory Mon & The Starlight Gospel - Tu by
What is it about the impending arrival of Spring that brings out great new albums? I know Spring is a few weeks away yet, but it seems that great albums are in bloom all over the place. Especially in the folk/rock arena, with artists such as Bobby Long, Lee MacDougall, and Wes Kirkpatrick all releasing albums in recent weeks. Thankfully, the streak seems to be continuing with Cory Mon & The Starlight Gospel and their release Turncoats, which just came out this week. Evidently it wasn't the easiest project to work on together and there was a bit of turnover in the band lineup while recording. "There was a lot of turmoil," says Cory. "Artistically, it didn't work out, but we're still great friends with everyone. Like many bands I've reviewed of late, it's tough to pin down just one style for Cory and the band. They bring aspects of folk and Americana traditions while also bringing in bits of country and rock for good measure. And Cory's voice is the constant across all of it, with a sound that reminds me quite a bit of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's lead singer Scotty Morris. The songs on Turncoats run the gamut from the Western-sounding "3 Step" and the Doors-sounding "Gypsy" to the bossa nova beach-party groove of "Dr. Pleasure M.D." and '70s-style guitar groove of "Venus. Honestly, "3 Step" would be right at home in the soundtrack for a modern Western. (I hear Quentin Tarantino may be working on one and he should definitely give it a listen!) The awesome bass line and sliding guitars give it some serious texture, while it seamlessly slides into a more polished sound with electric-guitar solos in the background. All of this comes along with Cory's voice telling a dark story about fears of turning into something worse: "Catch me clutching to my crime. / Swear I loathe your jealous type. / You crave possession, now I find my own way home, way home. Then we literally slide (via electric guitar) into "Fever" where Cory growls the lyrics about a guy trapped by the love (perhaps lust) of a woman. "Fever / You're in trouble son / She's your fever." It's his father asking him why in the heck he's being led by the nose. His father's been there too: "You won't catch me trippin' over wise man's robes / But why did you go and let her in?" All the while, there's this amazing bass line and haunting guitars walking the song along. And then there's "Gypsy," which almost has a Doors-feel with a "People are Strange" similar bass line and mixing up the beats and song styles measure to measure. This one is more upbeat than the first two tracks. It seems as though the person singing was looking for advice and may have been confused by the Gypsy offering hers. As he tries to figure it out, he's playing with ideas. "I think I'll move to Arizona, where it's said the souls are warmer / Tired of all these strangers think they read my mind / Turn around they watch you fall, they watch you fall, they watch... The whole album mixes styles and rhythms with amazing ease. In "Dr. Pleasure M.D." it has almost a bossa nova groove that reminded me of a beach party, while "Venus" has a '70's style guitar that would be at home in many films of the era. It's obvious that Cory and the entire band have a wide variety of influences, which they mix and match to meet the needs of a particular song. Cory Mon & The Starlight Gospel offer a unique blend of musical styles that makes Turncoats a great album. If you're looking for a new Americana band to try, I'd encourage you to pick this one up. It's definitely not your parents' version of Americana! Be sure to check them out on Facebook and MySpace for news and tour information!

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