Andy Frasco's World Saving Podcast - EP 58: Cory Wong

Episode Date: September 10, 2019

Andy plays Magic Man at a wedding and subsequently garners some interesting attention (age ain't nothing but a number, baby). The man, the myth, the 16th note peddling guitar guru: Cory Wong joins Andy on the interview hour! They talk family, finding your artistic voice, and much more. Andy closes the show with a look toward the future. Listen nowww  Follow us on Instagram @worldsavingpodcast For more information on Andy Frasco, tour dates, the band and the blog, go to: AndyFrasco.com The views discussed on this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of the guests. Follow the inimitable, Cory Wong at www.corywongmusic.com Check out Andy's new album, "Change Of Pace" on iTunes and Spotify Produced by Andy Frasco Joe Angelhow Chris Lorentz Audio mix by Chris Lorentz Featuring: Caleb Hawley Hannah Reese Ahri Findling Arno Bakker 

Hey, Andy, it's Megan. Sorry we didn't get to say goodbye before our big exit last night, but I wanted to thank you for everything you did to make our wedding as amazing as it was. And I know it meant so much to Tony that you came out for it. Also, I know the wedding got pretty wild, but some of the stories I'm hearing from the uncles, I'm starting to wonder if you actually went through with putting mushroom chocolates on the dessert table. I thought you were joking about it before, but it would explain a lot. Also, what did you say to Grandma Gail? She can't stop

talking about you, and she just asked me for your number. Anyway, I've got to get back, but yeah, I guess I'd just like to talk after we get back from the honeymoon. Andy, this is Megan's grandma. I just wanted to say how happy the night we spent together made me after Megan's wedding. I haven't felt like that in a long time. The chocolates that you gave me made me feel so horny and sexual I haven't felt that way since my husband died I miss you already I can't wait to see you again the next time hopefully you can come over and I can make you my world-famous brisket. Okay, baby. I miss you.

We're back. Andy Frasco's World Saving Podcast. I'm your host, Andy Frasco. How you doing, everyone? How you feeling this week? How's your heads? How's your hangovers? You know, if you're like me Andy Frasco was on a week off was in LA. I'm hanging out with my dog Chewy, chilling out, hanging out at my parents' house out in Westlake, California. It's like near Northern LA. It's a beautiful day. We're on our way to tour with Green Sky Bluegrass, baby. Curious to see how this is going to fucking work because they are a bluegrass band with all these like really amazing sensitive songs and

I'm a party animal who wants to just throw a major party on the other spectrum because they throw a fucking party. They're a kick-ass band. Don't get me wrong. So it's gonna be nice to have a collaboration with them and see what type of party we join forces with. I've always wanted to tour with a bluegrass band. One of my favorite bands, Little Smokies. I got to see them a little while ago. But it's just nice. I love bluegrass.

I'm a fan. So for my band to get to open for such a big bluegrass band, thank you. Thanks for the shot. Yeah, things are looking good. I'm excited. This comes out Tuesday, but yesterday I will be, or I did, I'm backing up fucking Charlie Tuna from Jurassic 5, my band. We did this live thing because this is in the future,

but we're going to do this live recording and video with Charlie Tuna, and he's rapping on our shit, and I'm backing his ass up with the band, so it's going to be tight. Look out for that. Thank you, Jammin' the Van and G-Pen, for setting that up. That was dope.

And shout out to G-Pen for ho that up. That was dope. And shout out to G-Pen for hooking us up with like $400 worth of weed. They gave us a gift card. You could fucking deliver. It's like Amazon for weed, dog. This thing called ease.com. I think it's just in legal states, but

all I had to do was like Amazon Prime, dog. I was just, I Googled or not Googled, but ordered some shit. It was in my house in an hour. So shout out to G-Pen. Y'all are pimps as fuck. But a quick shout out to Todd Glass. I was on his show last week.

So go check me out on Todd Glass's podcast. He got me up. We took some mushrooms again and had a conversation. You know, his show is fucking insane. He's a fucking crazy person. But he's a great guy, so I love you, Todd. Thanks for letting me be part of the show. And I will catch you on the tail end

with more stuff to talk about, more things to get into. But once again, you know, addiction. Addiction's real. Don't get in trouble from your addiction because you feel like you can't control it. Talk to somebody. You know, it's no different than when you're feeling depressed.

It's the same thing as mental health. Rest in peace, Neil. Rest in peace, Jeff. And everyone else who's feeling bad about everything. So for now on, let's feel better. I'm only a phone call. No, not a phone call. I'm changing my phone number.

But I'm only a phone call Oh no not a phone call I'm changing my phone number But um I'm only An Instagram way I'll catch you on the tail Alright next up on the interview hour We got Wolfpack's own Corey Wong This guy fucking shreds On the guitar.

Hey, Chris, why don't you play some Corey? Do some of his solo record, because that shit's dope. Yeah, Corey's the man, dude. He's homies with my homie, Caleb Hawley, who I've had on the show. He's a great songwriter. He's the session guy. He's the guy. I can't say enough about him.

His new Wolfpack is tight. You know, his solo album, I got to play with him at Peach Fest, and he's dope. He's got it all going on. I'm really excited to see where his career goes. So, ladies and gentlemen, enjoy Corey Wong on the World's Saved Podcast. Thank you. Corey fucking Wong, dude. How we doing? I'm chilling, man.

You doing okay? I may have already played some of my cards by not even knowing what said drug was. Have you taken hallucinogens? I had salvia when I was 18 because the local news reporters reported on it. And they were like, hey, there's this new drug in town. It's 100% legal. It's a hallucinogen. You can find it at these three stores in Minneapolis. It's 100% legal, It's a hallucinogen. You can find it at these three stores in Minneapolis.

It's 100% legal, but you shouldn't do it. Why did they do that? And then I was like, wait, it's legal? I can buy it at any of these three places? Sure, like, can't be that bad. So what was your experience with it? Well, I will preface it by at that point, I had never drank an alcohol, never had weed or anything.

