Above: Corey Glover may be best known as the lead singer for Living Colour, but he also has notable screen and stage credits. Photo courtesy Corey Glover.
By Mark Rogers
Corey Glover, best known as the lead singer for the Grammy-winning hard rock band Living Colour, will be bringing a more soulful and unplugged side of his music to this year’s Mushroom Festival. Glover and Living Colour bandmate, guitarist Vernon Reid, will be headlining with an acoustic set on Saturday, Sept. 12, the first day of the two-day festival, which takes over downtown Kennett Square, Pa.
Living Colour 1988 debut album Vivid sold more than 2 million copies and spawned three hit singles — notably their signature song “Cult of Personality,” which led to a “Best Hard Rock Performance” Grammy. The 1990 follow-up album, Time’s Up, also garnered a Grammy and was certified gold. Ultimately, Living Colour released six albums, the most recent was 2017’s Shade.
Glover has had six solo releases, as well as albums with other musical projects. He also has acted on stage and screen. His credits include a role in the Oscar-winning film Platoon, as well as playing Judas Iscariot in a national tour of Jesus Christ Superstar. His skills as a vocalist have been widely praised and recognized, including his inclusion in Billboard’s list of the “Top 50 Lead Singers of All Time.”
The Living Colour frontman has recently formed a new band called The Soul Experience, which focuses largely on classic soul and R&B songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s. Setlists have included songs by Al Green, the Temptations, Sam & Dave, the O’Jays, Otis Redding, and the Bee Gees.
Glover recently sat down with with Out & About to talk about The Soul Experience, and what it’s like for him and Reid to put an acoustic spin on their songs that originated on electric guitars.
O&A: You’ve been involved with a lot of different pursuits and projects over the years. What are you most focused on now?
Glover: My focus is mainly on The Soul Experience, which is a bit of a surprise because it really wasn’t supposed to be “a thing.” It started as an homage to the music that I listened to as a kid, which influenced why I do what I do. It wasn’t intended to be some sort of all-encompassing band experience. I just wanted people to have a good time and to show them that the blues can be fun. But people really started digging it, and we booked more shows.
The Soul Experience focuses on songs that are meaningful to me for one reason or another. However, it’s not just a collection of whatever songs I feel like playing on a given night. I’m not playing for myself. I’m playing for an audience; and I would like them to be pleased too.
O&A: In the context of a cover or tribute band, do you think cover songs should be true to the original versions or should bands should put their own spin on other artists’ songs?
Glover: You’ve got to put your own spin on a cover song. You do that just by virtue of you playing it. You’re never going to play it as it was written or as it was performed. For The Soul Experience, we look for stuff that was impactful to us. For example, we play a lot of Bill Withers because he had a major influence on our lives musically. I’m not trying to be Bill Withers; I’m not Bill Withers. But I am very influenced by what he’s done, so I try my best.
O&A: What can people expect from you and Vernon on Sept. 12 at the Mushroom Festival?
Glover: It will be a mix. There will be acoustic stuff that Vern and I enjoy playing from the Living Colour catalog. Then we sort of dovetail that into The Soul Experience. It’s been fun having a chance to explore this stuff, including songs that Living Colour doesn’t play anymore. We’ve been very happy that these songs work as well in an acoustic setting as they did in their original versions. Good songs are good songs.
We also throw in music from our respective experiences that we perform well together. Recent gigs have included songs from Leonard Cohen, Tracy Chapman, Eagles, and Prince, alongside some of my solo work. Also, I really like yacht rock.
Playing acoustic guitar is a different animal. It gives Vernon a chance to scratch an itch he doesn’t get to do on a regular basis. And he can delve into things he doesn’t usually do on an electric guitar. Plus, there’s a bit of a comedic aspect to these duo shows. We’ve known each other for a very long time. The familiarity just starts to creep in and makes for some really interesting moments.
O&A: Are there any future plans or projects you’d like to tell us about?
Glover: I’d love to record with The Soul Experience. I’d like to write some new, original stuff along those lines and see what happens. As for rumors about a new Living Colour album, they’re all rumors.
I’ve led some vocal workshops with my vocal coach, Greg Drew. We talk about the technique of singing and the real-world applications. I enjoy hosting these. I do so to give back to people who care about this kind of thing. Not a lot of singers do. It really does take some work.
As for future projects, that’s TBA. I’ll figure it out as I’m going along. An opportunity may present itself. A couple songs may come out of The Soul Experience. And I have to take a listen and see where I can make it work. There are a lot of really, really talented people where I live. There are lots of places I can go to hone that thing that is The Soul Experience. So, we’ll see what happens.
O&A: Any bucket list items?
Glover: I’ve never been to Alaska, so I’d love to find someplace to play there. In the summer. There are also parts of Asia I’ve never been to that I’d like to check out.
— Corey Glover and Vernon Reid will play together at the Mushroom Festival in Kennett Square on Saturday, September 12. More at MushroomFestival.org.
