North Bay was treated to some homegrown entertainment Friday night to kick-start the cities inaugural Bay Days festival.
Headlining the musical acts was Cory Marks, just back from his CMA Fest debut in Nashville where he met some country music greats including Carrie Underwood.
“I was also doing some recording with Travis Tritt. He’ll be featuring on my first single. It’s a song called ‘Outlaws and Outsiders.’ It’s scheduled for July. We don’t have a set date yet, but it’s coming out very soon and I’m really excited about that,” said Marks.
“I did some songwriting down there and shot a brand new music video, so exciting times. It was a busy week, but it was a good week.”
Marks takes advantage of any window of opportunity in his busy schedule to make his way back to North Bay.
“It’s always nice to come home and see mom and dad. My brother is here for the summer. He’s a professional hockey player so he’s always away for at least seven or eight months out of the year. So, I enjoy spending lots of time with family and of course my dog and friends. It’s nice to be back after being on the road.”
Marks will occasionally use North Bay as a sounding board to test out some of his new music.
“This is where I first started so it’s nice to come back to some familiar faces that have been there and supported me since my very first show and all the shows here around town. So, to come back and do something like this is always fun and I always look forward to it.”
The singer, writer, musician is pleased to see North Bay’s new three-day festival turning the spotlight on local talent.
“I think it is something very exciting because there’s one thing it seems that people don’t realize, is the amount of talent here in North Bay with regard to the arts. And that’s any form of art whether it’s drawing, or dancing and of course music,” said Marks.
“There are some very talented people here in North Bay and I think it is fair for us to have a festival like this that is so local, and I’m honoured to be part of it. I think it is very cool for people to come out and see just what we have here in North Bay.”
Among his many fans sitting in the crowd was Laura Whitehead.
“I think it is wonderful having him back where he grew up. It is really amazing. I stayed here in the cold tonight to hear Cory,” laughed Whitehead.
“He is really good, and I love country music. I’ve seen some of his YouTube videos and I liked them.”
Monique Charron just started following his work and is impressed by what she has heard.
“I just love his music. I love his style. He sounds a bit like Blake Shelton, that’s why I like him,” chuckled Charron.
“He is on his way to being famous, in my opinion. So that is great knowing he’s from North Bay.”