Caleb, too. You're friends with Caleb. Caleb was straight edge, too. Yeah. Was it a religious thing? Were you religious? Yeah. What were you?

I mean, it wasn't like hardcore, this is why. But it was just like, I don't know. It didn't feel like it was the right thing for me. You know? It was just like, I don't know, it didn't feel like it was the right thing for me. I had plenty of friends that were doing weed in high school. Totally, yeah. That wasn't your thing. I didn't smoke weed until I was 19. Yeah.

So what were you doing? What were you getting? Where were you getting this energy? I was skateboarding. I was snowboarding, playing music. Yeah. Yeah. So you were doing the more athletic things.

Were you, did you play sports or? I played soccer in high school, but I was more, I played in the drum line. I played a lot of guitar and did a lot of skateboarding and snowboarding. How old are you? 34. So what has happened to you at 34 years old?

Well, there's a lot of things. I still practice my faith, Christianity. And my family is a big part of... Yeah, I heard you have like a nine-year-old and a seven-year-old or something. Well, my daughter's eight, but she says she's nine because she turns nine in a month and a half. So she'll like introduce herself to me.

She's like, hi, my name's Claire. I'm nine. I'm like, no, no, no, no to me. She's like, hi, my name's Claire. I'm nine. I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You're lying. She's like, well, dad, stop. I'm like, basically nine. I'm just like, no, you're not nine. You're eight.

So how is this life with kids? Oh, it's insane. It's amazing. We had kids. I got married. And six months later, my wife got pregnant on birth control. Damn, you got fucking strong ass sperm dog Well I cleared the way For 9,999

College students Were you blowing loads before? Yeah I mean we were on birth control So it just broke the wall Yeah That's insane Yeah I don't know what happened So my family brings me happiness.

I love spending time with my family. They also bring me just straight turmoil once in a while where it's like, you're stressing me out. They're out there. I'm trying to grill. They're trying to touch the grill. They're playing around, doing flips on the jungle gym out in the backyard.

Are you neurotic? I don't know. Maybe slightly. A lot of my family would say that I am, or some of my friends would say they am. What do you stress out about? What gives you anxious thoughts? What gives me anxious thoughts? I don't like being in social situations where somebody's clearly not abiding by the bounds of regular social behavior when it's like it kind of feels like we all should be abiding by social behavior right now there's plenty of times where it's a safe space where we can all just like get our freak on and like you know it's okay to like everybody's just being them but there's

certain times where it's like you know we're all just kind of hanging out and then there's somebody like doing something really yeah you know and you feel weird about it's just like i get tense because it's like oh what's gonna happen like the moment makes me very tense like how is this valve going to release yeah like that's what gives you tension yeah yeah like not knowing how a certain situation is going to play itself out and then i'll sit and like i can't concentrate on the conversation like if somebody was doing something in here while we're talking like i wouldn't be able to my mind would be going through endless possibilities of how the valve would be released from the situation do you think about it with death as well i think about death quite a bit what do you think about it with death as well? I think about death quite a bit. What do you think about it?

I am not afraid of death. I mean, it's obviously going to happen to everybody. I was reading a book about, well, I was reading a Malcolm Gladwell book called The Tipping Point. I love Malcolm. Yeah, he's great. He's great.

The end of it, it talks about the suicide rate in this specific island in Micronesia and how this one guy committing suicide all of a sudden triggered a bunch of people to do it. Or it's like there's these statistics where a young man will commit suicide and then all of a sudden there's all these other accidents where it's a single vehicle accident of young men. Like the rate goes up of whatever. Like copycat stuff? Yeah, or things like that. Or like, you know, it was talking about Columbine

and then a bunch of copycat things like that. And there was certain things where it's like, you know, there's a loose equivalent of you're standing at a red light and you've been standing there and all of a sudden somebody comes up and just goes through the crosswalk and you're like, oh, screw it. I'll do that too. Yeah. You know, like that's obviously an extremely different example because it's not as deep and treacherous as somebody committing suicide. But yeah, I think about death quite a bit. That,

that was just something that I was reading on the plane here, but, um, but it just made me think about like, wow, that would be so, I think about, uh, family members or friends or my children. It's like, that would be the most devastating thing for my family or myself. Like how I have a friend whose son committed suicide. And it's just like, I have seen his son was 14. Oh God, that's so young. I know. And it's insane. And it's just like to see how it has affected their family's life. It's just like, it's, it's heartbreaking to see how it's affected the community. It's, it's heartbreaking. And you know, there are obviously times where things, there are accidents that happen, and that's just part of death. And sometimes you get a sickness or a disease,

and it causes something that eventually you die. What's your biggest fear? I don't know I don't have a lot of really big fears That I That I struggle with right now That's great Yeah Do you have that

I want to go back to that philosophy of death you have Do you How the copycat thing that malcolm gladwell yeah not necessarily my philosophy i was reading about it but yeah that you're interested in right now uh what about that same philosophy with music do you think people are always trying to copycat the next big thing i do see that a lot where something all of a sudden catches like you know you had the you had some you have a lot in in every era there's people that are starting to pave a new way for something and then all of a sudden it's like oh this sort of thing is hip so we should do it now yeah and i've seen some of my

friends as artists do it where it's like all of a sudden this thing is cool i'm gonna chase that and all of a sudden this thing is cool and i where it's like, all of a sudden this thing is cool. I'm going to chase that. And all of a sudden this thing is cool and I'm going to chase that. And all of a sudden this thing is cool. I'm going to chase that. It's like, no, no, no, no, dude. What you're amazing at, what your voice is, it's like you play acoustic guitar and sing really well. Yeah.

And you're amazing at that. So why don't you just do that? Like, sure, it might not be as cool as it was in 2004. And you'd be crushing it if it was 2004. But the thing is, it is who you are and it's where you shine the most. So what I think is like philosophy of that is just be yourself. I see a lot of people trying to do, well, we saw it for, for several years where it's like Daptones, Amy Winehouse thing, all that stuff was like huge. And then there was a bunch of copycat stuff where it's like, yeah, we can tell you're trying to do that. There's some stuff where it's like, you very are authentically that and your music fits that and your artistry fits that.

