A conversation with Cory McComas
Where can we find you right now and what are you up to?
You can checkout all my social media links below from that single link! Things are going well right now. I just released a cover song of Linkin Park’s “What I’ve Done.” I have both a full version and an instrumental version out now! I performed all instruments on the track except for the drums, which my buddy Fernando Lemus covered. Linkin Park is my all-time favorite band and with the recent announcement of their return, it inspired me to cover one of my favorite songs from their category. I also released a hard rock, original song in August called “Stand Up” that I am very proud of. On top of all my solo artist work right now, I just formed a band called “The Secret Society” where I am the lead guitar player. For now, we are a cover band playing around the Cleveland, Ohio area but have inspirations of releasing our own music in the near future.
Cory's solo artist streaming and social media links
The Secret Society Instagram
Tell us a bit about your gear, what was used in the recording (amps, effects).
Answer: In terms of my main guitar, I use an ESP LTD EC-1000 Piezo. I absolutely love this guitar! It is so versatile and the pickups just sound great for just about any genre of music. It is what I use the most to play live. In terms of tones and effects, I have been using the Mike Stringer plugin from Mixwave. Mike Stringer is the guitar player from Spiritbox. I absolutely love the plugins and tones from this. There are so many to select from and it just enhances and speaks to the sounds I am trying to create. I recorded my song, “Stand Up” and the “What I’ve Done” cover both with that guitar and the tones found in that plugin. I have a feeling I am going to stick with that for a while now with my future releases as well.
What do you think of AI in music? Would you say that there are some genres more "in danger than others"?
Personally, I do not like the idea of AI in music. Being in my mid 30s now, I am part of a generation that understands technology and how it has, for the most part, improved our lives. I also did not grow up with technology and was part of that last generation that went outside and played with other kids growing up. So I have more of an “old school” mindset and think that AI is generally a risk to music. I think potentially more vocal dependent based genres are in danger because it seems to be easier to be able to reproduce someone else voice. I am generally not a fan of it and it is going to be more difficult to monitor going forward.
How did you start?
Yes! I was born and raised in Cleveland, OH where I currently reside. We have a great music scene in Cleveland. After all, we do have the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame here! To keep a long story short of how I got started in music, I partially got started playing music in 2021 because of events that happened during the pandemic. I unexpectedly lost a close family member of mine in 2020 and the pandemic in general made me realize how short life is. The events made me realize what were things that I always wanted to do but never had done yet, like learning an instrument. I have always loved music because I listened to the radio a ton and always went to concerts.
What is a typical day in your life as a musician?
Life as a musician is amazing because I feel the most alive when I am writing aor performing music. I divide up life as a musician into three categories. 1. Diligent practice 2. Creative expression 3. Live performance. Certainly there is overlap between all three 1. Diligent practice is as it sounds, just getting better at your instrument(s). This includes everything from practicing scales, to getting more knowledgeable in music theory to learning the cover songs I want to play. 2. Creative expression is pure writing and experimentation of creating new ideas and new music. I like to think of it as a giant sandbox to play in. Here I just lock myself in my studio and go crazy. Somedays you come up with great ideas and other days you do not and that is ok as it is part of the process. Eventually for me these turns into songs. I view this as a very introverted process where I can literally work on an idea the entire day on my own. I am in my head and in my feelings the whole day trying to create art and expression onto the instrument. For me this is a very therapeutic process 3. Live performance is performing live for my shows. This is almost an extroverted process because you are putting on a show for audience. You must read the room and feed off your band members and thus can’t really be in your head a lot. You must be present in the moment. Personally live performance is my favorite part of being a musician because there is no better feeling that the energy of a live performance and you as the performing musician to be able to influence that.
So in 2021, I had a friend rediscover playing guitar after a long hiatus with the instrument himself. Just his love of rediscovering guitar brought me so much joy. I had all these feelings because of the pandemic and seeing my friend’s love for guitar really got me thinking that maybe I should learn guitar. I was 31 years old at the time and thought maybe it was too late to learn. I had always loved heavy guitar riffs though! So I connected with my friend and asked him some basics about guitar, like how to practice and what gear to start with. He really took the time to just answer my questions and that was huge for me because it showed me he cared. Shortly after that, I took his advice and bought a Fender Squier Stratocaster starter pack from Guitar Center. I ordered it online and I literally could not wait to get it home when it came into the store. I can still remember being so excited to pick it up from Guitar Center. That was 3 years ago now and I just kept going from there. In the middle of 2024, I decided to expand and start studying vocal performance and I am taking vocal lessons now. The goal is to continue to sing on my own tracks, so I guess you can officially classify me as a “singer-songwriter”now.
Tell us a bit about your influences.
Hands down Linkin Park is my biggest influence and inspiration for my music as I mentioned before. Not only is Linkin Park my all-time favorite band but they were the very first concert I ever went to! Additionally Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle, From Ashes to New, and Fame on Fire are large inspirations from a whole band standpoint. If you are an artist that is played on Sirius XM Octane (channel 37), you are an inspiration for me. In terms of solo artists inspirations, Mike Shinoda, elijah, Zero 9:36, and Corey Taylor are vocal artists that are pushing me to get better now. Xander Raymond Charles is a friend and solo guitar artist based in the U.S. that I draw a lot of inspiration from as well as Nita Strauss, the guitarist for Alice Cooper.
Photo by Lauren Gabrielle Photography
What is the role of music in your everyday life? When do you listen to music the most?
Music is literally everything for me. I do not know what I would do without it. I listen to 20 to 40 hours of music a week. I work in corporate America and when I am not a call with a client or have an internal team meeting, I am listening to Sirius XM, primarily the new hard rock channel, Octane (channel 37). I listen to music every single day and then from there I am either practicing, writing or performing music on the daily. Being part of music in some way will never stop for me.
What would you change in the music industry today?
The biggest thing I would change in the music industry today is the ticket prices to go to concerts. It is just so expensive to go to any show and I am talking just for a regular ticket. I think it should be affordable for everyone to go. The tickets are insane and the parking cost at some of the larger venues is insane. I understand better than anyone that inflation is a thing in 2024 but when it is $100+ per seat to go see your favorite band, that is insane to me. A great example of this for me in 2024 was Creed or Pearl Jam. I really wanted to go see both but the starting price for either of them was like $250 or something like that. Obviously not on the artists but maybe the venues or ticket sites selling the tickets. I do not have any knowledge on how the finances work in the music industry, but I am willing to bet that not a lot of the ticket revenue goes to the artist. So for me, it would be making the pricing and accessibility to concert events better for the consumer and putting the money more in the pockets of the artists and the crews to make touring more of an incentive.
Tell us about the last EP or single you've discovered and listened to. What was it like?
So I am really obsessed with a solo artist of the name of elijah, who is in the hard rock space. His music is played all over Sirius XM Octane as well. I just love his style, riffs, and breakdowns in his music. Currently “enemies” and “virus” are my two favorite songs from him. I was fortunate enough to see him live last week as I write this and he actually conducted the first VIP experience on the fall 2024 tour he is currently on with Point North. The VIP experience was one of the best I’ve been a part of. Elijah performed some of his songs on an acoustic guitar, took a ton of photos with us and signed anything we wanted. He is just such a humble and hardworking guy on top of having amazing music. With me breaking into singing and studying vocal performance now, Elijah is just a huge inspiration to me and I hope to be like him someday. My buddy Xander is one of the touring guitar players for elijah now and is a huge inspiration to me as a guitar player. Overall the whole elijah crew is just amazing and I highly encourage anyone to check him out on streaming platforms and live because you are missing out otherwise.
