Friday, March 2, 2012
Liner Notes: Cory Mon
Posted By Austen Diamond on March 2, 2012, 11:13 AM
Cory Mon has unleashed an arsenal of new material on the Interwebs this week. The Utah County-based singer-songwriter -- notably known as the frontman for the 2011 CWMA finalist Cory Mon & the Starlight Gospel -- wrote a bevy of tunes while he took a sunny sojourn in Hawaii last summer and is now sharing them with the world. Plus, he’s just bored with his old material.
Mon began posting the DIY videos on Feb. 25 with eight total currently. He says he plans to record around nine more over the next two weeks. The videos can be found on YouTube here.
Mon has only played a handful of shows since coming back from Hawaii, and he was encouraged by friends and the Provo music community to share the new tunes. “I’ve always considered those people that follow my music a family,” Mon says. So his “family” can listen to the new material, but also take a democratic part in the songwriting/recording process.
“I wanted to give everybody an opportunity to put in their vote for which songs would make the new album,” Mon says. “There might have been some songs on Turncoats (2010) that should have been left out, and some that should have been put on but weren’t.” Mon adds
Mon isn’t ’ready, nor can he carry the cost burdens, to make a new record, but this is an excellent first step, he says. And this is a way to keep his fans engaged. “Honestly, as an artist, a year after you release an album, you’re irrelevant -- you’re losing a little ground as each month passes,” he says.
He was hesitant because he didn’t want to be one of those self-indulgent clowns who post everything they do on the Web. But, as witnessed by his comments below about these two featured videos, Mon is vulnerable and shares some stories behind the songs.
“Save My” #2
This song meant a lot to my brothers and friends, and it was the one that got me to post all the new ones. My dad passed away in December, and I thought I was ready for him to pass away; he’s been fighting cancer for years. He’s just a tough piece of shit -- he’s Mr. Cowboy. He’s a dentist who quit dentistry to open a mule ranch. Until the last month, he was just tough tough. The song approached the question of “What life’s all about?” and about how the two of us would butt heads. It’s really introspective: What do we do to save ourselves here?
”Wildfire” #8
I hiked up the mountain and recorded this out in the snow. It’s funny, because I wrote this in Hawaii in the sun, so I was laughing for half the song. Dustin [Christensen] says it’s my monkey song. It’s a little cheesy, but it works -- what I mean is that it is easy to get and sticks in the ears. It’s about sitting back and enjoying life. There’s folks in the trenches, and there’s folks sitting on their heels and watching the world burn. So, the chorus looks at these two different sects.
On Topic...
-
Film Reviews: New Releases for March 14
Black Bag, Novocaine, The Electric State, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, Control Freak
- Mar 13, 2025
-
Concert Review: Heart at Maverik Center
Even injury can't stop the veteran rockers from putting on a killer show
- Mar 10, 2025
-
Film Reviews: New Releases for March 7
Mickey 17, The Rule of Jenny Pen, Queen of the Ring, CHAOS: The Manson Murders and more
- Mar 6, 2025
- More Music » More Culture »
More by Austen Diamond
-
FLASHBACK 2010: How 9 Utahns survived being shot
Nine Lives
- Jul 29, 2024
- More »
Latest in Buzz Blog