But I do feel like that one is just one example where I saw a lot of people going for that thing and not necessarily nailing it in the sense that it didn't feel like them. And certain people, I see them trying to do 80s throwback because 80s throwback was cool in 2017, 2018, kind of maybe on the back end of that right now in 2019. Yeah, but once you're two years in, it's like you have to think about something else. Yeah, yeah.

Is there pressure to with the whole Wolfpack thing getting big, is there pressure for you to sound like that? Or can you do your own thing and not have this guilt? I don't carry any weight with that. I think maybe some of the other guys in the band

might have some of that. I think truth be told, I don't carry any weight with that. I think maybe some of the other guys in the band might have some of that. And I think, truth be told, for me, my character in the band is just who I am. Yeah. And who's that? As an artist, who are you? Who do you want to be? Well, I just want to be me.

And that's the whole point of what I was saying with the copycat thing is like, for me as an artist, I just want to be able to share my voice, what the aesthetic of that is or what kind of clothes I put on myself as an artist sonically can change. But at the core of it, I don't want to change who I am.

So do I, like there will, I'll see it in certain things where it's like, there's a certain song and a certain artist that will dress themselves up in the 80s style. It's like, oh, this song is cool. Let's dress it up in 80s clothing. Oh, let's try to dress it up in the living room funk clothing. Let's try to dress this thing up in the whatever. There's different acoustic folk thing. Right now, it would be this sort of thing where if a girl showed up with a ukulele, it's like, oh, the ukulele girl thing.

It was really awesome in 2014 or 13 or whatever it was. And there are some girls that that's just what there is. Or a guy is playing ukulele. It's amazing doing that thing if it's who they are. But I think sometimes it's not necessarily who that artist is, but they're dressing their song up in those clothes because they feel like they maybe should present it that way because they've seen other people gain success in that or whatever. I think for anybody as an artist, what you do and who you are and what you want to say musically

should be very authentic. That's really what it is. Like for me, I don't worry about like, do I need to sound like Wolfpack or should I not sound like Wolfpack in my solo thing? I don't care at all because I'm just going to sound like me. You know, that's what I want to do. And if it ends up that my solo music sounds a little bit like wolfpack because it has some rhythmic funky guitar well i have no choice but yeah well there's just kind of that's just gonna be there yeah because that's your footprint yeah in the band right yeah like how is like hey phil collins what you going to do to not sound like Genesis? So it's like, well, I hate to tell you, that signature voice is just like,

Phil Collins has a signature voice. When you hear him sing, it's like, or like Sting, like, hey, Sting, we don't want you to sound like the police when you sing. It's like, well, I... That's not going to happen. Yeah, it's like certain people, if they've discovered and fully realized

what their voice is on their instrument, or I guess it's a little more obvious as a singer, you know. But on my instrument, if I've developed my voice into something that is recognizable, of course, I'm going to sound like me. And of course, I'm going to sound like the band I'm a part of. So I don't necessarily worry about like, oh, does this sound too much like the band like should I start doing my own should I veer off into this totally different thing I don't carry any of that weight I just think like

okay this song came from me sounds like me I'm playing it on my instrument does it feel like it's what I really want to do great that's it yeah you know

and I think some people will overthink it if maybe they're in a band like, yeah, like a band that has such a signature thing to it. But my philosophy is that, you know, there's a reason why Sting's music sounds like the police music. But there's a reason why it also sounds very different because he's doing you know it's

not the collective of it although he has a different collective that's working with him on his solo thing yeah you know he's gonna sound like sting do you think imagery is important with with music business like how you guys how you decorate the band like what's your mind state with uh like bringing a whole package to a show? Yes. What do you think? Tell me. I think the big thing is intentionality.

Letting the audience, when we walk on stage in matching outfits, sometimes like... You have great jackets, by the way. Thank you. Appreciate it. We got custom matching outfits. And it's like, part of it is very stupid it's

like okay all right all right all right but part of it's like when we walk out it's like oh we're a band yeah and these it's like these guys belong together and they've clearly thought about what they should look like yeah you know and i think a lot of times i will see bands just kind of walk out and it's like okay okay, you guys didn't think about what you're going to look like at all. Yeah. For some people, maybe they can pull that off. That's fine. I feel like if I'm going to a show, I want to see a show and I want to, I want to see that there's some intentionality in that. And for me, and I know that that's not everybody, not everybody cares about that. And it's not like, oh, I want to see what kind of fashion forward thing you're going to do.

The way that I do my show, I want people to know that it's thought through. And my arrangements and the way that I play my music reflects that as well. You know, it's like we definitely have lots of times where we'll branch out and we'll jam and do that sort of thing. But there's a lot of intentionality, especially when I have the horns. It's like the horns play as a section. Thank you. They play as a section and it's arranged material that's been arranged specifically for these things.

And then there's like jumping points within the arrangements where we can explore and have some fun. Do you like being part of this jam scene? Yeah, I think it's fun. Yeah. Was this like when you're first thinking about the idea of being a musician? Did you ever think you'd be part of this scene? Yes.

It makes a lot of sense for me as a guitar-led band doing mostly instrumental music where we play some solos. It's a lot of groove-based music that has improvisation. Well, where do you think that would fit? You know,

the jam community. And fortunately, you know, like, it's awesome. Like, jazz community to a certain extent,

but I might be a little bit like, it might be too... Where'd you study? You studied jazz? Yeah. Where'd you go to school? At McNally Smith in St. Paul St. Paul yeah sounds weird to say it but my school went out of business yeah whatever anyways I went to music college have a guitar degree but like the jazz thing I was trying to be a jazzer for a while. Like what? Like what kind of jazzer? Like Starkey Puffer?

Oh, Pat Metheny. Yeah, Pat Metheny. So what was the moment that you said, all right, this Pat is not going to work for being me? Well, it was the moment of, I had a couple mentors say like, look. Who? Michael Bland was one.

