The Man in the Bottle

The Man in the Bottle is a local band that delivers upbeat music with a personal message of emotional honesty and growth. With original music written by CSUSB student Cory McCormick, the group has accomplished a lot is the little time they have been creating.

McCormick, the vocalist and drummer of the band, grew up in a home surrounded by instruments and began playing when he was young. He works mostly with drums but also enjoys playing other instruments such as guitar and piano.

After spending his adolescence teaching himself to play music, he began to think of it as a professional career choice in college.

“I graduated high school and didn’t know what the hell I wanted to do. I went to RCC and started taking general ed. stuff and realized I love music, why am I not doing music,” said McCormick.

From there he went on to earn a certificate in music production at Citrus College and began working free-lance recording his own music as well as the music of other bands.

He’s worked closely with groups mainly in the Los Angeles area. Some of his Favorite projects were with a group called Brainstory.

McCormick desired to get a degree in film production and is now pursuing it here at CSUSB in the Communication studies program. His ultimate goal is to be able to produce most of the content for his own music.

Beginning as a solo project with no intention of performing live, The Man in The Bottle is now turning into a collaborative project with band members Josh, James and Carlos Cardenas. Their second album is planned to release this year.

“It’s a project that constantly evolves in terms of the

creative dynamic because these are people I’ve played with for almost ten years now and we’ve been doing all kinds of musical projects together,” said McCormick.

Their first album, “And Other Hearsay,” came out last year on March 31. This album was written by McCormick and focuses on a transitional period in his life where he was coming out of certain religious beliefs.

McCormick says he did not grow up religious but became a Christian in high school. His album reflects his transition growing away from Christianity and rediscovering himself as he was before he encompassed these beliefs.

“And Other Hearsay” plays upbeat through the entire album and has a somewhat calming effect. It’s sensual and smooth similar to the sound of jazz with an alternative factor keeping it in the realm of rock and roll.

With no intention of performing the music live, McCormick’s band members offered to help him with a performance for the album’s release last year.

“That’s something I’m really grateful for with my band members. They understand where I’m coming from. I don’t have to explain my past experiences or anything,” McCormick said.

The album they are planning to release this year is a collaborative effort with songs written about emotional honesty. McCormick describes it as an ode facing the anxiety, depression, and pain that he may feel in life.

[su_quote cite=”McCormick”]This project for me is about being honest with myself and being open and vulnerable because that’s what good art is, it’s about putting yourself out there. [/su_quote]

In the future, McCormick plans to keep creating and producing his own music, as well as helping to produce other musicians work both visually and audibly. To listen to The Man in the Bottle’s music you can visit https://linktr.ee/the.man.in.the.bottle.