Cory Merchant

Infobox musical artist
Name = Cory Merchant


Img_capt =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Cory Lynn Merchant
Alias =
Born = Hastings-on-Hudson, New York
Died =
Origin =
Instrument = Vocals, Guitar
Genre = Indie folk
Folk rock
Singer-songwriter
Label = Mainframe Records
Associated_acts = JAW (Just Add Water)

Cory Merchant is an American singer/songwriter, printmaker, painter, photographer and filmmaker.

Early life

Cory was born July 10, 1985 to Lynda Kay Loomis and Martin Luther Victor Merchant III at St. John's Riverside Hospital in Yonkers, NY. He was the third and youngest child born to the family, following his sister Alice and brother Jesse. At the time of his birth, the family was living nearby in Hastings on Hudson, NY. His father was a professional photographer, and his mother was in education. He would later describe the music his parents listened to as "everything from CCR to Sly and the Family Stone," and would also pick up on early 1990's hip hop from his sister and brother.

By the time Cory was entering high school he had begun to show an interest in drawing. It was at this time that his father, Martin, changed careers and began teaching art at the same school. During these years Cory would study drawing, painting, and both 35mm and digital photography. This is also when he got his first guitar.

Fed up with how hard it was to learn how to play without lessons, he soon gave up on the guitar and began composing electronic music. Drawing inspiration from musical acts like The Chemical Brothers and Massive Attack, Cory released four albums under the stage name DJ Archetype between 2003 and 2005. They were titled, in chronological order, "Soundscapes", "The Iron Sun", "The Road to Arcadia" and "Boiler Plate".

When the time came to go to college, Cory couldn't see himself studying anything but Art.

College years

Cory enrolled in the Fall 2004 semester at SUNY New Paltz with the intention of studying the Fine Arts, perhaps with a concentration in painting. Eventually (after two semesters of studying Fine Art) he changed his major to Art Education. During his sophomore year, Cory would meet great friends (and future collaborators) Matthew Manguso, Nick Quaranta, Evan Brown, Clint Iacovone and Tom Ford. At the end of the academic year, Cory won the "Best in Show" award in the Video category for a silent film about the tribulations of doing laundry in a residence hall. The film was called "React", and starred himself and Manguso. During his first two years in New Paltz, Cory also became more serious about playing the guitar. Never having taken lessons, Cory got by learning other people's songs and expanding on their ideas. This would be a staple characteristic of his future music. Soon, Cory inherited his first acoustic guitar from his mother and began writing his own songs.

The Joker's Henchmen

Formed during their junior year, The Joker's Henchmen was a neo-folk outfit featuring Nick Quaranta on lead guitar, Cory on rhythm guitar, and the vocals of Matthew Manguso. They played many traditional songs, adding new takes on them in light of more current context. They would also record several originals, which were mostly improvised. Their original songs would usually end up having some kind of a humorous theme or tone.

G12 Films

G12 Films was a feux movie production company started by Cory and friends Quaranta and Manguso. It would later feature Evan Brown and Clint Iacovone and, though only marginally, Tom Ford. The crew filmed everything around them, and found ways to make them into films. Their movies are still available online.

First albums

During his senior year at New Paltz, Cory used a digital audio recorder to record an album called "Songs for Casey". There is one remaining copy, in the possession of Cory's long-term girlfriend, Stacey Lucas. The album was mostly made up of renditions of traditional folk songs, but would also feature the original recordings of songs like "Eulogy for an Outlaw" and "Almena (Travelin' Jack)". Prior to his college graduation Cory bought a new acoustic guitar and released "Cory Who?" The album, which Cory considers his debut, featured ten tracks, only one of which was a cover. The album was strongly influenced by The Grateful Dead and followed in the folk tradition. Without a moment to spare, Cory immediately began recording material for his next release, "Headphone".

In 2007 he graduated from New Paltz with a bachelor's degree in Art Education.

Post-college years

After college, Cory's musical tastes tended more towards contemporary indie bands like Built to Spill and The Decemberists, and shoegaze bands like Ride. This was reflected in his narrowly released EP, "Flood All the World", as Cory's sound became much louder. In February of 2008 he released "Kill Your Radio", showcasing a very different style from earlier records and honing his new, distorted sound. "Woe Be Gone" was finished by May of 2008, and had a quieter, more somber approach to songwriting. The album was based on the fictional town of Lake Wobegon, a creation of radio personality Garrison Keillor. Specifically, the stories in the songs are taken from segments of the radio show called the News From Lake Wobegon.

JAW

During the fall of 2008 Cory, and friend Pat O'Connor, formed the band JAW (an abbreviation of Just Add Water). All of the music was written by Cory, and he played all of the instruments; O'Connor was the band's songwriter. They began working on a body of work which hearkened back to "Kill Your Radio". They are still in the studio, no word on how complete the album is.

cenedog

Over the summer of 2008, Cory and long-time girlfriend Stacey Lucas formed a film production company called SCENEDOG. Their first film was a short, with Lucas spending most of the time behind the camera. It was a silent film, in the tradition of his award-winning "React", and was about what it means to have a home. The film is entitled "HOME", and can be seen, in it's entirety, on YouTube.

They are also working on a new film, which is only in the earliest stages of development. According to Cory, it is about "an insomniac who can talk to his dog."

Artwork

Since college, Cory has remained a fairly active artist. He prefers to keep himself open to experimentation, rather than sticking to one medium. His strong interests lie in painting, spraypainting, printmaking and photography. Artwork of his is available online.

Discography

Albums

* "Cory Who?" (2007)
* "Headphone" (2007)
* "Kill Your Radio" (2008)
* "Woe Be Gone" (2008)

EPs

* "Flood All the World" (2007)

Live albums

* "Live in Yonkers" (2007)
* "Live from The Mountain" (2008)