He's a drummer who played with Prince for years. Fucking you, fucking Minnesota, dude. Yeah, yeah. You got yeah all those cats didn't you yeah yeah yeah so what are they saying about maintaining a career in the industry have they ever talked to you about that yeah I mean there's a lot of professionalism things that we talked about a lot of my cutting my teeth as a musician was as a side man and it didn't have anything at all to do with me being an artist. So that stuff was all like, be the most prepared person in the room. If you're not the best person in the room, you know, like some, in some cases you can't control it. You're not going to be the best musician in the room. The one thing you can control is being the 100% most prepared person

in the room. And that is going to speak volumes because it's like, bass player might be the most insane bass player in the world, but if he doesn't know the changes to the bridge on this tune, you can tell him. And you will know it, you know? And all it takes is some time

and some effort put into that intentionality again. So, like that, that's one of the main things. And then just like, how you, what your role is in certain bands. Like for me playing guitar in a group where there's a keyboard player that is very active, I don't have to play as thick a chord voicings or like finding my role as a guitar player in certain bands, you know, just learning how to just find that and, uh, be a good performer on stage or

be a great session musician, what it takes to do those things. I just learned a lot from being around those guys, but, um, yeah, a lot of my upbringing in that scene was how are you going to be able to be a pro, do your best work to serve the artist, to serve the artist's vision? So that's a fascinating concept because you learned that before you became a solo artist? Yes. That's good manners, bud.

Yeah. Right? And then that was like then the turning point when I started to want to do my own thing as an artist, when I realized, what's the point of being Pat Metheny because I'm never going to do my own thing as an artist, when I realized what's the point of being Pat Metheny? Cause I'm never going to be as good as Pat Metheny is at being Pat Metheny. Why don't I just try to be me? And that's what my mentors were like, dude, sound like you figure out your voice. You're great on your instrument. You've got a thing. You do this thing and you

have this thing and this thing. Why don't you develop those? Figure out what your voice is. And then, you know, it's been a journey. I feel like, you know, I even put out a couple records where I was starting to discover that. And now I feel like... What records were those? I have a record called MSP Part One and Corey Wong and the Green Screen Band,

where it's like I was starting to get into that sort of thing. And, you know, like I had other friends even in just my bands where it was like them saying certain things. It's like, dude, that's like your thing. It's like, Oh yeah, cool. I guess that kind of is. And then it's like, Oh man, when did you have, when did you personally have that realization? Year and a half ago. When I knew it was 100% was when I got a call from Theo from Wolfpack.

He called me. He goes, bro, heard the new Dave Barnes record. I don't even need to ask if it was you. I already know. There was only one person that it could have been. Oh, word, dude. That's your dog, too. And he's like, dude, I just knew it was you the second I heard it.

He's like, I don't have to ask. I just want to say, nice work. You sounded great. Oh, that makes you feel good? Yeah, cool. And, you know, and then it was, and obviously he's one of my best friends, and we play in a band together, and we've played so much music together. I would kind of expect that, but it was fun to hear him say like... Without you even pitching it?

He just listened? He had no idea that I even knew the guy. And then I would hear other people on the internet start to say, oh, that's the Corey Wong thing. It's like, oh. Bro! Yeah.

It feels good, right? Yeah, yeah. You're becoming your own man. Yeah. And how important is that to you? It's huge, right? Yeah, yeah. You're becoming your own man. Yeah. And how important is that to you? It's huge. Yeah, it's huge. And it's super fun because dialing in or out

or dialing the fader on how much of myself to put into a situation is a fun thing to navigate. Obviously, when it's my show as an artist, the fader's clipping. You know, I'm just going to give it all. Do you like doing the session work? Yeah, I love that. But in the session field, sometimes, like, how much Corey Wong do they need?

None. They just need good guitar. So what am I going to do? So what does Corey Wong do? Well, like, if they want my, just like the whole thing that I, like, my thing, you know? If they want it to sound like me, I can sound like me. But if they want it to sound like good guitar that fits this pop tune that just like needs to serve the role of the guitar,

and it's like it needs to fill it up, needs to add some space, needs to make the chorus feel like it explodes. What's your philosophy on how to make a chorus explode? A lot of different ways to do it. It depends song by song, but like a standard cookie cutter way would be, well, like a lot of the producers in Nashville that I work with,

it's like stereo set of diamonds on electric guitar, big humbucking guitars. Maybe a really driving higher eighth note sort of thing two note pattern or something uh but like kind of layering that sort of stuff making it just feel like it opens up isn't it fascinating that nashville has a science oh yeah yeah yeah i mean every scene has like their things but and and i don't mean that as a good or bad thing yeah do you think that ruins individuality because everyone's looking for that i don't i don't necessarily think so because i think no matter what if the artist is doing what they're supposed to be doing and the

producer is doing what they're supposed to be doing their voice and their writing and their message will shine through all of that like again, again, you can have a really great song and a really great artist and just dress it up in the quote-unquote cookie-cutter Nashville clothing. Yeah. And it's going to sound amazing. It's going to be great.

And the artist is going to shine through. It's just like, you know, you just dress up that song and that person in those clothes, and it's great. It is halftime at the Enni Fresco interview hour. And now, a moment between a man, his guitar, and the love that helps them overcome.

Yeah! Yeah! that helps them overcome. Yeah! Yeah! Oh, fuck. Yeah! Oh, bring it out! Holy shit! In a half! Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah woah woah woah woah woah Oh shit! Oh! Oh! Oh yeah! Take it baby!

Fucking hard boner! Oh fuck Yeah! Oh bring it out! Fucking hard punk! Oh shit! Holy shit and a half oh great play Who is the guy who came up to you and gave you the pat on the back that you felt like you'll remember for the rest of your life? There's been a handful, but one of them that sticks out

just because we're at a jam festival is Trey. Trey said what up? Yeah. What did he say? we're at a jam festival is Trey. Trey said what up? Yeah, I mean, we- What'd he say? Wolf opened for Trey a few years ago at Red Rocks, and he came out and was just like, hey, thanks so much for being here. Love you guys.

