Meet Cory McCormick | Songwriter and Audio Engineer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cory McCormick and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cory, alright, let’s jump in with a deep one – what’s you’re definition for success?
I think success is creating a fulfilling life for myself and as long as I’m able to make music I love, I’ll be fulfilled. My vision of “success” usually includes a cabin home with my partner with a recording studio and whatever equivalent workspace for her. We could spend our lives getting lost in our creativity. That’s just one sort of generic image that recurs for me but I think of success as a journey rather than a destination (clichéd but true). I try to always have some goal to work toward. I don’t ever want to fall into a cycle of creating just to play the game but it’s also a hard balance to strike for any artist trying to build a career in music. I want to make something that is popular enough to make a living off of it but still timeless and true to myself.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a musician, songwriter, and audio engineer. I play a handful of instruments and I produce/ engineer for my band “The Man in the Bottle.” A couple unique things about me is that I am a drummer-lead singer in the band and I am pretty well equipped to produce some high quality recordings/ mixes, with my experience working at EastWest Studios in Los Angeles. I started writing and recording music when I was 12 so around 2002. I wanted to make my own albums and my parents were nice enough to buy me a Boss 8 track digital recorder thing. Most of my songs at that time sounded like crude versions of The Strokes or Muse or Radiohead but with no vocals because I was too shy to sing. Long story short, I did a few years of community college, audio engineering school, some film industry work, got a bachelor’s degree in Media Communications, and in 2019 got an opportunity to work at EastWest where I still work today as an assistant engineer. None of it was easy and I had to work horrible part time jobs throughout all of it but it feels like I’m building toward something cool. One key lesson I’ve learned is how to deal with feeling unaccomplished. I’ve come a long way and still have a long way to go but that feeling that I haven’t done enough is normal even though, most the time, it’s just a lie we tell ourselves. Just stay focused and you’ll be surprised how far you make it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would have to consider which of my best friends is visiting and what our common interests are. If it’s a skater friend, I’d take them to my favorite hometown skateparks which are “Ferg” and “R-Town” as we call them in Rialto. I’d probably bounce between Inland Empire and Los Angeles since I’m from the IE but most of my friends are based in LA as well. If it’s a musician friend I’d try to setup a jam/recording session at EastWest.
As far as restaurants go, my favorites at the moment are Guisados, Mixto, and Shin Sen Gumi in Little Tokyo. If those places are closed or have a long wait I’ll say f*** it and go to King Taco. Never disappoints.
For drinks, I’m down for wherever as long as it’s not a clubby vibe. My homies and I frequent Semi-Tropic, Zebulon, Bar Flores, Homage Brewery, and sometimes Goldline. I’m not the best tour guide or anything but I’m a good hang and would have a blast just drinking beers at a friend’s apartment.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have worked at this music thing for so long and thought about quitting a handful of times but the person who always keeps me grounded is my partner Cinthia. She is probably sick of my whiny artist bs by now but she always reminds me that I wouldn’t be happy doing anything else. My parents, Doug and Laura, are my source of life, literally and figuratively. They are the ones who always fostered my artistic endeavors. I love them endlessly and I hope that I make them proud.
My band “The Man in the Bottle” (Carlos, James, Josh, and Jordan) are also like family to me and always have my back with whatever project we’re working on.
There are many others who have supported me and my dreams and I love them all. You know who you are!

Website: linktr.ee/the.man.in.the.bottle

Instagram: @the.man.in.the.bottle

Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCIUW5ePthbxzM7J5pzww_xw

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/12vUp078nG4mtDcqWOeAzu?si=RQLtJD1gRwGI59ya_IJT-Q&dl_branch=1