Today we’d like to introduce you to Corey Childs.
Corey, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started playing drums at the age of 11 after watching a video of Joey Jordison playing with Slipknot live in London. I think like may kids of that era, the massive popularity of Nu Metal at the time was a huge inspiration, and it informed my decision to pursue this as a career. After a few years of practicing in my garage (to my neighbor’s dismay), I started my first band called “Vice/Vitrue”. That was my first introduction to the Atlanta scene, and from that point forward, Atlanta has always felt like my musical home. We played our fair share of gigs and recorded our debut EP “Theory of a Madman” at Ghost Kid Studios. The group later disbanded for personal reasons.
From the ashes of Vice/Virtue, I began a new project called “Azure Towers”, made up of most of the old members, plus a new guitarist. We had much the same trajectory, playing lots of shows, and recording a 6 song EP at In Motion Recordings. The band ended a month after the EP release due to a pretty gnarly life changing personal situation between band members.
After the messy breakup of AT, I became very jaded with the idea of being in a band and relying on others to make music. I taught myself production in Logic X, became proficient on guitar and bass, and began writing and recording my music as a kind of one man band. I spent the next four to five years grinding and honing my production skills until I felt ready to open up my studio to the public.
After opening Clocktower, I released a few experimental hip hop songs under the pseudonym “Spires”, and that has slowly grown into a full fledged solo endeavor, with my debut EP “JETSAM” out in early 2020.
In late 2018, Johnmark Hendrix, Tyler Smith and I formed Mobtones. We initially aimed to be a funk group, but our love for politically charged punk rock quickly pushed that idea to the side. We’ve been gigging as much as possible, and are currently taking a break to finish up out debut EP, also due out in early 2020.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Although I grew up in a moderately middle class household, we had our fair share of issues to deal with. My father was a very abusive pill addict and had hardly anything to do with raising me. My mother and her parents took 100% of the weight of raising me, and for that, I’m forever grateful. My father passed when I was nine, and shortly after, I began writing as a method of coping with the loss and the confusion of learning who my father was as a person.
Another altercation later on in my life led to the SWAT team getting called to my house, and having a four hour long armed standoff with my stepfather. What a way to start the senior year, right?
I got diagnosed with mild PTSD from some of these experiences, and that manifested into anxiety and depression in my late teens. It’s still a battle I fight to this day, but music has been my main saving grace throughout my life. That’s my end goal; to one day make the same kind of music that got me through those dark patches of my life.
Please tell us about your music.
I run Clocktower studios out of my home in Toccoa, GA. We accommodate every genre from death metal to hip hop and offer full mixing/mastering services in house. I think a particular strength that we have, is the ability to give a client exactly what they know they want, while also opening them up to possibilities they might not have known they wanted. I always try to insert some degree of personal taste in to each artist I work with, and I’m thankful that they trust me enough to let me hold the reigns at times. We combine experimental elements with more conventional genre defining characteristics, to try to make a unique but listenable final product. If you come to Clocktower, I can guarantee you won’t walk away sounding like everyone else.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
The only thing I would change would be to get over the fear of failure sooner. I spent too many years worrying about the judgment of others, especially when the song is coming 100% from your head. A lot of my music does come from a deep place and is reflective of the things I’ve dealt with. Putting that out on your sleeve can be truly terrifying, but it’s also the most rewarding part of the job.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 7065992187
- Email: thisisspires@gmail.com
- Instagram: @coreymakesmusic
- Twitter: @thisisspires
Image Credit:
Shaun Ramkumar
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