Yeah, he was like- What is it like getting the call from Trey? Say, hey, man, I want you to open. Were you a fan of Phish? Did you know Phish? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, I can't- I would be lying if I said Phish was my favorite band and all that and blah, blah. I know everything to open. Were you a fan of Phish? Did you know Phish? Yeah, yeah. I mean, I can't, I would be lying if I said Phish was my favorite band

and all that and blah, blah. I know everything about them. Trey's a huge influence though. Like Trey's guitar playing is great. He's another person that you hear him. It's like, that's Trey. You know, he's got a thing. He's got a sound.

He's got a feel. He's got a thing, which is awesome. That's inspiring. It felt great for him to come. What did he say to you? Well, he just came out. He's like, oh, I love what you guys are doing, blah, blah, blah. We had dinner the night before, so we all hung.

Yeah, and he came to sound check. He was like, oh, show me that thing that you're doing there, because he was listening to us play. He's like, oh, what's that little harmonized thing that you're doing there? He's a real listener. Yeah, he's a listener. He cares. He's into the craft.

He loves the tone. He's like, oh, what are you doing for gear? I'm like, you're just backlining amps? Like, don't you want your amp? I'm like, I don't know. I don't really care as long as it's a clean fender or any clean amp. I don't really, you know.

He's like, oh, what do you have for a pedal board? Oh, cool. Like, you know, it's some little pedals. Nerd out on that shit. We nerded out on that. And he's like, oh, you should you have for a pedal board? Oh, cool. Like, you know, it's some little pedals. Nerd out on that shit. We nerded out on that. And he's like, oh, you should check out my gear, you know? And then he's. So what does he have that you were impressed or not impressed by?

I'm not huge into gear in general. People were geeking out on the forums because I played his Languidoc, which is like his guitar. People geek out on forums because you played his guitar? Well, yeah, because it's like, whoa, he played the doc Is that a big thing for guitar nerds? I don't know Yeah, it is, it totally is It's a legendary guitar and he's a legendary player

I mean John Mayer played Jerry's guitar And that was a big fucking deal too But it's a legendary guitar and he's a legendary player i mean john mayer played uh jerry's guitar yeah and that was a big fucking deal too so it's but it's just an axe i kind of see it as that but there's like there's a there's a certain weight that something like that holds like i don't know mate like what about you you got your own you got your baby that yeah i have my stratocaster it's like my blue strat that's Strat that I've just kind of had since high school and I played. I mean, it's fun. There is something to it. It's like, wow, I've heard this guitar on so many records and heard this thing.

So playing Trey's guitar was amazing. And he was fun because he's like, keep going. He would run out in the audience. Did he give it to you? He presented it to you? Oh, he's just like, here, check it out. Like, hey, you want to play it? Did you play it on stage?

No, I just played it at sound check. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And he sat in with us that night. This is a whole different world for me. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So he sat in with us. He handed me the guitar and was like, check it out. See how it feeds back?

It's alive, man. It just wants to go. It's like, oh,, it's alive, man. It just wants to go. It's like, oh yeah, you're totally right. So he's, you know, like learning how to kind of dial in the volume,

dial in the different settings. He's got a bunch of different gain stages with his drives. And then he was like running up into the stands at Red Rocks. He's like, crank it, crank it. I want to see how it sounds out front. You know?

So it's like, oh, he's a fan. Yeah. He's, he's in it. And which was totally cool and it was amazing that feel hope for us that we could still love what we do at that age yeah

and it's also a reminder of like don't be a prick yeah like trey's a legend this is his legendary gear it's like his thing this is his night he's inviting us in and he's just like we're just we're we're at the playground together is what it felt like. How many times do you have to check yourself to not be a prick? I think you should probably, most people should do it every day. The only times where I know that I need to check myself is if I haven't gotten a lot of sleep. Yeah, sleep deprivations. I am one of those people that

kind of needs eight hours. And you start being a dick if you're not? Yeah. I just get irritable. I get irritable and I just know like, okay, I didn't get much sleep. I know I'm going to be on edge. If I'm about to say something I probably shouldn't

or think that maybe I shouldn't say it, just give it a second. Yeah, think about it before you do it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Or like the guys in my band know like, all right, if we didn't get a lot of sleep, it's just like we're all going to- Let them go.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like everything, like, all right, you said that to me. I know you didn't mean it. You got six hours of sleep, you know, or four hours of sleep. How important is mental health to you? Quite important. I think, uh, it's not something that I think about a lot because I don't, I don't personally feel like I have a lot of, well, that's not true. I do think about it. And I, I wouldn't say that I don't have, it's not at the forefront of my,

I was going to say, it's not something that I deal with very much. I think we all do at whatever capacity. I think managing stress and expectations, you asked about fears. I think I believe in the philosophy that stress is just another name for fears. It's like, oh, I'm stressed about this gig. Well, really really i'm just kind of like afraid i'm gonna miss my flight and not make it and then it's like what happens if i don't make it to the festival i don't get paid but my band makes it i gotta pay them and then it's like i gotta uh you know you get stressed about that sort of thing and then it's really just fear of like this not working out right or afraid of like are these people not gonna like me or am i gonna sound bad like you know so yeah yeah yeah so stress fear i

deal with those things as far as like um just like my work stuff going well. Like I want things to go well, you know? What's going well in your idea of life? I feel like for me, if I know, if I see that I'm connecting with the audience and I see that the audience has a visceral reaction to what I'm playing and a joyful reaction. So a lot of people play because they want to feel like,

a lot of times like there are artists where they want to just slay it and let everybody know how great they are at their instrument. And that's fine. That's cool. Like, it's fun to see the virtuosos do their thing and like, you know, great. That, that's how they, that's their barometer for a good show for me, And like, you know, great. That's how they, that's their barometer for a good show. For me, my message and why I do what I do is more about like bringing a positive energy

and positive vibe to people. So if I see that people are having a great time and I see joy on people's faces, that's a good show to me. Of course, I want to, I always strive for excellence in what I'm doing musically, but most importantly, connecting with the audience

and seeing that they are having a great time. That's a win. You know. Have you, do you feel like you've written your opus yet? Um, what's the most proudest song you have in your head?

