Corey Norman may just be one of the coolest teachers that SMCC has to offer, from being an award-winning filmmaker to a rockstar-bassist in a metal band. Corey has also been teaching at SMCC for approximately 13 years. Some of the classes he teaches include Video and Audio Basics, Video on Location, Advanced Video on Location, Video Pre-production, and more. Students in Corey’s classes have the opportunity to create films for film festivals such as Maine Mayhem, an SMCC-hosted event that allows students to showcase their knowledge and gain practical filmmaking experience. Corey Norman was one of the founders of Maine Mayhem, along with one of his students, Jimmy Crocco.

With all this information already acclaimed by the students and faculty of SMCC, The Beacon jumped at the opportunity to interview Corey Norman about his lesser known involvement in the band The Unscarred, formed by himself and his closest friends. 

The Beacon: What got you interested in doing music?

Corey: I started playing the bass when I was 14 years old. Like many kids that age, music was a huge part of my life. So, when I was given the opportunity to learn something cooler than the trumpet, I jumped at it.

The Beacon: When did you guys start your band?

Corey: Our band formed in 2003. We played seriously for about three years before calling it quits. During that time, though, we played several hundred shows with some of our favorite bands. We reformed in 2018 and have been having a blast making music together ever since.

The Beacon: What kind of music do you guys play?

Corey: We jokingly say we play “dad metal.” But in all seriousness, we’ve been having fun exploring a bunch of subgenres within the metal genre.

The Beacon: Which bands have influenced your music style, or inspired you to start your own band?

Corey: We find inspiration in a huge array of music. Bands like Life of Agony, Killswitch Engage, Sevendust, Stone Temple Pilots, 36 Crazyfists, Periphery, and Electric Callboy have all been big influences in our music.

The Beacon: Do you guys write your own music?

Corey: We do. In fact, we only play original music.

The Beacon: Do you guys have any new music coming out soon?

Corey: We’re actually in the process of releasing several new singles, “LST HRZN” and “Hellfire.” These will both be on streaming platforms later this fall. We’re really excited to be doing our first Atmos mixes for these tracks.

The Beacon: Do you guys perform any live shows? 

Corey: These days, we play a few live shows a year at venues like Geno’s, The Cavern, and Herd Flock.

The Beacon: What are some of your favorite memories together?

Corey: We played some outstanding shows over the years. Not only playing with our favorite bands, but getting to know them was truly awesome. There were so many great memories, from hanging out with Marcos from POD to having a drink with Mick from 36 Crazyfists or eating pizza with the guys in Life of Agony.

For any of the music lovers, The Unscarred has all of their music over on Apple Music, Spotify, Youtube, and many other music streaming platforms. They also post any and all updates about the band on TikTok and Facebook under The Unscarred, or over on Instagram with the username @theunscarredband.