Full
Name:
"My full name on my birth
certificate is Cort Caleb Carpenter."
Age:
"I am currently 28 Years
Old. Born July 7th, 1986."
Hometown || Currently Live:
"I grew up in Washington
State in a small town called Kelso. I currently live in Nashville, TN. with my
wife, Kelly, & dog, Dax."
Tell us a little about family?
"My parents
live back in my hometown of Kelso Washington and are retired school teachers.
(Dave & Elana) taught and coached at Kelso for a combined total of 75+
years. Everyone knows them back home. My older brother, (Rhett), lives in
Seattle Washington and works in the safety construction business. He is very
successful in his field of work and dabbles in teaching as well. Not to
mention, many people know him as one of the top fisherman in the Northwest.”
What
made you want to start singing?
"You know, I have loved to
sing forever, but was deathly afraid to really sing in front of anyone, especially
my parents. After my baseball career ended I started singing for fun. I entered
a few singing competitions locally back home then hooked up with some local
singers/musicians who believed I could do something with it. So we started up a
band, I started some singing lessons and guitar lessons & ran with it.
After being up on stage and seeing people really loving what they were hearing,
I was instantly hooked. Now I am in Music City, and doing this several times a
week to the biggest country music fans and industry people in the business. It
is quite the thrill."
Do
you play any instruments?
"I play some acoustic
guitar. Always trying to get better at it and still taking weekly lessons to
improve my skill set. Growing up, I played the stand up String Bass in our
schools powerful Orchestra program for 8 years. But until 5 years ago, I had
never even touched a guitar. I actually got my first guitar from an
ex-girlfriend as a Christmas gift. Who would have known it was the beginning of
my music career. Lol"
Did
you teach yourself?
"I currently take lessons
weekly and have been now for 2 years via Skype."
Who
are your biggest musical inspirations?
"Well, this is a question I
never know truly how to answer. I love all genres of music. Seriously, all of
them for different reasons. I grew up listening to 50's & 60's on the
"Oldies" station with my parents. They were never into country music,
neither was I. I probably know the lyrics to 75% of all Oldies songs because
that was what I always heard. Country music actually was introduced to me by
one of my best friends back home. We played a lot of sports together and his
family was always listening to country. So riding in the car with them to games
I would hear it. I quickly fell in love with the song lyrics and emotions that
come in a country song. From then, I have been into it ever since."
Where
do you get inspiration to write your songs?
"Well, I
have loved to write lyrics for many years now. Many of the lyrical ideas come
from past life experiences. I played collegiate sports and went to college
and have experienced many cool things. So my ideas come from those. However,
many times I try to think of what people are talking about or saying/doing to
get my ideas. 2015 I am really going to be diving into the writing scene as
much as I can."
Favorite
songs you have ever recorded?
"I have two (7) song EP's
out now. Both with strong material that were gathered by songwriters around
town and beyond. My favorite songs I have ever recorded were probably "Tellin'
Me Lies", "Friday Night Lights", "Midnight Girl" &
"So Long". Although, I love all the songs I recorded for different
reasons, these 4 are my favorites at the moment. However, it seems to change on
a weekly basis. (HaHa)."
What
moment in your music career is your favorite so far?
"Hmm... This
is tough. I have played in so many cool shows and for so many people around the
country. It is really hard to choose a favorite because I am getting
opportunities and crowds that blow me away on a nightly basis. So thankful for
that! However, one thing I can remember that was really sticks out was playing
at the Oregon Jamboree in 2013. We took the stage and had a good little crowd.
But once we started playing, I saw movement in the distance. It was about 100 yards
away. I kept looking and then figured out it was a swarm of people walking to
hear us. It was like a scene right out of the "Walking Dead". Where
it was a mass of people (walkers) that were attracted to the music we had began
our show with. It was so cool! People crammed in and partied like no tomorrow!
We really had an awesome show that day, and hopefully we will be back there
next summer!"
Finish
this sentence…if I could write a song for or with anyone I would choose______.
"Joe
Nichols, Tim McGraw or Toby Keith. These three artists are ones I consider
myself similar to in many ways. These are guys I study and really admire.
Hopefully I will get a shot to tour with them someday in the near
future."
Where
do you see yourself in a year?
5 years?
"In one year, I hope to be
on a big label, or making so much noise independently that many of them are
itching to pick me up. In 5 years I hope to have a very successful career
happening in country music. By that time I hope to be a face and voice people
recognize and love around the world."
If
I wasn't a singer I would be…
"I'd likely be a business
owner somewhere. I have always loved business type things. Ever since I was a
little boy, I have had "Cort's Card Shop" in my parents basement set
up like a real store. I was always into sports cards and collecting, and would
make my parents come down and buy baseball cards nightly. When they would have
parties, I would be sure to have each guest buy something before they left. I
was always wheeling and dealing. So if it wasn't for my music career, I would
likely own some sort of business somewhere."
I'm
afraid of ______.
"Big spiders
& big bugs. Little ones don't bother me so much anymore. Though they creep
me out, I still have a hard time killing them because I feel so bad afterwards.
So the last few years I have been trying to set them free by moving them or
putting them outside. I felt bad interrupting
their journey. I'm pretty softhearted these days..."
I
never get tired of_______.
"Vacation. My wife Kelly
and I love to travel. Whether it be with family, or by ourselves... And it must
be somewhere with sun and a great beach... One day when I am older, I know we
will be living somewhere tropical."
My
favorite sports team is ______.
"I am a
die-hard Seattle Seahawks fan. 12th Man, baby! I'm a Washington State boy, so
that's a no brainer."
Okay,
I always ask that people tell me one thing about themselves that most people
don't know. (Hidden talents, weird routines, etc.)
"Well, many
don't know this but one of my favorite things to do is go to the movies. I go
more than anyone you probably ever will know. Very few movies I don't see in
theaters. Another thing people may not know about me is I was a 3 sport athlete
at my high school playing (Football, Baseball & Basketball), excelling in
all 3. I lettered 11 out of 12 times in High School. Everyone used to know me
for my athletic achievements, before I got into singing. I went
on to play Division-1 college baseball at the University of Portland."
C O N N E C T
W I T H C O R T