It hits all the spots that you think is a great song. Right now, there's a tune on my new record that's coming out. I don't know when this is going to reach the internet. Okay, my record that just came out. Yes. In the future from now, but just came out from when those of you that are listening to this. There's a tune called Home. I feel like just it goes through the emotional roller coaster of,

I feel like I just really got across the point that I wanted to get across in the recording and in the songwriting. in the recording and in the songwriting. And it's basically just like a story of family and the storyline of what it's like to be, in my case, a son, and my relationship with my parents and how that grows. And then like me as a parent now, like my relationship with my daughters and them growing. And what that is like, I feel like the song was meant to represent that and the growth and the shift in dynamics as things grow.

What do you think you learned from being a kid to your parents that you want to do better for being a parent to your kid? When my kids were born, started growing up, there was a lot more obvious like, oh, they're just born with certain things, like certain tendencies. And my oldest daughter, Claire, is a lot like me and my personality. My youngest daughter, Ellie, is much more like my wife and her personality. And it's funny to see that and kind of know it even from like six months and to just see it further develop as they're growing. So me knowing myself as a child

and the way that I handled things or the way that I responded to discipline, I see it in her, and it allows me to either discipline or challenge her in a way that I know worked for me where it's like, there was certain ways that people would parents authorities in general, not necessarily like police or anything, but like principal teacher, whatever, any,

they would try certain tactics to get you to do or not do something that, you know, you just know worked on you or didn't work on you reflecting back. I see that in my daughter, the way that she responds to things, basically the exact same way that I did. So now I'm like, oh, okay. She's very much like me. I think if I say it this way, we'll get the outcome we would all want. And she definitely wants to be a good person, but there's times where she's frustrated with something or she's fighting with her sister or somebody else.

It's like, okay, I know what would have gotten me to stop, so I'm going to use that tactic to get her to stop. And 99% of the time, it's pretty accurate. What do you want to be remembered by as a parent when it's all said and done? When you're fucking 90 and your kids are... Yeah, what I want my kids to remember me as? Yeah.

I guess... I want to be remembered as a place that they could go that's a safe haven, a loving and protective safe Haven. When they need somebody to go to, to talk about whatever's on their mind or, you know, if they need help,

somebody can get them out of, out of a jam, you know, it's awesome. We out of a jam. You know. It's awesome. We're at a jam festival, so I have to use the word jam as much as possible. Let's bring that same philosophy as a musician. What do you want to be remembered by as a musician? Somebody who can get you out of a jam.

No. Just a ying of back and forth. Isn't that crazy how we have these outlets for our life? You know, where it's like, we want that energy spent on our children or on our wives or our loved ones. But then we want to be completely out of that same situation when it comes to something else in our life.

How do you find balance? Growing up, my dad traveled a lot for work. So I learned early on how to kind of like click in and out of that yeah for whatever reason uh or however to explain that but um if it was like so as a parent for me to leave home i am am much more able to just click out in a healthy way. Where some people are like, oh, I can't leave my kids for two days. It kills them or their spouse. And some spouses that are left at home, husband or wife, whatever.

Are you good on the road? Yeah. And your wife's cool with you always taking a tour or something? Yeah. I mean, within reason. It's like if she doesn't want me on the road 10 months out of the year, road yeah yeah your wife's cool with you always taking a tour or something yeah i mean within reason it's like you know if she doesn't want me on the road 10 months out of the year yeah but it's one of those seasons in life right now where like things are growing and we're just kind of figuring out where it's all gonna land and like you know i'm still trying to figure out how it's

all gonna play out and because you're in this jam scene now, at this point in your career, where it's all about the live show. So are you focused? You understand maybe you have to play 200 shows or 100 shows a year. Or do you want to try to write that song, try to get that AAA hit? If that were the deal breaker for the jam fans, it's like, unfortunately, I'm probably not going to play 200 shows a year.

Sorry, guys. Yeah, it's fine. And hopefully you understand it's because I have a family and I'm doing other things and I love the studio and love to do that. Will I do 70 shows? Yeah. Frick yeah.

It'd be fun. Well, I think it's like with the same philosophy that Wolfpack had where they sat, they cut the fat and said, listen, we're only doing 10 shows. Yeah. Or we're only doing 15 shows. So you're going to have to come and see me. I think that's a good business model. Do you think?

When you don't play too much and they're forced to come see you. Yeah, I mean, it has definitely worked for us in Wolfpack. What about in your band? I'm still figuring it out. I am like last year was the first year that I started touring as Corey Wong. And this year, now it's like, all right, let's kind of see where things are landing. Let's get an idea of what the interest level is. Yeah.

And then figure it out from there and you're just fucking smart guy yeah i mean it's it's just planning that's what this tours are especially with a with a family you can't take risks anymore you got to be strategic with how you're gonna run your business model and how you're gonna run your show right yeah and i mean there is plenty of risk still in that, you know, but I think it's not one of those things where I'm going to go out and play 200 shows a year because that would burn me out. And like, then I'm just not going to be doing shows at all five years from now, where it's like, if I do 70 shows a year now, that feels like a lot. Like, what

more do you want from me? Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah i feel you i mean everyone has their you know yeah everyone has their their thing like i'm a crazy person i've never had a girlfriend before i've i do 250 shows a year i've been doing 250 shows a year for the last 15 years yeah so just amazing yeah it's just that's what keeps me happy i mean like everyone has their own niche about how many shows that they're comfortable with. And your live show is insane and so much fun.

I remember seeing you on the rock boat just thinking like, dude, this guy's dusting everybody. Like, you put on such a party where it's like... You see that in Caleb too, right? Yes, totally. Caleb is a... He's a front man that wants to come out.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And like, I really, like, I keep on telling him, come to the jam world. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, I feel like he could, I mean, it's like an ego thing maybe. I don't know what it is. He wants to be this pop guy. Sure.

