17. March 2025
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Spotlight - Flyctory.com Interviews

Spotlight – Flyctory.com meets Cory Marks (March 2025)

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Right before the beginning of the 2025 Berlin Country To Country Festival, on Thursday afternoon, I had the opportunity of chatting with Cory Marks. The Canadian country and country rock artist was about to play four sets in Berlin, two each on Friday and Saturday. I was really happy chatting with him about the upcoming concerts and sets as well as about his most recent album, Sorry for Nothing. Enjoy the interview!

 

Flyctory.com meets Cory Marks

FLYC: It is the first time you play Country To Country. What do you know about the festivals, especially the one in Berlin?

Cory: I know it’s a great festival, a lot of great artist. It’s really a celebration of country music here in Europe and in Berlin. I know it is a good festival and I am excited to play.

FLYC: Do you have any expectations regarding the audience and the festival here in Berlin?

Cory: Not really. I don’t know what to expect. I have been told it is quite a party. So I am gonna try to put my head in that space and play for everybody there.

FLYC: Last year, you released your third album, Sorry for Nothing. Does it come with a special story?

Cory: Yeah, Sorry for Nothing is a song, kind of about where I grew up and what I’ve been through and, you know, where I’m heading. The whole album, to me, is a perfect mix of country and rock music, which is the music that I love and I grew up on. So, it’s apologetically me. And that’s the title, Sorry for Nothing.

FLYC: The most successful and maybe also the key track of the album was (Make My) Country Rock. How was like for you to see a song like this growing and becoming popular?

Cory: It’s always really exciting to have a song being played a lot on radio, in multiple countries, especially here in Europe. To have a song, which is streaming very well is always a great feeling, especially when you know that the audience is connecting to the music and love it when you put it up.

FLYC: Looking back to your biggest tracks. You had a platinum record in Canada with Outlaws & Outsiders. Especially having that success in your own country, how was that like to you?

Cory: It’s really unexpected. You don’t think about that all that much. Absolutely, it’s a real special feeling to know that the fans are connecting to the music and songs. I hope there is many more in the future. It’s always great to be recognized in that way knowing that you’re selling records and people are listening.

FLYC: Looking forward to the days which are right ahead of you. You have four gigs here in Berlin. Is there anything, where you would say that the shows here are successful for you?

Cory: Honestly, I am just really excited to be here. And, I am really looking forward to all the shows. I’m hoping that we have great audiences and packed clubs, especially outside of the festivals, playing in Cologne and Hamburg. Yeah, I’m just hoping that there is a lot of people that are exciting and ready to sing with me.

FLYC: Your appearances will be more on the side stages or intimate venues, however you want to call it. Is it something which rather suits you or you rather look forward to as you can rather connect to the people?

Cory: Yeah, I think, it’s two portions out there. Acoustic shows are always fun because it’s really the songs stripped down. It’s kind of how they started and how I wrote them. So that’s very more personal bowl and engaging with the audience itself. And, of course, the full band is really more like a rock show. It’s big, it’s loud and and it’s a lot of fun.

FLYC: Did you in some way especially prepare for the shows before you came to Berlin?

Cory: No, shows… We rehearsed a couple of week ago before coming here. It’s a brand new show – so actually the 2025 show that we have set up ready for the year is gonna be tested here for the first time in Berlin and across Europe. So, we’re really excited to see how that show goes.

FLYC: The sets in Berlin are rather short, 30 minutes roughly. Do you split up your set to that duration spontaneously or do have certain plans how you set up these four shows?

Cory: Yeah, I think because there gonna be different stages and different crowds, I got my thirty minute acoustic set pretty down part. And I have the 40, 45 minute full band set ready to go. And I think we gonna play the same set of songs front to back.

FLYC: You got a rather packed schedule here in Berlin and the stages coming thereafter. Do you still have time to enjoy the cities outside the festival and show venues?

Cory: Yes. Yesterday [(Wednesday)], we probably walked some 20,000 steps. We walked several miles, down to Brandenburg Gate and saw all the history there. We saw the Berlin tower and also tried to relax a little bit before the crazy schedule starts.

FLYC: Next week, you will play the C2C Festival in London, which is still far bigger than Berlin. Is that a special thing or even a highlight for you to play there?

Cory: Oh yeah! It’s a dream coming true. I am really excited to be part of the C2C Festivals and excited to see these parts of the world I always wanted to see. So, the fact that I not only get to see them, but play my music, it’s something I really look forward to. It’s something I am very thankful for it. I hope I keep coming here year after year.

FLYC: Maybe looking a bit forward to 2025 and what lies ahead of you. Do you have any plans what you will be doing after the C2C shows?

Cory: Yeah. We do this run. I think we are here until the 20th, we fly back on the 21st [March 2025]. I think it is something like thirteen shows in seventeen days or something like that. And then, we go home for two week, then go to Nashville and do a fifteen day US tour. And then, I’m home for not more than a week, I think five days. Then we’re doing a Ontario and Quebec, Canada, tour. We are doing another dozen shows for a couple weeks out on the road. So, it will be pretty busy right afterwards until June.

At summertime, that’s festival season in North America. We play a lot of festivals, too. So, there’s gonna be more new music coming out during the year, which I am excited about. And more festivals and a lot of touring.

FLYC: Based on that – you are touring a lot. Is there something you miss about home when being here in Berlin or in Nashville – or maybe vice versa miss about Nashville when you are at home?

Cory: Yeah, it’s always the devil’s sword. So, when I am at home for a while, I am excited to get back out. When you are on the road, you miss mum and dad, you miss the fiance and the dog, of course. It’s all exciting and also a little stressful and painful to be away – as exciting it is to be on tour.

 

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All pictures by Flyctory.com during C2C 2025 in Berlin

 

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