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SHOCORE
TAKIN’ IT EASY
For those about to rock, consider yourself warned: The road to musical success is littered with broken promises, inflated egos and stifled creativity. Just ask Cory White.
Although void of the usual short, unsuccessful stint in rehab and tragic Gene Vincent ending, White’s story reeks of rock ‘n’ roll. There is beer, friends, hard work and success only to be followed by deceit and then... the inevitable fallout. It’s the universal tale of a band, but with a twist. Enter Terry Murray.
"Basically, the deal was that I was in a band called DDT and Murray was in a band called Nefro," offers White, from his cell phone in Vancouver. "At the time, Nefro was recording an album while DDT was on a hiatus just after the last record came out. Terry called me up and said ‘Hey, do you want to come into the studio and help me produce a couple of songs?’ I was totally bored and had nothing to do and I thought it was a great idea. At the end of the day when that Nefro record was done, we were really happy with the outcome and agreed that if we ever got the chance, we’d like to work together again. It just so happened that I got back from the tour with DDT and they kicked me out of the band. Coincidentally, Terry phoned me the next day and asked what I was doing and I told him I was feeling pretty fuckin’ sorry for myself. He said, ‘Don’t be a goof, I’ve got some studio time booked starting tomorrow."
And such was the conception of Shocore.
Over the course of the next couple months, White and Murray wrote and recorded a number of songs that have now been compiled on their debut release Devil Rock Disco, just out via Linus Entertainment. A rough and tumble mix of meaty guitars and rhythmic vocal patterns, DRD proves quite successful at radiating the party atmosphere in which it was recorded.
"When we were in the studio the big thing for us was that we wanted to make sure that we had a keg of beer around all the time," chuckles White. "We had our friends come in and play and it was always like, ‘O.K., we’ll record for 10 hours and then we’ll drink for four – let’s hang out and have a good time.’ But that was what it was all about – having a good time and enjoying the process of making music with your friends. It was fun. It’s cool to be creative that way because everyone’s always in a good mood. There’s no pressure. We were in total control and if something didn’t work we’d just do it again."
And judging by the nasty success of the disc’s first single, "Bonecracker," the gods have looked favourably on the band’s laid-back mindset. Within weeks of asking a friend for his help sorting through the tracks for a few worth shopping around to labels, "Bonecracker" had won a place on the Vancouver Seeds compilation album, was lighting up the telephones at CFOX in Vancouver and, "High School Punk," another song from the disc, has been slated for release on the Jet Boy soundtrack due out later this year.
"Everything’s been sort of a whirlwind," laughs White. "I didn’t expect what’s happening to be happening as fast as it has. It’s funny because there’s already people on out sire saying that we’re a one-hit wonder, but we haven’t ever had a hit yet."
That said, the future is looking pretty bright. Sure the DDT fallout was a painful experience, but as White admits in the end it was for the best. He’s no longer expected to stifle his creativity or surrender control of what he’s worked hard for. He’s found a talented co-composer in Murray who he "respects a lot" and most importantly the two of them can make music that’s fun.
"We’re not trying to change the world, we’re not political, we’re a rock band that wants to have a good time. I think that sometimes people forget that music is not only a field to express political views and affect change, but also a vehicle to entertain. We’re sort of on the same plain as bands like KISS who were there strictly to entertain. I mean, at times we might have something to say, but mostly we want to make sure that people don’t forget to have a good time. Life gets stressful and pretty heavy and can be hard on every body. And goddamn sometimes you’ve just got to relax."
Article by Shayne Stephens
Chart Magazine, September 2001