You know, and is there a lot of mentality, like, let's go, let's talk about Wolfpack and let's talk about Jack. Like, their brains about how marketing and how... Is he really that marketing genius that I see? Yeah. Is he always one step ahead? Yeah, and his big thing too is he really understands the internet. Yeah.

And I always think about... Give me some knowledge about the internet. When you see Brad Maldow play the piano, you know that he is an insane piano player. When you see Chris Thiele play the mandolin, it is just undoubtedly like that guy can, that guy is a master of the mandolin. When I watch Jack on the internet, that is his mandolin. When I watch Jack

on the internet, that is his mandolin. That's what I always think of. That's the metaphor I always use. Describe it. Because he gets it. He's smart, but he's also like, he gets like, you know, he knows that he's trying stuff. He's figuring stuff

out, but he can kind of see the way that groups work and things you know what might or might not work and uh be able to take risks but like you're saying have you learned a lot from him yeah from marketing and yeah just and with a band leader and stuff yeah like the fun thing about the band too is like every time we get together we're always we've always, we've always got this storehouse of things we want to talk about our ideas like, Hey dude.

So I was thinking about this, this, this, this, this, and we're all just spitballing and it's like a think tank all the time, you know? Fucking awesome.

And you know, how'd you like living? How'd those boys like living in LA? Has it changed their persona on how... Yeah, they all like it. About the mind state of songwriting. Theo, ever since he's been to L.A., he's crushing. Yeah, yeah.

I think all those guys love living in L.A. Why didn't you move to L.A.? My family and my wife's family are both still in Minnesota. So all of our support system is there. So it's the sort of thing where, I don't know. I don't know why I haven't moved to LA. Do you want to?

Part of me does. I was really close to moving to Nashville. I actually still have an apartment in Nashville. When I was doing a lot of sessions and touring out of there, we were going to move to Nashville. When I was doing a lot of sessions and touring out of there, we were going to move to Nashville. Basically had almost... What's the difference between Nashville music scene

and LA music scene? In that whole songwriter world. Yeah. I'm not as in on the LA scene to know as much. What's the Nashville scene like? There's just so much writing and there's so much music happening.

It's more like nine to five studio and writing days. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like going into work type. Do you like that? Yeah, I think it's cool because I subscribe to the idea that you know inspiration will strike

when you sit down to just do it do the work yeah do the work and um it's not

sometimes you're gonna have to work hard for it and sometimes it's like man that song came in 5 minutes 10 minutes and that's amazing um both scenes are great

there's a lot of really vibrant wonderful artists, producers in both. But the reason why I haven't moved, it's like we were going to move to Nashville and then I realized, okay, this next year, this is how it's going to play out.

We're going to move to Nashville and then we're going to get settled in for a couple weeks and then I'm going to leave for five weeks. I'm going to leave my wife and kids in Nashville where they don't know anybody. They don't know. I've uprooted them from everybody they know to a place where they know zero people. You're a good guy.

You're thinking about that stuff, man. Yeah, I mean, so it's a similar thing with L.A. Now that I'm doing my own artist career and with Wolfpack and Fearless Flyers, those being like the things that I do, I guess I'm a little more in charge of what that looks like. So maybe there's better odds of that working out.

But then it's like, well, I'm also playing a lot on the Late Show, playing guitar with John Batiste and that thing. So it's like, well, then I'd have to fly to New York a lot and for that. And then you might as well stay in the middle. Yeah, like Minnesota is right in the middle. It is so easy to get to LA. It is so easy to get to New York or Nashville.

It's like I'll have friends call me and be like, hey, dude, I need you to play in a session. Can you be in Nashville on Thursday? And it's Monday. And it's like, yeah, sure, no problem. I can be there. Easy. Yeah.

And it's just book a flight, go. I love it. All right, let's leave it at this. By the way, thanks for being on the show, man. Yeah, you got it. I really appreciate it. You're a good guy and you have a good heart. Thanks.

You have good values. All right, let's leave it at this. When you're thinking about life, let's say 34-year-old Corey is giving advice to a jazz student right now. What would be the advice you would give him?

The wrench in that equation is jazz student. That's the part that makes it difficult. Okay, so any music student. Yeah, yeah. Music student, in general, I would say, learn your craft, get completely technically proficient at your instrument

only for the sake of being able to play the things that you actually hear or want to or are being asked to play. Don't just play fast because you can or whatever. I think it's really important. I always try to tell people, like, say yes to every gig that makes you excited. Try to make your living as a musician. See what that feels like.

When I first made my living as a musician, I was teaching lessons, playing jobbing gigs, weddings and bar bands, that sort of thing. And then it started doing sessions, still did a little bit of my own artist work. And then it's all kind of morphed a little more of this, a little less of that, more of this, less of that. And just knowing that you don't know where music will take you, but to just say yes to stuff, hone your craft, be true to yourself, know that you are going to play gigs that aren't always going to be like the most exciting artistically, but try to find some value in them in the craft. You know, like, uh, I have a friend who did a gig at a theme park where they did the same 25-minute show

five times a day, 600 times over the summer. Oh, fuck that. And the philosophy that the instructor said was like, or the overseer was like, look, this is an opportunity for you to see what it would be like if you and your original band really did write that hit song. Because what's going to happen?

You're going to have to play that song at every one of your shows and they're going to want to hear it like this. So it's like, there's good value to playing a jobbing gig and playing the role, playing the part, executing something and just respecting the role and the moment of the thing. If you're playing guitar at a wedding, they don't really care how fast

you can shred arpeggios. They just want a fun show and a fun band. Know your role. That's sometimes a weird thing to say but for for a lot of music students it's like go after your creative thing find your voice on the instrument go for it take the plunge all the way in but respect the craft of music on the business side of it because you'll learn a lot you'll learn a lot in that yeah thanks for being on the business side of it, because you'll learn a lot. You'll learn a lot in that.

Yeah. Thanks for being on the show, Corey. Yeah, man. Thanks for having me. You're friends with Caleb. That means you're a friend of mine. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's go fuck this industry.

Let's do it. Thanks, bud. All right. And now, a message from Caleb Hawley. Don't you want somebody to love when you're lonely? Don't you want somebody to lighten your load? Light in your love Don't you want somebody to think of you When you're away Yeah, yeah

Don't you want somebody, somebody like me Don't you want somebody to make you a breakfast? Talking over coffee in the living room Don't you want somebody to watch all your favorite shows with me? Don't you want somebody, somebody like me? And as the world keeps spinning, we'll keep living by each other's side Until we pass on through this life We'll see you next time. That's it, guys. Corey Wong.

He is a bad motherfucker, dude. That guitar playing is sick as fuck. We start our fall tour. We're going to Connecticut, Fairfield, Portland, Maine. Going to Canada. Shout out to all my Canadian fans First time out there We're doing Resonance Fest

Playing Burlington again Go hang out with my boy Ryan Montblue That was an awesome conversation I had with him Then I go support my brother My man I gotta support him Marcus King, we're opening for his family reunion In Black Mountain, North Carolina

On the 27th We're going down to family reunion in Black Mountain, North Carolina on the 27th. We're going down to Charleston. I'm recording with Dave, my man Dave in Richmond. We're almost done with the record, guys. I think you're going to be proud of it. A little different sound, but I really dialed in on what I want to

speak about. I really want to talk about mental health. I really want to talk about just finding a way to be yourself. speak about you know i really want to talk about mental health i really want to talk about um just finding a way to be yourself so this album has a nice theme to it um i hope you like it i i i'm really proud of it um we're almost there you know we're about three-fourths there so expect some news here soon once i find out what the single's gonna be. We're going to Rochester. We just got announced Woodstock. So Bethel, New York, we're doing the Beer Festival. It's gonna be tight as fuck,

so shout out to all my northern New Yorkers. Come on out. Playing Pittsburgh, Lexington, Cincinnati, Roanoke. Just find the dates on andyfrasco.com. We got announced on Hulaween October 25th We're playing in Philly Oh, we just announced we're playing with Pigeons

Playing ping pong at the PlayStation Theater In New York fucking city That's a huge show for my boys Shout out to Pigeons Packing out the fucking venues, doggies Nice fucking work Another band Shout out to pigeons fucking packing out the fucking venues doggies nice fucking work another band shout out to pigeons hard work pays off they work their ass off look at them now fucking selling 3 000 seats so it's an honor to open for y'all and you gave us uh the house of blue show in

boston too i haven't played a big venue there um so shout out to that um else? Then I'm doing Glen Falls for the Wild Age Geodic Festival They rent out this hotel, it's tight So me and the boys are doing that in November But those are my dates I miss them, I'm playing at Syracuse But go check them out, andyfrasco.com Go subscribe to the podcast

If you're new, we're building new fans Every day I'm looking at the numbers every week, and it's fucking crazy. So shout out to all the homies. Spreading the word. Spreading the gospel. You know, we're all in this together, you know. The music scene ain't no different than your 9 to 5.

We're all fucking struggling. It might be a little more, you know, glamorous or whatever, but it isn't. We're fucking smelling our guitar player's ass all day. Or, actually, Sean's pretty clean but um you know what i'm saying it's hard work you guys are in it with us you're fighting the good fight so if you see a band who are fucking feeling low give them a hug tell them i appreciate all the traveling and all the the lack of relationships you get to have because you're giving your hearts out to everyone else. So give a musician a hug.

You know, guys are a tour. They're dedicating their lives to entertain people. So don't be afraid to give them some love and show them how much you appreciate them. You know, don't be all creepy and shit. Don't, like, follow them and shit. But shout out, doggy. I appreciate you, but that's it guys. I hope you had a fun episode. It was, it was fun for me. Um, I'll keep you updated. Like always follow me on Instagram. If you need help talking about anything, I'm here. Don't be afraid to talk. You know, I might not be a therapist

and I probably shouldn't be giving you advice and I won't give you like some serious advice because my manager says that's how you get sued. So, but I'm here. I'm here to support you. You know, vent to me if your girlfriend sucks or boyfriend sucks or you're just feeling low about your occupation or how your parents judge you or whatever, I'm here. I'm your friend. Even though we might not know each other, it might take me a couple days to get a hold of you, but I'm thinking about you and I love you guys and you're the best. So on that note, comb your hair, be safe. Don't take no shit from nobody. Keep your addiction on wrap.

Like my boy, my penis is on wrap today, y'all. I was like, nah, dog, you ain't coming out to play. Stay in the pocket. Shout out. Shout out to my hormones for not being pissed off about that But yeah be safe out there I love you We only live once

Give it hell Fucking fight for it Give it hell this week You know it's Tuesday baby Fuck shit up Come on follow those dreams Get everything you can out of it We only live once

For some people we might not live as long as others So give it all you can love what you do and i'll touch you next week see you later guys well thank you for listening to episode 58 of andy fresco's world saving podcast produced by andy fresco joe angelow and chris lawrence please subscribe and rate the show on itunes and spotify so we can make this a worldwide phenomenon for in from the show please head and Spotify so we can make this a worldwide phenomenon. For info on the show, please head to Instagram at theworldsavingpodcast. For more info on the blog and tour dates, head to andyfresco.com.

Change of Pace is the latest album. The latest album is Change of Pace, available on iTunes and Spotify. This week's special guests were Hannah Rees, Ari Findlings and Rob Hauk. Right, talking photography, great. Not many things in life excite me the way images do. I can hear you jump to conclusions thinking I'm talking about porn but it's not just that. It's the movies, it's painting, sculpture, photos, drawings and good views. I guess I'm a pretty visual guy for someone who ended up a musician. Atypical, because shots don't remind me of booze, shots don't remind me of heroin, nor the OK Corral.

My deep thought for the week? As I am still visualizing my world, I am still taking shots at life. Oh, whatever. The guy who likes to watch expressing himself through music tries to speak his thoughts. Humbug. Next week, you'll hear me scratch my ass.